Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson ( August 29 , 1958 -- June 25 , 2009 ) was an American singer , songwriter , record producer , dancer , actor , and philanthropist . Called the `` King of Pop '' , his contributions to music , dance , and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades .   The eighth child of the Jackson family , Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5 . He began his solo career in 1971 . In the early 1980s , Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music . His music videos , including those of `` Beat It '' , `` Billie Jean '' , and `` Thriller '' from his 1982 album Thriller , are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool . The popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame . Jackson 's 1987 album Bad spawned the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles `` I Just Ca n't Stop Loving You '' , `` Bad '' , `` The Way You Make Me Feel '' , `` Man in the Mirror '' , and `` Dirty Diana '' , becoming the first album to have five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 . He continued to innovate with videos such as `` Black or White '' and `` Scream '' throughout the 1990s , and forged a reputation as a touring solo artist . Through stage and video performances , Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques , such as the robot and the moonwalk , to which he gave the name . His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous artists of various music genres .   Thriller is the best-selling album of all time , with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide . Jackson 's other albums , including Off the Wall ( 1979 ) , Bad ( 1987 ) , Dangerous ( 1991 ) , and HIStory ( 1995 ) , also rank among the world 's best-selling albums . He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records . Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice , and was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame as the only dancer from pop and rock music . His other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records , 13 Grammy Awards , the Grammy Legend Award , the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award , 26 American Music Awards -- more than any other artist -- including the `` Artist of the Century '' and `` Artist of the 1980s '' , 13 number-one singles in the United States during his solo career -- more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era -- and estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide . Jackson won hundreds of awards , making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music . He became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when `` Love Never Felt So Good '' reached number nine on May 21 , 2014 . Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism , and , in 2000 , the Guinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities , more than any other entertainer .   Aspects of Jackson 's personal life , including his changing appearance , personal relationships , and behavior , generated controversy . In 1993 , he was accused of child sexual abuse , but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount and no formal charges were brought . In 2005 , he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts . While preparing for his comeback concert series , This Is It , Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25 , 2009 , after suffering from cardiac arrest . The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide , and his personal physician , Conrad Murray , was convicted of involuntary manslaughter . Jackson 's death triggered a global outpouring of grief , and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world . Forbes ranks Jackson the top-earning dead celebrity , with earnings of $ 825 million in 2016 , the highest yearly amount ever recorded by the publication .


Miles Teller Miles Alexander Teller ( born February 20 , 1987 ) is an American actor . Born in Downingtown , Pennsylvania and an alumnus of NYU 's Tisch School of Arts , he appeared in several short films and television movies before making his feature film debut in Rabbit Hole ( 2010 ) . He had supporting roles in Footloose ( 2011 ) and Project X ( 2012 ) , before garnering critical acclaim for his leading performance as Sutter Keely in The Spectacular Now ( 2013 ) , for which he was awarded the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Dramatic Acting and his role as Andrew Neiman in Whiplash , for which he was nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor , the Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture , and the BAFTA Rising Star Award .


Elvis & Nixon Elvis & Nixon is a 2016 American comedy-drama film directed by Liza Johnson and written by Joey Sagal , Hanala Sagal , and Cary Elwes . The film stars Kevin Spacey as President Richard Nixon and Michael Shannon as singer Elvis Presley , and focuses on the December 21 , 1970 meeting between the two men at the White House . The film also stars Alex Pettyfer , Johnny Knoxville , Colin Hanks , and Evan Peters . The film was released on April 22 , 2016 by Amazon Studios and Bleecker Street .


Mike Judge Michael Craig `` Mike '' Judge ( born October 17 , 1962 ) is an American actor , animator , writer , producer , director , and musician . Judge is the creator of the television series Beavis and Butt-Head ( 1993 -- 1997 , 2011 ) , co-creator of the television series King of the Hill ( 1997 -- 2010 ) , The Goode Family ( 2009 ) , and Silicon Valley ( 2014 -- present ) . He also wrote and directed the films Beavis and Butt-Head Do America ( 1996 ) , Office Space ( 1999 ) , Idiocracy ( 2006 ) and Extract ( 2009 ) .   Judge graduated from University of California , San Diego , where he studied physics . After becoming uninterested in his career in science , Judge began to experiment with animation and started to create his own short films . Finding success in his animated shorts , Judge began to develop one of his most popular shorts which would later become Beavis and Butt-Head . The show was critically acclaimed by both audiences and critics , and launched the spin-off series Daria and the feature film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America . In 1995 , Judge and former Simpsons writer Greg Daniels developed King of the Hill , which quickly became a hit with both critics and audiences . During the run of the show , Judge took some time off to write and direct Office Space , Idiocracy , and Extract . As King of the Hill was coming to an end , Judge created his third show titled The Goode Family , which received mixed reviews and was cancelled after 13 episodes . After a four-year hiatus , Judge created his fourth show Silicon Valley , which has received critical acclaim since its premiere .   Judge has won a Primetime Emmy Award and two Annie Awards for King of the Hill and two Critics ' Choice Television Awards and Satellite Awards for Silicon Valley .   On January 12 , 2017 , Deadline confirmed that Cinemax ordered 8 episodes of Judge 's new animated series , Mike Judge Presents : Tales from the Tour Bus . It is set to premiere in 2017 .


