Francois de Belleforest translated the works of Achilles Tatius into a Bantu language.

French language French ( le français -LSB- lə fʁɑ̃sɛ -RSB- or la langue française -LSB- la lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛz -RSB- ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family . It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire , as did all Romance languages . French has evolved from Gallo-Romance , the spoken Latin in Gaul , and more specifically in Northern Gaul . Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl -- languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium , which French ( Francien ) has largely supplanted . French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the ( Germanic ) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders . Today , owing to France 's past overseas expansion , there are numerous French-based creole languages , most notably Haitian Creole . A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as `` Francophone '' in both English and French .   French is an official language in 29 countries , most of which are members of la francophonie , the community of French-speaking countries . It is spoken as a first language ( in descending order of the highest number ) in France , the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick , the region of Wallonia in Belgium , western Switzerland , Monaco , certain other regions of Canada and the United States , and by various communities elsewhere . In 2015 , approximately 40 % of the francophone population ( including L2 and partial speakers ) lived in Europe , 35 % in sub-Saharan Africa , 15 % in North Africa and the Middle East , 8 % in the Americas , and 1 % in Asia and Oceania .   French is the fourth-most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union . Of Europeans who speak other languages natively , approximately one-fifth are able to speak French as a second language . As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 17th and 18th century onward , French was introduced to new territories in the Americas , Africa and Asia . Most second-language speakers reside in Francophone Africa , in particular Gabon , Algeria , Mauritius , Senegal and Ivory Coast . In 2015 , French was estimated to have 77 to 110 million native speakers , and 190 million secondary speakers . Approximately 274 million people are able to speak the language . According to a demographic projection led by the Université Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l'Agence universitaire de la francophonie , total French speakers will number approximately 500 million people in 2025 and 650 million people by 2050 . The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie estimates 700 million by 2050 , 80 % of whom will be in Africa .   French has a long history as an international language of literature , and scientific some standards and is a second language of many international organisations including the United Nations , the European Union , NATO , the WTO , the International Olympic Committee , and the ICRC . In 2011 , Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business , after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese .


Jean Grey was featured in all three Pokemon animated series.

Jean Grey Jean Grey-Summers ( born Jean Elaine Grey ) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The character has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl , Phoenix , and Dark Phoenix . Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby , the character first appeared in The X-Men # 1 ( September 1963 ) .   Jean Grey is a member of a subspecies of humans known as mutants , who are born with superhuman abilities . She was born with telepathic and telekinetic powers . Her powers first manifested when she saw her childhood friend being hit by a car . She is a caring , nurturing figure , but she also has to deal with being an Omega-level mutant and the physical manifestation of the cosmic Phoenix Force . Jean Grey experienced a transformation into the Phoenix in the X-Men storyline `` The Dark Phoenix Saga '' . She has faced death numerous times in the history of the series . Her first death was under her guise as Marvel Girl , when she died and was `` reborn '' as Phoenix in `` The Dark Phoenix Saga '' . This transformation led to her second death , which was suicide , though not her last .   She is an important figure in the lives of other Marvel Universe characters , mostly the X-Men , including her husband Cyclops , her mentor and father figure Charles Xavier , her unrequited love interest Wolverine , her best friend and sister-like figure Storm , and her genetic children Rachel Summers , X-Man , Cable , and Stryfe .   The character was present for much of the X-Men 's history , and she was featured in all three X-Men animated series and several video games . She is a playable character in X-Men Legends ( 2004 ) , X-Men Legends II : Rise of Apocalypse ( 2005 ) , Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 ( 2009 ) , Marvel vs Capcom 3 : Fate of Two Worlds ( 2011 ) , Marvel Heroes ( 2013 ) , and Lego Marvel Super Heroes ( 2013 ) , and appeared as a non-playable in the first Marvel : Ultimate Alliance .   Famke Janssen portrayed the character in five installments of the X-Men films . Sophie Turner portrays a younger version in the 2016 film X-Men : Apocalypse .   In 2006 , IGN rated Jean Grey 6th on their list of top 25 X-Men from the past forty years , and in 2011 , IGN ranked her 13th in the `` Top 100 Comic Book Heroes '' . Her Dark Phoenix persona was ranked 9th in IGN 's `` Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time '' list , the highest rank for a female character .


The Prestige was directed by James Cameron.

The Prestige (film) The Prestige is a 2006 British-American mystery thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan , from a screenplay adapted by Nolan and his brother Jonathan from Christopher Priest 's 1995 World Fantasy Award-winning novel of the same name . Its story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden , rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century . Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion , they engage in competitive one-upmanship with tragic results . The film stars Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier , Christian Bale as Alfred Borden , and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla . It also stars Michael Caine , Scarlett Johansson , Piper Perabo , Andy Serkis , and Rebecca Hall . The film reunites Nolan with actors Bale and Caine from Batman Begins and returning cinematographer Wally Pfister , production designer Nathan Crowley , film score composer David Julyan , and editor Lee Smith .   The film was released on October 20 , 2006 , receiving positive reviews and strong box office results , and received Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction . Along with The Illusionist and Scoop , The Prestige was one of three films released in 2006 to explore the world of stage magicians .


Walden Media produced The Chronicles of Narnia series.

The Chronicles of Narnia (film series) The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of fantasy films from Walden Media , based on The Chronicles of Narnia , a series of novels by C. S. Lewis . From the seven novels , there have been three film adaptations so far -- The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe ( 2005 ) , Prince Caspian ( 2008 ) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ( 2010 ) -- which have grossed over $ 1.5 billion worldwide among them .   The series revolves around the adventures of children in the world of Narnia , guided by Aslan , a wise and powerful lion that can speak and is the true king of Narnia . The children heavily featured in the films are the Pevensie siblings , and a prominent antagonist is the White Witch ( also known as Jadis ) .   The first two films were directed by Andrew Adamson and the third film was directed by Michael Apted . The fourth film will be directed by Joe Johnston .


Ireland Ireland ( -LSB- ˈaɪərlənd -RSB- Éire -LSB- ˈeːɾʲə -RSB- ; Ulster-Scots : Airlann -LSB- - scoˈɑːrlən -RSB- ) is an island in the North Atlantic . It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel , the Irish Sea , and St George 's Channel . Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles , the third-largest in Europe , and the twentieth-largest on Earth .   Politically , Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland ( officially named Ireland ) , which covers five-sixths of the island , and Northern Ireland , which is part of the United Kingdom , in the northeast of the island . In 2011 , the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million , ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain . Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland .   The island 's geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain , with several navigable rivers extending inland . The island has lush vegetation , a product of its mild but changeable climate which avoids extremes in temperature . Thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages . As of 2013 , the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11 % of the total , compared with a European average of 35 % . There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland . The Irish climate is very moderate and classified as oceanic . As a result , winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area . However , summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe . Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant .   The earliest evidence of human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC . Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century CE . The island was Christianised from the 5th century onward . Following the Norman invasion in the 12th century , England claimed sovereignty over Ireland . However , English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th -- 17th century Tudor conquest , which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain . In the 1690s , a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters , and was extended during the 18th century . With the Acts of Union in 1801 , Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom . A war of independence in the early 20th century was followed by the partition of the island , creating the Irish Free State , which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades , and Northern Ireland , which remained a part of the United Kingdom . Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s . This subsided following a political agreement in 1998 . In 1973 the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community while the United Kingdom , and Northern Ireland , as part of it , did the same .   Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures , especially in the fields of literature . Alongside mainstream Western culture , a strong indigenous culture exists , as expressed through Gaelic games , Irish music , and the Irish language . The culture of the island also shares many features with that of Great Britain , including the English language , and sports such as association football , rugby , horse racing , and golf .


William Hanna William Denby `` Bill '' Hanna ( July 14 , 1910 -- March 22 , 2001 ) was an American animator , director , producer , voice actor , and cartoon artist , whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century .   After working odd jobs in the first months of the Depression , Hanna joined the Harman and Ising animation studio in 1930 . During the 1930s , Hanna steadily gained skill and prominence while working on cartoons such as Captain and the Kids . In 1937 , while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ( MGM ) , Hanna met Joseph Barbera . The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry and live action/animated hybrid films . In 1957 , they co-founded Hanna-Barbera , which became the most successful television animation studio in the business , producing programs such as The Flintstones , The Huckleberry Hound Show , The Jetsons , Scooby-Doo , The Smurfs , and Yogi Bear . In 1967 , Hanna-Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $ 12 million , but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company until 1991 . At that time , the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System , which in turn was merged with Time Warner in 1996 ; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors .   Hanna and Barbera won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards . Their cartoons have become cultural icons , and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such as films , books , and toys . Hanna-Barbera 's shows had a worldwide audience of over 300 million people in their 1960s heyday , and have been translated into more than 28 languages .


Hanna–Barbera Hanna-Barbera Productions , Inc. ( simply known as Hanna-Barbera and also referred to as H-B Enterprises , H-B Production Company and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons , Inc. ) was an American animation studio that dominated American television animation for over three decades in the mid 20th century .   It was founded in 1957 by former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation directors William Hanna and Joseph Barbera ( creators of Tom and Jerry ) and live-action director George Sidney in partnership with Screen Gems , a TV unit of Columbia Pictures . In late 1966 , it was sold to Taft Broadcasting and spent two decades as its subsidiary . It is officially considered the very first major animation studio to successfully produce cartoons exclusively for television .   Hanna-Barbera is known for creating a wide variety of popular animated characters and for 30 years , the studio produced a succession of hit cartoon shows , including The Flintstones , Yogi Bear , The Jetsons , Wacky Races , Scooby-Doo and The Smurfs . For their achievements , Hanna and Barbera together won seven Academy Awards , eight Emmy Awards , a Governors Award , a Golden Globe Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . The pair was also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1993 .   Both the two men and their company had yielded more than over 3,500 half-hours of animated programming and a slew of television movies , specials , theatrical films , public service announcements , shorts , direct-to-video features and commercials were also produced by the studio . Many of Hanna-Barbera 's cartoons were distributed and seen internationally worldwide in over 175 countries in 45 languages around the world .   Hanna-Barbera 's fortunes declined in the mid-1980s when the profitability of Saturday morning cartoons was eclipsed by weekday afternoon syndication . In late 1991 , the studio was purchased from Taft ( by then named Great American Broadcasting ) by Turner Broadcasting System , who used much of its back catalog to program its new channel , Cartoon Network . After Turner purchased the company , Hanna and Barbera continued to serve as creative consultants and mentors .   Turner merged with Time Warner in 1996 and the studio became a subsidiary of Warner Bros. . Animation , in which Hanna-Barbera would absorb into before Hanna died in 2001 . Cartoon Network Studios continued the projects for the channel 's output . Barbera went on to work for Warner Bros. . Animation until his death in 2006 .   As of 2017 , the studio exists as an in-name-only unit used to market properties and productions associated with the Hanna-Barbera library , specifically its `` classic '' works . In 2005 , the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored Hanna and Barbera with a wall sculpture of themselves and their characters at the Television Academy 's Hall of Fame Plaza .


Alessia Cara Alessia Caracciolo ( -LSB- aˈlɛssja kaˈrattʃolo -RSB- ; born July 11 , 1996 ) , professionally known as Alessia Cara , is a Canadian singer and songwriter . She is signed to EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings and released her debut single , `` Here '' , from the debut studio album , Know-It-All , released November 13 , 2015 . A sleeper hit , the song reached the top five in the United States and the top 20 in Canada . Prior to her work for Def Jam , she produced acoustic covers on YouTube .   In 2016 , her single `` Scars to Your Beautiful '' reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the US pop radio charts . In 2017 , Cara collaborated with producer Zedd to create the single `` Stay '' , which has since reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 , making it her third top ten song .


Ariana Grande began her first world tour in 2013.

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( born June 26 , 1993 ) , known as Ariana Grande ( -LSB- ˌɑriˈɑːnə_ˈɡrɑːndeɪ -RSB- ) , is an American singer and actress . She began her career in the Broadway musical 13 , before landing the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious in 2009 . The show ended after four seasons , and Grande starred in the spinoff , Sam & Cat , which ended in 2014 . She has also appeared in other theatre and television roles , and has lent her voice to animated television and films .   Grande 's music career began with the soundtrack Music from Victorious ( 2011 ) . She signed a recording contract with Republic Records and released her debut studio album , Yours Truly , in 2013 , which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 . The album 's lead single , `` The Way '' , debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 , with critics comparing her wide vocal range to that of Mariah Carey .   Grande 's second studio album , My Everything ( 2014 ) , debuted at number one in the US and charted in the top 10 in 24 other countries . With the lead single `` Problem '' and several others from that album , she was continuously in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 for 34 weeks and had the most top 10 singles of any artist in 2014 . In 2015 , Grande promoted My Everything with her first world tour , The Honeymoon Tour , guest-starred in the Fox comedy horror television series , Scream Queens and released a holiday EP , Christmas & Chill . In 2016 , she released her third studio album , Dangerous Woman , and several songs from the album . The title track debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 , making Grande the first person in the history of that chart to have the lead single from each of her first three albums debut in the top 10 . The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 . As of January 2017 , Grande 's music videos had been viewed a total of more than seven billion times online .   Grande 's accolades include three American Music Awards , an MTV Video Music Award , three MTV Europe Music Awards and four Grammy Award nominations . All three of her albums have been certified platinum by the RIAA . She has actively supported a range of charities , and has a large following on social media ; she is the second most followed person on Instagram . In 2016 , Time named Grande one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list .


The Divergent Series: Insurgent is also known as Insurgent.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent The Divergent Series : Insurgent ( also known simply as Insurgent ) is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Robert Schwentke , based on Insurgent , the second book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth . It is the sequel to the 2014 film Divergent and the second installment in The Divergent Series , produced by Lucy Fisher , Pouya Shabazian and Douglas Wick , with a screenplay by Brian Duffield , Akiva Goldsman and Mark Bomback . Schwentke took over from Neil Burger as director , with Burger serving as the executive producer of the film . Along with the first film 's returning cast , led by Shailene Woodley and Theo James , the sequel features supporting actors Octavia Spencer , Naomi Watts , Suki Waterhouse , Rosa Salazar , Daniel Dae Kim , Jonny Weston , Emjay Anthony , and Keiynan Lonsdale .   The plot of Insurgent takes place five days after the previous installment and continues to follow Dauntless soldier Tris Prior ; Tris and Four , her Dauntless instructor , are on the run after evading a coup from Erudite faction leader Jeanine and the rest of her faction . The faction system in post-apocalyptic Chicago is crumbling , and everyone is desperate for power -- and answers . Filming began on May 27 , 2014 in Atlanta , Georgia , before concluding on September 6 , 2014 .   The Divergent Series : Insurgent was released on March 20 , 2015 in the United States in the IMAX 3D format as well as regular 3D and 2D . Critical reaction to the film was mixed to negative : some have considered the film to be an improvement over its predecessor , with reviewers highlighting the visual style , action sequences , and Woodley 's performance , but the film still received a significant amount of negative criticism , mainly focused on its storyline . The film was a commercial success , grossing $ 52.2 million in its opening weekend and reaching the number one spot at the box-office . During its release in theaters , the film earned over US$ 297 million worldwide .   A sequel , Allegiant , was released on March 18 , 2016 .


Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849.

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe ( -LSB- poʊ -RSB- born Edgar Poe ; January 19 , 1809 -- October 7 , 1849 ) was an American writer , editor , and literary critic . Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories , particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre . He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and American literature as a whole , and he was one of the country 's earliest practitioners of the short story . Poe is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction . He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone , resulting in a financially difficult life and career .   Poe was born in Boston , the second child of two actors . His father abandoned the family in 1810 , and his mother died the following year . Thus orphaned , the child was taken in by John and Frances Allan of Richmond , Virginia . They never formally adopted him , but Poe was with them well into young adulthood . Tension developed later as John Allan and Edgar repeatedly clashed over debts , including those incurred by gambling , and the cost of secondary education for the young man . Poe attended the University of Virginia for one semester but left due to lack of money . Poe quarreled with Allan over the funds for his education and enlisted in the Army in 1827 under an assumed name . It was at this time that his publishing career began , albeit humbly , with the anonymous collection of poems Tamerlane and Other Poems ( 1827 ) , credited only to `` a Bostonian '' . With the death of Frances Allan in 1829 , Poe and Allan reached a temporary rapprochement . However , Poe later failed as an officer cadet at West Point , declaring a firm wish to be a poet and writer , and he ultimately parted ways with John Allan .   Poe switched his focus to prose and spent the next several years working for literary journals and periodicals , becoming known for his own style of literary criticism . His work forced him to move among several cities , including Baltimore , Philadelphia , and New York City . In Richmond in 1836 , he married Virginia Clemm , his 13-year-old cousin . In January 1845 , Poe published his poem `` The Raven '' to instant success . His wife died of tuberculosis two years after its publication . For years , he had been planning to produce his own journal The Penn ( later renamed The Stylus ) , though he died before it could be produced . Poe died in Baltimore on October 7 , 1849 , at age 40 ; the cause of his death is unknown and has been variously attributed to alcohol , brain congestion , cholera , drugs , heart disease , rabies , suicide , tuberculosis , and other agents .   Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world , as well as in specialized fields such as cosmology and cryptography . Poe and his work appear throughout popular culture in literature , music , films , and television . A number of his homes are dedicated museums today . The Mystery Writers of America present an annual award known as the Edgar Award for distinguished work in the mystery genre .


Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid ( born April 9 , 1954 ) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles . First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s , his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder . Some of his notable credits include Breaking Away , The Right Stuff , Wyatt Earp , The Rookie , The Day After Tomorrow , Traffic , Vantage Point , Footloose , Frequency , The Parent Trap , Yours , Mine & Ours and Soul Surfer . For his role in Far from Heaven ( 2002 ) he won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor and several other accolades .


British actors were in Beauty and the Beast.

Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson ( born 15 April 1990 ) is a French-British actress , model , and activist . Born in Paris and brought up in Oxfordshire , Watson attended the Dragon School and trained as an actress at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts . She rose to prominence after landing her first professional acting role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series , having acted only in school plays previously . Watson appeared in all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011 , earning worldwide fame , critical accolades , and around $ 60 million .   Watson continued to work outside of the Harry Potter films , lending her voice to The Tale of Despereaux ( 2008 ) and appearing in the 2007 television adaptation of the novel Ballet Shoes . Since then , she has taken on starring roles in The Perks of Being a Wallflower ( 2012 ) and The Bling Ring ( 2013 ) , made a brief appearance as an exaggerated version of herself in This Is the End ( 2013 ) , and portrayed the title character 's adopted daughter in Noah ( 2014 ) . In 2017 , she portrayed Belle in a live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast . Her other releases include Regression ( 2015 ) , Colonia ( 2015 ) and The Circle ( 2017 ) .   From 2011 to 2014 , Watson split her time between working on film projects and continuing her education , studying at Brown University and Worcester College , Oxford and graduating from Brown with a bachelor 's degree in English literature in May 2014 . Her modelling work has included campaigns for Burberry and Lancôme . As a fashion consultant , she helped create a line of clothing for People Tree . She was honoured by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2014 , winning for British Artist of the Year . That same year , she was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and helped launch the UN Women campaign HeForShe , which calls for men to advocate gender equality .


Dan Stevens Daniel Jonathan Stevens ( born 10 October 1982 ) is an English actor . He is best known for his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV acclaimed period drama series Downton Abbey . He also starred as David in the thriller film The Guest , Sir Lancelot in Night at the Museum : Secret of the Tomb , and as The Beast/Prince in Walt Disney 's live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast . He currently stars as David Haller in the FX series Legion .


Emma Thompson Emma Thompson ( born 15 April 1959 ) is a British actress , activist , author , comedienne and screenwriter . Born in London to English actor Eric Thompson and Scottish actress Phyllida Law , Thompson was educated at Newnham College , University of Cambridge , where she became a member of the Footlights troupe . After appearing in several comedy programmes , she first came to prominence in 1987 in two BBC TV series , Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War , winning the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her work in both series . Her first film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy , and in the early 1990s she frequently collaborated with her then husband , actor and director Kenneth Branagh . The pair became popular in the British media and co-starred in several films , including Dead Again ( 1991 ) and Much Ado About Nothing ( 1993 ) .   In 1992 , Thompson won an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress for the period drama Howards End . In 1993 , she garnered dual Academy Award nominations for her roles in The Remains of the Day as the housekeeper of a grand household and In the Name of the Father as a lawyer . Thompson scripted and starred in Sense and Sensibility ( 1995 ) , which earned her ( among other awards ) an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay , and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress . Other notable film and television credits include : the Harry Potter film series , Wit ( 2001 ) , Love Actually ( 2003 ) , Angels in America ( 2003 ) , Nanny McPhee ( 2005 ) , Stranger than Fiction ( 2006 ) , Last Chance Harvey ( 2008 ) , Men in Black 3 ( 2012 ) , Brave ( 2012 ) and Beauty and the Beast ( 2017 ) . In 2013 , she received acclaim and several award nominations for her portrayal of P. L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks .   Thompson is married to actor Greg Wise , with whom she lives in London . They have one daughter and an adopted son . She is an activist in the areas of human rights and environmentalism and has received criticism for her outspokenness . She has written two books adapted from The Tale of Peter Rabbit .


Beauty and the Beast (2017 film) Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos , and co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films . The film is based on Disney 's 1991 animated film of the same name , itself an adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont 's eighteenth-century fairy tale . The film features an ensemble cast that includes Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the titular characters with Luke Evans , Kevin Kline , Josh Gad , Ewan McGregor , Stanley Tucci , Audra McDonald , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Nathan Mack , Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson in supporting roles .   Principal photography began at Shepperton Studios in Surrey , England on May 18 , 2015 , and ended on August 21 . Beauty and the Beast premiered on February 23 , 2017 , at Spencer House in London and was released in the United States on March 17 , 2017 , in the standard , Disney Digital 3-D , RealD 3D , IMAX and IMAX 3D formats along with Dolby Cinema . The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences , with many praising Watson 's performance and has grossed over $ 1.2 billion worldwide , making it the highest-grossing film of 2017 and the 10th highest-grossing film of all time .


Detroit had an estimated population of over 600,000 in 2015.

Detroit Detroit ( -LSB- dᵻˈtrɔɪt -RSB- ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan , the largest city on the United States -- Canada border , and the seat of Wayne County . The municipality of Detroit had a 2015 estimated population of 677,116 , making it the 21st-most populous city in the United States . The metropolitan area , known as Metro Detroit , is home to 4.3 million people , making it the second-largest in the Midwest .   Detroit is a major port on the Detroit River , a strait that connects the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway . The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the most important hubs in the United States . The City of Detroit anchors the second-largest economic region in the Midwest , behind Chicago , and the thirteenth-largest in the United States . Detroit and its neighboring Canadian city Windsor are connected through a tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge , the busiest international crossing in North America . Detroit is best-known as the center of the American automobile industry , and the `` Big Three '' auto manufacturers General Motors , Ford , and Chrysler are all headquartered in Metro Detroit .   Detroit was founded on July 24 , 1701 by the French explorer and adventurer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and a party of settlers . During the 19th century , it became an important industrial hub at the center of the Great Lakes region . With expansion of the auto industry in the early 20th century , the city and its suburbs experienced rapid growth , and by the 1940s , the city had become the fourth-largest in the country . However , due to industrial restructuring , the loss of jobs in the auto industry , and rapid suburbanization , Detroit lost considerable population from the late 20th century to the present . Since reaching a peak of 1.8 million at the 1950 census , Detroit 's population has declined by more than 60 per cent . In 2013 , Detroit became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy , which it successfully exited in December 2014 , when the city government regained control of Detroit 's finances .   Detroit 's diverse culture has had both local and international influence , particularly in music , with the city giving rise to the genres of Motown and techno , and playing an important role in the development of jazz , hip-hop , rock , and punk music . The erstwhile rapid growth of Detroit left a globally unique stock of architectural monuments and historic places of the first half of the 20th century , and since the 2000s conservation efforts managed to save many architectural pieces and allowed several large-scale revitalisations , including the restoration of several historic theatres and entertainment venues , highrise renovations , new sports stadiums , and a riverfront revitalization project . More recently , the population of Downtown Detroit , Midtown Detroit , and various other neighborhoods has increased . In 2015 , Detroit was named a `` City of Design '' by UNESCO , the first U.S. city to receive that designation .


Alicia Keys has appeared in a 2008 American drama film.

The Secret Life of Bees (film) The Secret Life of Bees is a 2008 American drama film , adapted from the novel of the same name by Sue Monk Kidd . The film was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and produced by Will Smith , with his wife , Jada Pinkett Smith , as executive producer . The film is noted for Queen Latifah 's critically acclaimed performance as August Boatwright . The film was released in North America on October 17 , 2008 , and in the United Kingdom on December 5 , 2008 .   Set in South Carolina in 1964 , this is the tale of Lily Owens ( Dakota Fanning ) , a 14-year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother Deborah Owens ( Hilarie Burton ) . Lily flees with Rosaleen ( Jennifer Hudson ) , her caregiver and only friend , to a town in South Carolina where she uncovers the secrets to her mother 's past . Taken in by Boatwright sisters -- August ( Queen Latifah ) , May ( Sophie Okonedo ) , and June ( Alicia Keys ) -- Lily finds comfort in their world of bee keeping and develops a romance with her new friend Zach ( Tristan Wilds ) . She learns about female power , as the Boatwright sisters show her their black Virgin Mary , her mother 's past and much more .


Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook ( born January 25 , 1981 ) , known professionally as Alicia Keys , is an American singer , songwriter , record producer , pianist and actress . Keys released her debut album with J Records , having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records . Keys ' debut album , Songs in A Minor was released in 2001 , producing her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single `` Fallin ' '' , and selling over 12 million copies worldwide . The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002 . Her sophomore album , The Diary of Alicia Keys , was released in 2003 , spawning successful singles `` You Do n't Know My Name '' , `` If I Ai n't Got You '' and `` Diary '' , and selling 8 million copies worldwide . The duet song `` My Boo '' with Usher scored her a second number-one single in 2004 . The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005 . Later that year , she released her first live album , Unplugged , becoming the first woman to have an MTV Unplugged album debut at number one .   As I Am was released in 2007 , producing the Hot 100 number-one single `` No One '' , selling 5 million copies worldwide and earning an additional three Grammy Awards . The Element of Freedom was released in 2009 , becoming her first chart-topping album in the UK , and selling 4 million copies worldwide . Keys additionally collaborated with Jay Z on `` Empire State of Mind '' as her fourth number-one single , and won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2010 . Girl on Fire was released in 2012 as her fifth Billboard 200 topping album , spawning the successful title track . Her second live album , VH1 Storytellers was released in 2013 . Here was released in 2016 , becoming her seventh R&B / Hip-Hop chart topping album   Keys has won numerous awards such as 15 Grammy Awards and 17 NAACP Image Awards and has sold over 35 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide . Keys made her film debut in Smokin ' Aces and has also appeared in The Nanny Diaries and The Secret Life of Bees . Considered a pop icon , Billboard magazine named her the top R&B artist of the 2000s decade and placed her number 10 on their list of Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years . VH1 included her on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list , while Time named her in their 100 list of most influential people in 2005 and 2017 .


Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston ( born March 7 , 1956 ) is an American actor , voice actor , screenwriter , director and producer . He is best known for portraying Walter White on the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad , Hal on the Fox comedy series Malcolm in the Middle , and Dr. Tim Whatley in five episodes of the NBC comedy series Seinfeld .   For Breaking Bad , Cranston won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times ( 2008 -- 2010 , 2014 ) , including three consecutive wins ( the second time in television history after Bill Cosby in I Spy during the 1960s ) . After becoming one of the producers of Breaking Bad in 2011 , he also won the award for Outstanding Drama Series twice .   Cranston was also nominated three times for the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in Malcolm in the Middle . His role in Breaking Bad also earned him five Golden Globe nominations and one win in 2014 , nine Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations with four wins , and six Satellite Awards nominations with four wins . In June 2014 , he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson in the play All the Way on Broadway . He reprised his role in the television film of the same name , which debuted on HBO in May 2016 . For the film Trumbo ( 2015 ) , he received widespread acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor .   Cranston has directed episodes of various television series , including seven episodes of Malcolm in the Middle , three episodes of Breaking Bad , two episodes of Modern Family and one episode of The Office . He has also appeared in several acclaimed films such as Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) , Little Miss Sunshine ( 2006 ) , Drive ( 2011 ) , Argo ( 2012 ) and Godzilla ( 2014 ) . In 2015 , Cranston , together with David Shore , executive produced and wrote the story for the Amazon Studios original crime drama Sneaky Pete , the pilot episode of which aired on August 7 , 2015 .


Stardust (2007 film) is a film with a genre.

Stardust (2007 film) Stardust ( 2007 ) is a film adaptation of the 1999 Neil Gaiman novel of the same name , Stardust . The romantic fantasy adventure film was directed by Matthew Vaughn and co-written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman . The film features an ensemble cast led by Claire Danes , Charlie Cox , Sienna Miller , Jason Flemyng , Mark Strong , Rupert Everett , Ricky Gervais , Robert De Niro , Michelle Pfeiffer and Peter O'Toole , with narration by Ian McKellen .   The film follows Tristan , a young man from the fictional town of Wall . Wall is a town on the border of the magical fantasy kingdom of Stormhold . Tristan enters the magical world to collect a fallen star to give to his girlfriend Victoria , in return for her hand in marriage . He collects the star who , to his surprise , is a woman named Yvaine . Witches and the Princes of Stormhold are also hunting for Yvaine . Meanwhile Tristan tries to get her back to Wall with him before Victoria 's birthday , the deadline of her offer .   The film was released to positive reviews and grossed $ 135.6 million on a $ 70 million budget . In 2008 , it won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation , Long Form . Stardust was released on DVD , Blu-ray , and HD DVD on December 18 , 2007 , by Paramount Home Entertainment .


Fantasy Fantasy is a fiction genre set in an imaginary universe , often but not always without any locations , events , or people from the real world . Its roots are in oral traditions , which then developed into literature and drama . From the twentieth century it has expanded further into various media , including , film , television , graphic novels , and video games .   Most fantasy uses magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element , theme , or setting . Magic and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds . Fantasy is a subgenre of speculative fiction and is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes respectively , though these genres overlap .   In popular culture , the fantasy genre is predominantly of the medievalist form . In its broadest sense , however , fantasy comprises works by many writers , artists , filmmakers , and musicians from ancient myths and legends to many recent and popular works .   Fantasy is studied in a number of disciplines including English and other language studies , cultural studies , comparative literature , history and medieval studies . Work in this area ranges widely from the structuralist theory of Tzvetan Todorov , which emphasizes the fantastic as a liminal space , to work on the connections ( political , historical and literary ) between medievalism and popular culture .


Usain Bolt Usain St Leo Bolt , OJ , CD ( -LSB- ˈjuːseɪn -RSB- born 21 August 1986 ) is a Jamaican sprinter . He is the first person to hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records since fully automatic time became mandatory . He also holds the world record as a part of the 4 × 100 metres relay . He is the reigning world and Olympic champion in these three events . Due to his unprecedented dominance and achievements in sprint competition , he is widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time .   An eight-time Olympic gold medalist , Bolt won the 100 m , 200 m and 4 × 100 m relay at three consecutive Olympic Games , although he subsequently lost one of the gold medals ( as well as the world record set therein ) nine years after the fact due to teammate Nesta Carter 's disqualification for doping offences . He gained worldwide popularity for his double sprint victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in world record times . Bolt is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive olympics ( 2008 , 2012 and 2016 ) , a feat referred to as the `` triple double . ''   An eleven-time World Champion , he won consecutive World Championship 100 m , 200 m and 4 × 100 metres relay gold medals from 2009 to 2015 , with the exception of a 100 m false start in 2011 . He is the most successful athlete of the World Championships and was the first athlete to win three titles in both the 100 m and 200 m at the competition .   Bolt improved upon his first 100 m world record of 9.69 with 9.58 seconds in 2009 -- the biggest improvement since the start of electronic timing . He has twice broken the 200 metres world record , setting 19.30 in 2008 and 19.19 in 2009 . He has helped Jamaica to three 4 × 100 metres relay world records , with the current record being 36.84 seconds set in 2012 . Bolt 's most successful event is the 200 m , with three Olympic and four World titles . The 2008 Olympics was his international debut over 100 m ; he had earlier won numerous 200 m medals ( including 2007 World Championship silver ) and holds the world under-20 and world under-18 records for the event .   His achievements as a sprinter have earned him the media nickname `` Lightning Bolt '' , and his awards include the IAAF World Athlete of the Year , Track & Field Athlete of the Year , and Laureus World Sportsman of the Year ( four times ) . Bolt has stated that he intends to retire from athletics after the 2017 World Championships .


Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood ( born September 7 , 1987 ) is an American actress and musician . She began acting in the 1990s , appearing in several television series , including American Gothic ( 1995 -- 96 ) and Once and Again ( 1999 -- 2002 ) . Wood made her debut as a leading film actress at the age of eleven in Digging to China ( 1998 ) and garnered acclaim for her Golden Globe-nominated role as the troubled , drug-addicted teenager Tracy Freeland in the teen drama film Thirteen ( 2003 ) .   Wood continued acting mostly in independent films , including Pretty Persuasion ( 2005 ) , Down in the Valley ( 2006 ) , Running with Scissors ( 2006 ) , and in the big studio production Across the Universe ( 2007 ) . Since 2008 , Wood has appeared in more mainstream films , including The Wrestler ( 2008 ) , Whatever Works ( 2009 ) and The Ides of March ( 2011 ) . She has also returned to television , playing the supporting role of Queen Sophie-Anne on True Blood from 2009 to 2011 and playing Kate Winslet 's character 's daughter in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce ( 2011 ) , a role for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe and Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress . As of 2016 , she plays the sentient android Dolores Abernathy in the HBO television series Westworld , for which she won a Critics ' Choice Award and earned a Golden Globe nomination .   Her personal life , particularly her relationship with Marilyn Manson , to whom she was previously engaged , has attracted press attention . In 2012 , she married English actor Jamie Bell , with whom she has one son . They separated in 2014 after two years of marriage .


Water Water is a transparent and nearly colorless chemical substance that is the main constituent of Earth 's streams , lakes , and oceans , and the fluids of most living organisms . Its chemical formula is H2O , meaning that its molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms , that are connected by covalent bonds . Water strictly refers to the liquid state of that substance , that prevails at standard ambient temperature and pressure ; but it often refers also to its solid state ( ice ) or its gaseous state ( steam or water vapor ) . It also occurs in nature as snow , glaciers , ice packs and icebergs , clouds , fog , dew , aquifers , and atmospheric humidity .   Water covers 71 % of the Earth 's surface . It is vital for all known forms of life . On Earth , 96.5 % of the planet 's crust water is found in seas and oceans , 1.7 % in groundwater , 1.7 % in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland , a small fraction in other large water bodies , and 0.001 % in the air as vapor , clouds ( formed of ice and liquid water suspended in air ) , and precipitation . Only 2.5 % of this water is freshwater , and 98.8 % of that water is in ice ( excepting ice in clouds ) and groundwater . Less than 0.3 % of all freshwater is in rivers , lakes , and the atmosphere , and an even smaller amount of the Earth 's freshwater ( 0.003 % ) is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products . A greater quantity of water is found in the earth 's interior .   Water on Earth moves continually through the water cycle of evaporation and transpiration ( evapotranspiration ) , condensation , precipitation , and runoff , usually reaching the sea . Evaporation and transpiration contribute to the precipitation over land . Large amounts of water are also chemically combined or adsorbed in hydrated minerals .   Safe drinking water is essential to humans and other lifeforms even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients . Access to safe drinking water has improved over the last decades in almost every part of the world , but approximately one billion people still lack access to safe water and over 2.5 billion lack access to adequate sanitation . There is a clear correlation between access to safe water and gross domestic product per capita . However , some observers have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability . A report , issued in November 2009 , suggests that by 2030 , in some developing regions of the world , water demand will exceed supply by 50 % .   Water plays an important role in the world economy . Approximately 70 % of the freshwater used by humans goes to agriculture . Fishing in salt and fresh water bodies is a major source of food for many parts of the world . Much of long-distance trade of commodities ( such as oil and natural gas ) and manufactured products is transported by boats through seas , rivers , lakes , and canals . Large quantities of water , ice , and steam are used for cooling and heating , in industry and homes . Water is an excellent solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances ; as such it is widely used in industrial processes , and in cooking and washing . Water is also central to many sports and other forms of entertainment , such as swimming , pleasure boating , boat racing , surfing , sport fishing , and diving .


Groundwater Groundwater ( or ground water ) is the water present beneath Earth 's surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations . A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water . The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock become completely saturated with water is called the water table . Groundwater is recharged from , and eventually flows to , the surface naturally ; natural discharge often occurs at springs and seeps , and can form oases or wetlands . Groundwater is also often withdrawn for agricultural , municipal , and industrial use by constructing and operating extraction wells . The study of the distribution and movement of groundwater is hydrogeology , also called groundwater hydrology .   Typically , groundwater is thought of as water flowing through shallow aquifers , but , in the technical sense , it can also contain soil moisture , permafrost ( frozen soil ) , immobile water in very low permeability bedrock , and deep geothermal or oil formation water . Groundwater is hypothesized to provide lubrication that can possibly influence the movement of faults . It is likely that much of Earth 's subsurface contains some water , which may be mixed with other fluids in some instances . Groundwater may not be confined only to Earth . The formation of some of the landforms observed on Mars may have been influenced by groundwater . There is also evidence that liquid water may also exist in the subsurface of Jupiter 's moon Europa .   Groundwater is often cheaper , more convenient and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water . Therefore , it is commonly used for public water supplies . For example , groundwater provides the largest source of usable water storage in the United States , and California annually withdraws the largest amount of groundwater of all the states . Underground reservoirs contain far more water than the capacity of all surface reservoirs and lakes in the US , including the Great Lakes . Many municipal water supplies are derived solely from groundwater .   Polluted groundwater is less visible , but more difficult to clean up , than pollution in rivers and lakes . Groundwater pollution most often results from improper disposal of wastes on land . Major sources include industrial and household chemicals and garbage landfills , excessive fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture , industrial waste lagoons , tailings and process wastewater from mines , industrial fracking , oil field brine pits , leaking underground oil storage tanks and pipelines , sewage sludge and septic systems .


Fresh water Fresh water is naturally occurring water on Earth 's surface in ice sheets , ice caps , glaciers , icebergs , bogs , ponds , lakes , rivers and streams , and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams . Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids . The term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water although it does include mineral-rich waters such as chalybeate springs . The term `` sweet water '' ( from Spanish `` agua dulce '' ) has been used to describe fresh water in contrast to salt water . The term `` fresh water '' does not have the same meaning as potable water . Much of the surface fresh water and ground water is unsuitable for drinking without some form of purification because of the presence of chemical or biological contaminants .


Ayn Rand was an advocate for free and open trade between private citizens without governmental interference.

Ayn Rand Ayn Rand ( -LSB- ˈaɪn_ˈrænd -RSB- born Alisa Zinov ` yevna Rosenbaum , Али́са Зино́вьевна Розенба́ум -- March 6 , 1982 ) was a Russian-American novelist , philosopher , playwright , and screenwriter . She is known for her two best-selling novels , The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged , and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism . Educated in Russia , she moved to the United States in 1926 . She had a play produced on Broadway in 1935 -- 1936 . After two early novels that were initially unsuccessful in America , she achieved fame with her 1943 novel , The Fountainhead .   In 1957 , Rand published her best-known work , the novel Atlas Shrugged . Afterward , she turned to non-fiction to promote her philosophy , publishing her own magazines and releasing several collections of essays until her death in 1982 . Rand advocated reason as the only means of acquiring knowledge , and rejected faith and religion . She supported rational and ethical egoism , and rejected altruism . In politics , she condemned the initiation of force as immoral , and opposed collectivism and statism as well as anarchism , and instead supported laissez-faire capitalism , which she defined as the system based on recognizing individual rights . In art , Rand promoted romantic realism . She was sharply critical of most philosophers and philosophical traditions known to her , except for Aristotle , Thomas Aquinas , and classical liberals .   Literary critics received Rand 's fiction with mixed reviews , and academia generally ignored or rejected her philosophy , though academic interest has increased in recent decades . The Objectivist movement attempts to spread her ideas , both to the public and in academic settings . She has been a significant influence among libertarians and American conservatives .


Laissez-faire Laissez-faire ( -LSB- ˌlɛseɪˈfɛr - -RSB- , -LSB- lɛsefɛʁ -RSB- from ) is an economic system in which transactions between private parties are free from government intervention such as regulation , privileges , tariffs , and subsidies . The phrase laissez-faire is part of a larger French phrase and basically translates to `` let ( it/them ) do '' , but in this context usually means to `` let go '' .


Richard Ramirez terrorized the residents of the greater Los Angeles area.

Richard Ramirez Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramírez , known as Richard Ramirez ( February 29 , 1960 -- June 7 , 2013 ) , was an American serial killer , rapist , and burglar . His highly publicized home invasion crime spree terrorized the residents of the greater Los Angeles area , and later the residents of the San Francisco area , from June 1984 until August 1985 . Prior to his capture , Ramirez was dubbed the `` Night Stalker '' by the news media . He used a wide variety of weapons , including handguns , knives , a machete , a tire iron , and a hammer . Ramirez , who was an avowed Satanist , never expressed any remorse for his crimes . The judge who upheld his thirteen death sentences remarked that Ramirez 's deeds exhibited `` cruelty , callousness , and viciousness beyond any human understanding '' . Ramirez died of complications from B-cell lymphoma while awaiting execution on California 's death row .


Sully (film) Sully ( also known as Sully : Miracle on the Hudson ) is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Todd Komarnicki , based on the autobiography Highest Duty by Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow . The film stars Tom Hanks as Sullenberger , with Aaron Eckhart , Laura Linney , Anna Gunn , Autumn Reeser , Holt McCallany , Jamey Sheridan , and Jerry Ferrara in supporting roles . The film follows Sullenberger 's January 2009 emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River , in which all 155 passengers and crew survived with only minor injuries , and the subsequent publicity and investigation .   Sully premiered at the 43rd Annual Telluride Film Festival on September 2 , 2016 , and was released in the United States by Warner Bros. on September 9 , 2016 , in conventional and IMAX theaters . The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $ 238 million worldwide , but created controversy with its portrayal of the National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ) . The American Film Institute selected it as one of its ten Movies of the Year .


Athena Athena ( -LSB- əˈθiːnə -RSB- Attic Greek : Ἀθηνᾶ , Athēnā , or Ἀθηναία , Athēnaia ; Epic : Ἀθηναίη , Athēnaiē ; Doric : Ἀθάνα , Athānā ) or Athene ( -LSB- əˈθiːniː -RSB- Ionic : Ἀθήνη , Athēnē ) , often given the epithet Pallas ( -LSB- ˈpæləs -RSB- Παλλὰς ) , is the goddess of wisdom , craft , and war in ancient Greek religion and mythology . In later times , Athena was syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva . Athena was portrayed as having a calm temperament , and moving slowly to anger . She was believed to only fight for just causes and never fight without a purpose .   In ancient Greek literature , Athena is portrayed as the astute companion of heroes and as the patron goddess of heroic endeavour . She is also the patroness of Athens . The Athenians constructed the Parthenon atop their Acropolis as a temple to Athena ; it takes its name from her epithet Parthenos , which means `` Virgin '' .   Veneration of Athena was so persistent that archaic myths about her were recast to adapt to cultural changes . In her role as a protector of the city ( polis ) , many people throughout the Greek world worshipped Athena as Athena Polias ( Ἀθηνᾶ Πολιάς `` Athena of the city '' ) . While the city of Athens and the goddess Athena essentially bear the same name ( Athena the goddess , Athenai the city ) , it is not known which of the two words is derived from the other .


A Nightmare on Elm Street stars American actor Kyle Gallner.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 film) A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2010 American slasher film directed by Samuel Bayer and written by Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer as a remake of Wes Craven 's 1984 film of the same name , which revolves around a group of teenagers who are being stalked in their dreams by an enigmatic man named Freddy Krueger .   Michael Bay and Platinum Dunes produced the film for New Line Cinema , as an intention to reboot the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise , with the cast of Jackie Earle Haley , Kyle Gallner , Rooney Mara , Katie Cassidy , Thomas Dekker and Kellan Lutz . This production makes it the ninth installment of the franchise . The film was released by Warner Bros. on April 30 , 2010 . It received mainly negative reviews from critics and grossed $ 115 million against a production budget of $ 35 million , making it the highest-grossing film in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise .


Snooki & Jwoww was renewed on a date in the 21st century.

21st century The 21st century is the current century of the Anno Domini era , in accordance with the Gregorian calendar . It began on January 1 , 2001 and will end on December 31 , 2100 . It is the first century of the 3rd millennium . It is distinct from the time span known as the 2000s , which began on January 1 , 2000 and will end on December 31 , 2099 .


Snooki & Jwoww Snooki & Jwoww ( sometimes rendered Snooki & JWOWW in print and online sources ) is an American reality television series on MTV starring Snooki and JWoww . It is the second of three spin-offs of Jersey Shore , on which both Polizzi and Farley previously gained fame as cast members . The series ran from June 21 , 2012 until February 4 , 2015 over four seasons . The series , which is executive produced by Jersey Shore producer SallyAnn Salsano of 495 Productions , is described by its stars as a modern-day Laverne & Shirley .   The first season focuses on Polizzi and Farley living together in a former firehouse in Jersey City , New Jersey , though Polizzi 's pregnancy , which was confirmed during filming of the first season , led to a change in episode content and tone that would distance it from the party-oriented antics of its parent show . Filming began on the first season February 25 , 2012 , and lasted five weeks . A second season was confirmed on August 3 , 2012 , and premiered on January 8 , 2013 . On April 25 , 2013 , MTV renewed the series for a third season , which premiered on October 22 , 2013 . On April 24 , 2014 , the series was renewed for the fourth and final season , which premiered on November 5 , 2014 , and concluded on February 4 , 2015 .


In 2015, Tokyo was listed as the Most Liveable City in the world by the magazine Monocle.

Tokyo Tokyo ( -LSB- toːkjoː -RSB- , -LSB- langˈtoʊki.oʊ -RSB- ) , officially Tokyo Metropolis , is the capital of Japan and one of its 47 prefectures . The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world . It is the seat of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government . Tokyo is in the Kantō region on the southeastern side of the main island Honshu and includes the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands . Formerly known as Edo , it has been the de facto seat of government since 1603 when Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made the city his headquarters . It officially became the capital after Emperor Meiji moved his seat to the city from the old capital of Kyoto in 1868 ; at that time Edo was renamed Tokyo . Tokyo Metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of the former and the .   Tokyo is often referred to as a city , but is officially known and governed as a `` metropolitan prefecture '' , which differs from and combines elements of a city and a prefecture , a characteristic unique to Tokyo . The Tokyo metropolitan government administers the 23 Special Wards of Tokyo ( each governed as an individual city ) , which cover the area that was the City of Tokyo before it merged and became the metropolitan prefecture in 1943 . The metropolitan government also administers 39 municipalities in the western part of the prefecture and the two outlying island chains . The population of the special wards is over 9 million people , with the total population of the prefecture exceeding 13 million . The prefecture is part of the world 's most populous metropolitan area with upwards of 37.8 million people and the world 's largest urban agglomeration economy . The city hosts 51 of the Fortune Global 500 companies , the highest number of any city in the world . Tokyo ranked third in the International Financial Centres Development IndexEdit . The city is also home to various television networks such as Fuji TV , Tokyo MX , TV Tokyo , TV Asahi , Nippon Television , NHK and the Tokyo Broadcasting System .   Tokyo ranked first in the Global Economic Power Index and fourth in the Global Cities Index . The city is considered an alpha + world city -- as listed by the GaWC 's 2008 inventory -- and in 2014 , Tokyo was ranked first in the `` Best overall experience '' category of TripAdvisor '' 's World City Survey ( the city also ranked first in the following categories : `` helpfulness of locals '' , `` nightlife '' , `` shopping '' , `` local public transportation '' and `` cleanliness of streets '' ) . In 2015 , Tokyo was ranked as the 11th most expensive city for expatriates , according to the Mercer consulting firm , and also the world 's 11th most expensive city , according to the Economist Intelligence Unit 's cost-of-living survey . In 2015 , Tokyo was named the Most Liveable City in the world by the magazine Monocle '' . The Michelin Guide has awarded Tokyo by far the most Michelin stars of any city in the world .  Tokyo ranked first in the world in the Safe Cities Index . The 2016 edition of QS Best Student Cities ranked Tokyo as the 3rd-best city in the world to be a university student . Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics , the 1979 G-7 summit , the 1986 G-7 summit , and the 1993 G-7 summit , and will host the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Paralympics .


Paper Moon (film) is a 1973 American comedy-drama film.

Paper Moon (film) Paper Moon is a 1973 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and released by Paramount Pictures . Screenwriter Alvin Sargent adapted the script from the novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown . The film , shot in black-and-white , is set in Kansas and Missouri during the Great Depression . It stars the real-life father and daughter pairing of Ryan and Tatum O'Neal as protagonists Moze and Addie .


Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( -LSB- mænˈdɛlə -RSB- 18 July 1918 -- 5 December 2013 ) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary , politician , and philanthropist , who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 . He was the country 's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election . His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation . Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist , he served as President of the African National Congress ( ANC ) party from 1991 to 1997 .   A Xhosa , Mandela was born in Mvezo to the Thembu royal family . He studied law at the University of Fort Hare and the University of the Witwatersrand before working as a lawyer in Johannesburg . There he became involved in anti-colonial and African nationalist politics , joining the ANC in 1943 and co-founding its Youth League in 1944 . After the National Party 's white-only government established apartheid -- a system of racial segregation that privileged whites -- he and the ANC committed themselves to its overthrow . Mandela was appointed President of the ANC 's Transvaal branch , rising to prominence for his involvement in the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People . He was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the 1956 Treason Trial . Influenced by Marxism , he secretly joined the banned South African Communist Party ( SACP ) . Although initially committed to non-violent protest , in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1961 and led a sabotage campaign against the government . In 1962 , he was arrested for conspiring to overthrow the state and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial .   Mandela served 27 years in prison , initially on Robben Island , and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison . Amid growing domestic and international pressure , and with fears of a racial civil war , President F. W. de Klerk released him in 1990 . Mandela and de Klerk negotiated an end to apartheid and organised the 1994 multiracial general election in which Mandela led the ANC to victory and became President . Leading a broad coalition government which promulgated a new constitution , Mandela emphasised reconciliation between the country 's racial groups and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses . Economically , Mandela 's administration retained its predecessor 's liberal framework despite his own socialist beliefs , also introducing measures to encourage land reform , combat poverty , and expand healthcare services . Internationally , he acted as mediator in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial and served as Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999 . He declined a second presidential term and in 1999 was succeeded by his deputy , Thabo Mbeki . Mandela became an elder statesman and focused on combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the charitable Nelson Mandela Foundation .   Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life . Although critics on the right denounced him as a communist terrorist and those on the radical left deemed him too eager to negotiate and reconcile with apartheid 's supporters , he gained international acclaim for his activism . Widely regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice , he received more than 250 honours -- including the Nobel Peace Prize -- and became the subject of a cult of personality . He is held in deep respect within South Africa , where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name , Madiba , and described as the `` Father of the Nation '' .


Mvezo Mvezo is a small village on the banks of the Mbashe River , not far from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape of South Africa . The village is mainly known as being the birthplace of Nelson Mandela , whose family serves as its chiefly dynasty .


River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix ( born River Jude Bottom ; August 23 , 1970 -- October 31 , 1993 ) was an American actor , musician , and activist . He was the older brother of Rain Phoenix , Joaquin Phoenix , Liberty Phoenix and Summer Phoenix .   Phoenix 's work encompassed 24 films and television appearances , and his rise to fame led to his status as a `` teen idol '' . He began his acting career at age 10 , in television commercials . He starred in the science fiction adventure film Explorers ( 1985 ) , and had his first notable role in 1986 's Stand By Me , a coming-of-age film based on the novella The Body by Stephen King . Phoenix made a transition into more adult-oriented roles with Running on Empty ( 1988 ) , playing the son of fugitive parents in a well-received performance that earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor , and My Own Private Idaho ( 1991 ) , playing a gay hustler in search of his estranged mother . For his performance in the latter , Phoenix garnered enormous praise and won a Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival , along with Best Actor from the National Society of Film Critics .   On October 31 , 1993 , Phoenix collapsed and died of combined drug intoxication following a drug overdose on the sidewalk outside the West Hollywood nightclub The Viper Room at the age of 23 . At the time of his death , Phoenix had been in the middle of filming Dark Blood ( 1993 ) .


Serena Williams is not a Grand Slam winner.

Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams ( born September 26 , 1981 ) is an American professional tennis player . The Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on eight occasions , from 2002 to 2017 . She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8 , 2002 . On the sixth occasion , she held the ranking for 186 consecutive weeks , tying the record set by Steffi Graf for the most consecutive weeks as world no. 1 by a female tennis player . In total , she has been world no. 1 for 319 weeks , which ranks her third in the Open Era among female tennis players . Williams ' accomplishments and success in professional tennis have led some commentators , players , and sports writers to regard her as the greatest female tennis player of all time .   Williams holds the most Grand Slam titles in singles , doubles , and mixed doubles combined amongst active players . Her record of 39 Grand Slam titles puts her third on the all-time list and second in the open era : 23 in singles , 14 in women 's doubles , and 2 in mixed doubles . She is the most recent female player to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously ( 2002 -- 03 and 2014 -- 15 ) and the third player to achieve this record twice after Rod Laver and Steffi Graf . She is also the most recent player , together with her sister Venus Williams , to have held all four Grand Slam women 's doubles titles simultaneously ( 2009 -- 10 ) .   Her total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles marks the record for the most Grand Slam wins by a tennis player in the Open Era , and is second on the all-time list behind Margaret Court ( 24 ) . She is the only tennis player in history ( man or woman ) to have won singles titles at least six times in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments , and the only player ever to have won two of the four Grand Slams seven times each ( seven Wimbledon titles and seven Australian Open titles ) . She is also the only tennis player to have won 10 Grand Slam singles titles in two separate decades . She has won an all-time record of 13 Grand Slam singles titles on hardcourt . Williams holds the Open Era record for most titles won at the Australian Open ( 7 ) and shares the Open Era record for most titles won at the US Open with Chris Evert ( 6 ) . She also holds an all-time record for the most singles matches won at the Grand Slams ( man or woman ) with 316 matches ( through the 2017 Australian Open ) .   She has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus , and the pair are unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals . As a team , she and Venus have the third most women 's doubles grand slam titles , behind the 18 titles of Natasha Zvereva ( 14 with Gigi Fernández ) and the record 20 titles won by Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver . Williams is also a five-time winner of the WTA Tour Championships in the singles division . Serena has also won four Olympic gold medals , one in women 's singles and three in women 's doubles -- an all-time record shared with her sister , Venus . The arrival of the Williams sisters has been credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women 's professional tennis tour . Williams was the highest paid female athlete in 2016 , earning $ 28.9 million in prize money and endorsements . She has won the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year award three times ( 2003 , 2010 , 2016 ) , and in December 2015 , she was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine .


Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young ( born February 18 , 1965 ) , better known by his stage name Dr. Dre , is an American rapper , record producer , and entrepreneur . He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics . Dre was previously the co-owner of , and an artist on , Death Row Records . He has produced albums for and overseen the careers of many rappers , including 2Pac , The D.O.C. , Snoop Dogg , Eminem , Xzibit , Knoc-turn ` al , 50 Cent , The Game and Kendrick Lamar . He is credited as a key figure in the popularization of West Coast G-funk , a style of rap music characterized as synthesizer-based with slow , heavy beats . In 2014 , Dr. Dre was ranked as the second richest figure in the American hip hop scene by Forbes with a net worth of $ 550 million ; he is at the top of the 2015 Forbes list , with an estimated pre-tax take of $ 620 million in 2014 .   Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin ' Cru and later found fame with the influential gangsta rap group N.W.A with Eazy-E , Ice Cube , MC Ren , and DJ Yella , which popularized the use of explicit lyrics in rap to detail the violence of street life . His 1992 solo debut The Chronic , released under Death Row Records , led him to become one of the best-selling American performing artists of 1993 and to win a Grammy Award for the single `` Let Me Ride '' . That same year he produced Death Row labelmate Snoop Dogg 's quadruple platinum debut Doggystyle , and even molded artists into top-notch producers such as his step-brother Warren G , which led to his Multi-Platinum debut Regulate ... G Funk Era in 1994 , and Snoop Dogg 's cousin Daz Dillinger which led to the double platinum debut album Dogg Food by Tha Dogg Pound in 1995 .   In 1996 , he left Death Row Records to establish his own label , Aftermath Entertainment . He produced a compilation album titled Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath in 1996 , and released a solo album titled 2001 in 1999 . During the 2000s , he focused on production for other artists , while occasionally contributing vocals to songs . Dr. Dre signed Eminem in 1998 and 50 Cent in 2002 to his record label respectively , while contributing production on their albums . He has won six Grammy Awards , including Producer of the Year . Dr. Dre has also had acting roles in movies such as Set It Off , The Wash and Training Day . Rolling Stone ranked Dre at 56 on their list of `` 100 Greatest Artists of All-Time '' .


Madrid Madrid ( -LSB- məˈdrɪd -RSB- , -LSB- maˈðɾið -RSB- , -LSB- maˈðɾi -RSB- ) is the capital city of the Kingdom of Spain and the largest municipality in both the Community of Madrid and Spain as a whole . The city has a population of almost 3.2 million with a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.5 million . It is the third-largest city in the European Union ( EU ) after London and Berlin , and its metropolitan area is the third-largest in the EU after those of London and Paris . The municipality itself covers an area of 604.3 km ² .   Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid ( which comprises the city of Madrid , its conurbation and extended suburbs and villages ) ; this community is bordered by the autonomous communities of Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha . As the capital city of Spain , seat of government , and residence of the Spanish monarch , Madrid is also the political , economic and cultural centre of the country . The current mayor is Manuela Carmena from Ahora Madrid .   The Madrid urban agglomeration has the third-largest GDP in the European Union and its influences in politics , education , entertainment , environment , media , fashion , science , culture , and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world 's major global cities . Madrid is home to two world-famous football clubs , Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid . Due to its economic output , high standard of living , and market size , Madrid is considered the major financial centre of Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula ; it hosts the head offices of the vast majority of major Spanish companies , such as Telefónica , Iberia , and Repsol . Madrid is the 17th most liveable city in the world according to Monocle magazine , in its 2014 index .   Madrid houses the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO ) , belonging to the United Nations Organization ( UN ) , the Ibero-American General Secretariat ( SEGIB ) , the Organization of Ibero-American States ( OEI ) , and the Public Interest Oversight Board ( PIOB ) . It also hosts major international regulators and promoters of the Spanish language : the Standing Committee of the Association of Spanish Language Academies , headquarters of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) , the Cervantes Institute and the Foundation of Urgent Spanish ( Fundéu BBVA ) . Madrid organises fairs such as FITUR , ARCO , SIMO TCI and the Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week .   While Madrid possesses modern infrastructure , it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets . Its landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid ; the Royal Theatre with its restored 1850 Opera House ; the Buen Retiro Park , founded in 1631 ; the 19th-century National Library building ( founded in 1712 ) containing some of Spain 's historical archives ; a large number of national museums , and the Golden Triangle of Art , located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three art museums : Prado Museum , the Reina Sofía Museum , a museum of modern art , and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum , which completes the shortcomings of the other two museums . Cibeles Palace and Fountain have become one of the monument symbols of the city .


Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin ( born July 31 , 1944 ) is a prolific actress of English , French , and Spanish language films , the fourth child of Charlie Chaplin , the first of eight with fourth wife Oona O'Neill . After beginnings in dance and modeling , she turned her attention to acting , and made her American acting debut ( and came to prominence in what would be a Golden Globe -- nominated role ) in her portrayal of Tonya in David Lean 's Doctor Zhivago ( 1965 ) . She made her Broadway acting debut in Lillian Hellman 's The Little Foxes in 1967 , and received her second Golden Globe nomination for Robert Altman 's Nashville ( 1975 ) . She also appeared in his other pictures , including Buffalo Bill and the Indians , or Sitting Bull 's History Lesson ( 1976 ) , and A Wedding ( 1978 ) . She received a BAFTA nomination for her role in Welcome to L.A. ( 1976 ) , and then appeared in Roseland ( 1977 ) and Remember My Name ( 1978 ) . She played her grandmother Hannah Chaplin in the biopic , Chaplin ( 1992 ) for which she received her third Golden Globe nomination . She also appeared in The Age of Innocence ( 1993 ) , Jane Eyre ( 1996 ) , Mother Teresa : In the Name of God 's Poor ( 1997 ) , and a decade later , in The Wolfman ( 2010 ) .   Chaplin has appeared in a wide variety of critically recognised Spanish and French films . She starred in Claude Lelouch 's Les Uns et les Autres ( 1981 ) , the Alain Resnais comedy Life Is a Bed of Roses ( 1983 ) and the Jacques Rivette experimental film Love on the Ground ( 1984 ) . She enjoyed her greatest critical success collaborating with Carlos Saura , starring in several notable films by the director , including Ana and the Wolves ( 1973 ) , Cría cuervos ( 1976 ) , Elisa , vida mía ( 1977 ) , and Mamá cumple cien años ( 1979 ) . She collaborated with Pedro Almodóvar in Talk to Her ( 2002 ) . She was awarded a Goya Award for her role in En la ciudad sin límites ( 2002 ) , and was nominated again for The Orphanage ( 2007 ) . Her contribution to Spanish cinema culminated in her being awarded the Gold medal by the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences in 2006 .   Chaplin had a long term relationship with Spanish film director Carlos Saura , giving birth to their son , Shane Suara , in 1976 . A subsequent long-term relationship with Chilean cinematographer Patricio Castilla ( married , 2006 ) , gave her a daughter , Oona , born 1986 . As of 2011 , Chaplin maintained homes in Miami , Florida , in the United States , and in Madrid , Spain , and Corsier-sur-Vevey , Switzerland .


Many related Hindu sub-traditions may be organized under the umbrella name Vedanta.

Vedanta Vedanta ( IAST , , Sanskrit : वेदांत ) or Uttara Mīmāṃsā is one of the six orthodox ( āstika ) schools of Hindu philosophy . Vedanta literally means `` end of the Vedas '' , reflecting ideas that emerged from the speculations and philosophies contained in the Upanishads . It does not stand for one comprehensive or unifying doctrine . Rather it is an umbrella term for many sub-traditions , ranging from dualism to non-dualism , all of which developed on the basis of a common textual connection called the Prasthanatrayi . The Prasthanatrayi is a collective term for the Principal Upanishads , the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita .   All Vedanta schools , in their deliberations , concern themselves with the following three categories but differ in their views regarding the concept and the relations between them : Brahman -- the ultimate metaphysical reality , Ātman / Jivātman -- the individual soul or self , and Prakriti -- the empirical world , ever-changing physical universe , body and matter .   Some of the better known sub-traditions of Vedanta include Advaita ( non-dualism ) , Vishishtadvaita ( qualified non-dualism ) , and Dvaita ( dualism ) . Most other Vedantic sub-traditions are subsumed under the term Bhedabheda ( difference and non-difference ) . Over time , Vedanta adopted ideas from other orthodox ( āstika ) schools like Yoga and Nyaya , and , through this syncretism , became the most prominent school of Hinduism . Many extant forms of Vaishnavism , Shaivism and Shaktism have been significantly shaped and influenced by the doctrines of different schools of Vedanta . The Vedanta school has had a historic and central influence on Hinduism .


Demi Moore was taking a hiatus from acting in 1997.

Demi Moore Demi Gene Guynes ( -LSB- dəˈmiː -RSB- ; born November 11 , 1962 ) , professionally known as Demi Moore , is an American actress , former songwriter , and model . Moore dropped out of high school at age 16 to pursue an acting career and appeared in the men 's magazine Oui in 1981 . After making her film debut later that year , she appeared on the soap opera General Hospital and subsequently gained recognition for her work in Blame It on Rio ( 1984 ) and St. Elmo 's Fire ( 1985 ) . Her first film to become both a critical and commercial hit was About Last Night ... ( 1986 ) , which established her as a Hollywood star .   In 1990 , Moore starred in Ghost , the highest-grossing film of that year , for which she received a Golden Globe nomination . She had a string of additional box-office successes in the early 1990s , including A Few Good Men ( 1992 ) , Indecent Proposal ( 1993 ) , and Disclosure ( 1994 ) . In 1996 , Moore became the highest-paid actress in film history when she was paid a then-unprecedented fee of $ 12.5 million to star in Striptease , a film that was a high-profile disappointment . Her next major role , G.I. Jane ( 1997 ) , for which she famously shaved her head , was followed by a lengthy break and significant downturn in Moore 's career , although she has remained a subject of substantial media interest during the years since .


Bran Stark is a character in novels by George R. R. Martin.

A Game of Thrones A Game of Thrones is the first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire , a series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin . It was first published on August 1 , 1996 . The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both the 1997 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award . The novella Blood of the Dragon , comprising the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel , won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella . In January 2011 the novel became a New York Times bestseller and reached # 1 on the list in July 2011 .   In the novel , recounting events from various points of view , Martin introduces the plot-lines of the noble houses of Westeros , the Wall , and the Targaryens . The novel has inspired several spin-off works , including several games . It is also the basis for the first season of Game of Thrones , an HBO television series that premiered in April 2011 . A March 2013 paperback TV tie-in re-edition was also titled Game of Thrones , excluding the indefinite article `` A '' .


Jaime Lannister Jaime Lannister is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin , and its television adaptation Game of Thrones . He becomes a prominent point of view character in the novels beginning in A Storm of Swords ( 2000 ) .   Introduced in A Game of Thrones ( 1996 ) , Jaime is a knight of the Kingsguard and a member of House Lannister , one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the fictional kingdom of Westeros . Although he first appears to be unscrupulous and amoral , he later proves to be far more complex , honorable and sympathetic .   Jaime is portrayed by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on the HBO series Game of Thrones . He was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television , a Critics ' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a People Choice Awards Favorite TV Anti-Hero for his performance in the show 's third season . He and the rest of the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2012 , 2014 , 2015 , 2016 and 2017 .


A Clash of Kings A Clash of Kings is the second novel in A Song of Ice and Fire , an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin expected to consist of seven volumes . It was first published on 16 November 1998 in the United Kingdom , although the first United States edition did not follow until March 1999 . Like its predecessor , A Game of Thrones , it won the Locus Award ( in 1999 ) for Best Novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award ( also in 1999 ) for best novel . In May 2005 Meisha Merlin released a limited edition of the novel , fully illustrated by John Howe .   The novel has been adapted for television by HBO as the second season of the TV series Game of Thrones .   A Clash of Kings is also the name of the first expansion to the Game of Thrones board game .


Bran Stark Brandon Stark , typically called Bran , is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin , and its television adaptation Game of Thrones . Martin told Rolling Stone in 2014 that Bran 's chapter with Jaime and Cersei Lannister is what `` hooked '' many readers early in the first novel .   Introduced in 1996 's A Game of Thrones , Bran is the son of Ned Stark , the honorable lord of Winterfell , an ancient fortress in the North of the fictional kingdom of Westeros . He subsequently appeared in Martin 's A Clash of Kings ( 1998 ) and A Storm of Swords ( 2000 ) . Bran was one of a few prominent characters that were not included in 2005 's A Feast for Crows , but returned in the next novel A Dance with Dragons ( 2011 ) .   Bran is portrayed by Isaac Hempstead Wright in the HBO television adaptation .


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children had no production budget.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (film) Miss Peregrine 's Home for Peculiar Children is a 2016 American dark fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and written by Jane Goldman , based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs . The film stars Eva Green , Asa Butterfield , Chris O'Dowd , Allison Janney , Rupert Everett , Terence Stamp , Ella Purnell with Judi Dench and Samuel L. Jackson .   Filming began in February 2015 in London and the Tampa Bay Area . The film premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin , Texas on September 25 , 2016 and was theatrically released in the United States on September 30 , 2016 by 20th Century Fox . It grossed $ 296 million worldwide against a production budget of $ 110 million .


The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the founding party of a socialist state.

Soviet Union The Soviet Union ( -LSB- Сове́тский Сою́з , r = Sovetskiy Soyuz -RSB- -LSB- sɐ ` vʲetskʲɪj sɐˈjʉs -RSB- ) , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ; Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик , -LSB- sɐˈjus sɐˈvʲɛtskʲɪx sətsɨəlʲɪsˈtʲitɕɪskʲɪx rʲɪˈspublʲɪk -RSB- ) , also known unofficially as Russia ( -LSB- Росси́я , Rossiya , rɐˈsʲijə -RSB- ) , was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991 . Nominally a union of multiple equal national Soviet republics , its government and economy were highly centralized in a state that was unitary in most respects . The country was a one-party federation , governed by the Communist Party with Moscow as its capital .   The Soviet Union had its roots in the October Revolution of 1917 , when the Bolsheviks , led by Vladimir Lenin , overthrew the Russian Provisional Government which had replaced Tsar Nicholas II . In 1922 , the Soviet Union was formed with the unification of the Russian , Transcaucasian , Ukrainian , and Byelorussian republics . Following Lenin 's death in 1924 and a brief power struggle , Joseph Stalin came to power in the mid-1920s . Stalin committed the state 's ideology to Marxism -- Leninism ( which he created ) , and initiated a centrally planned economy . As a result , the country underwent a period of rapid industrialization and collectivization . Political paranoia was also fomented around Stalin , and the Great Purge was carried out to remove his opponents from the Communist Party through arbitrary arrests and persecutions of many people .   Shortly before World War II , Stalin signed the Molotov -- Ribbentrop Pact agreeing to non-aggression with Nazi Germany , after which the two countries invaded Poland in September 1939 . In June 1941 , Germany invaded the Soviet Union , opening the largest and bloodiest theater of war in history . Soviet war casualties accounted for the highest proportion of the conflict in the effort of acquiring the upper hand over Axis forces at intense battles such as Stalingrad . The territories overtaken by the Red Army became satellite states of the USSR . The Cold War emerged by 1947 as the Eastern Bloc which united under the Warsaw Pact in 1955 confronted the Western states which united under NATO in 1949 .   Following Stalin 's death in 1953 , a period of political and economic liberalization , known as `` de-Stalinization '' and `` Khrushchev 's Thaw '' , occurred under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev . The Soviet Union took an early lead in the Space Race , with the first artificial satellite and the first human spaceflight . In the 1970s , there was a brief détente of relations with the United States , but tensions resumed with the Soviet -- Afghan War in 1979 .   In the mid-1980s , the last Soviet leader , Mikhail Gorbachev , sought to reform and liberalize the economy through his policies of glasnost and perestroika . The Cold War ended during his tenure , and in 1989 , Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe overthrew their respective communist governments . This led to the rise of strong nationalist and separatist movements inside the USSR as well . The government initiated a referendum , boycotted by some Soviet republics , which resulted in the majority of participating citizens voting in favor of preserving the union as a renewed federation . In August 1991 , an abortive coup d'état was attempted by Communist Party hardliners . The Russian President Boris Yeltsin played a high-profile role in facing down the coup . On 25 December 1991 , Gorbachev resigned and the remaining twelve constituent republics emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union as independent post-Soviet states . The Russian Federation -- formerly the Russian SFSR -- assumed the Soviet Union 's rights and obligations and is recognized as the primary legal successor of the Soviet Union .


Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union , abbreviated in English as CPSU , was the founding and ruling political party of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR or Soviet Union ) . The CPSU was the sole governing party of the Soviet Union until 1990 , when the Congress of People 's Deputies modified the article of the constitution , which had granted the CPSU a monopoly over the political system . The party was founded in 1912 by the Bolsheviks ( the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party ) , a revolutionary group led by Vladimir Lenin which seized power in the aftermath of the October Revolution of 1917 . The party was dissolved on 29 August 1991 on Soviet territory soon after a failed coup d'état and was completely abolished on 6 November 1991 on Russian territory .   The CPSU was a communist party organized on the basis of democratic centralism , a principle conceived by Lenin that entails democratic and open discussion of policy issues within the party followed by the requirement of total unity in upholding the agreed policies . The highest body within the CPSU was the party Congress , which convened every five years . When the Congress was not in session , the Central Committee was the highest body . Because the Central Committee met twice a year , most day-to-day duties and responsibilities were vested in the Politburo , the Secretariat , and the Orgburo ( until 1952 ) . The party leader was the head of government and held the office of either General Secretary , Premier or head of state , or some of the three offices concurrentlybut never all three at the same time . The party leader was the de facto chairman of the CPSU Politburo and chief executive of the USSR ; the tension between the party and the state ( Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union ) for the shifting locus of power was never formally resolved , but in reality the party dominated , and a paramount leader always existed ( first Lenin and thereafter the General Secretary ) .   The CPSU , according to its party statute , adhered to Marxism -- Leninism , an ideology based on the writings of Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx , and formalized under Joseph Stalin . The party pursued state socialism , under which all industries were nationalized and a planned economy was implemented . Before central planning was adopted in 1929 , Lenin had introduced a mixed economy , commonly referred to as the New Economic Policy , in the 1920s , which allowed to introduce certain capitalist elements in the Soviet economy . After Mikhail Gorbachev took power in 1985 , at first trying to prop up the stagnant centrally planned economy , rapid steps were taken to transform the economic system in the direction of a market economy . Gorbachev and some of his allies envisioned the introduction of an economy similar to Lenin 's New Economic Policy through a program of perestroika , or restructuring , but the results of their reforms contributed to the fall of the entire system of government .   A number of causes contributed to CPSU 's loss of control and the dissolution of the Soviet Union . Some historians have written that Gorbachev 's policy of glasnost ( political openness ) was the root cause , noting that it weakened the party 's control over society . Gorbachev maintained that perestroika without glasnost was doomed to failure anyway . Others have blamed the economic stagnation and subsequent loss of faith by the general populace in communist ideology .