Beavis and Butt-Head Do America Beavis and Butt-Head Do America is a 1996 American animated road comedy film based on the MTV television series Beavis and Butt-Head . The film was directed by series creator Mike Judge , and stars the regular television cast of Judge , with guest performances by Demi Moore , Bruce Willis , Robert Stack , and Cloris Leachman . The plot follows Beavis and Butt-Head who travel across the country in search of their stolen television set .   Previous offers by MTV to create a film version of Beavis and Butt-Head were rejected by Judge , but he eventually accepted one in 1994 . When the film went into production , Judge and the show 's staff halted production on the series , while Judge and Joe Stillman wrote the script . They conceived numerous plot ideas , with Judge 's being the one developed into a film . The music was composed by John Frizzell .   The film was well received by critics and grossed $ 63 million in the US , becoming the biggest December box-office opening in history until it was beaten the following year by Scream 2 and subsequently one week later by Titanic . The film was theatrically released on December 20 , 1996 , by Paramount Pictures .


Roger Federer was passed over for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.

Roger Federer Roger Federer ( born 8 August 1981 ) is a Swiss professional tennis player . Many players and analysts have called him the greatest male tennis player of all time . Federer turned professional in 1998 and was continuously ranked in the top 10 from October 2002 to November 2016 . He is currently ranked world No. 5 by the Association of Tennis Professionals ( ATP ) .   Federer has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles , the most in history for a male tennis player , and held the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for a record 237 consecutive weeks and a record total of 302 weeks . In majors , Federer has won seven Wimbledon titles , five Australian Open titles , five US Open titles and one French Open title . He is among the eight men to capture a career Grand Slam . He has reached a record 28 men 's singles Grand Slam finals , including 10 in a row from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2007 US Open .   Federer 's ATP tournament records include winning a record six ATP World Tour Finals and playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments . He also won the Olympic gold medal in doubles with his compatriot Stan Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and the Olympic silver medal in singles at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games . Representing Switzerland , he was a part of the 2014 winning Davis Cup team . He was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record four consecutive years from 2005 to 2008 .


The Twilight series's first book was called Twilight.

Twilight (novel series) Twilight is a series of four vampire-themed fantasy romance novels by American author Stephenie Meyer . Released annually from 2005 through 2008 , the four books chart the later teen years of Isabella `` Bella '' Swan , a girl who moves to Forks , Washington , and falls in love with a 104-year-old vampire named Edward Cullen . The series is told primarily from Bella 's point of view , with the epilogue of Eclipse and Part II of Breaking Dawn being told from the viewpoint of character Jacob Black , a werewolf . The unpublished Midnight Sun is a retelling of the first book , Twilight , from Edward Cullen 's point of view . The novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner , which tells the story of a newborn vampire who appeared in Eclipse , was published on June 5 , 2010 , as a hardcover book and on June 7 as a free online ebook . The Twilight Saga : The Official Illustrated Guide , a definitive encyclopedic reference with nearly 100 full color illustrations , was released in bookstores on April 12 , 2011 .   Since the release of the first novel , Twilight , in 2005 , the books have gained immense popularity and commercial success around the world . The series is most popular among young adults ; the four books have won multiple awards , most notably the 2008 British Book Award for `` Children 's Book of the Year '' for Breaking Dawn , while the series as a whole won the 2009 Kids ' Choice Award for Favorite Book .   In November 2011 , the series had sold over 120 million copies worldwide with translations into at least 38 different languages around the globe . The four Twilight books have consecutively set records as the biggest selling novels of 2008 on the USA Today Best-Selling Books list and have spent over 235 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list for Children 's Series Books .   The books have been made into The Twilight Saga '' series of motion pictures by Summit Entertainment . The film adaptations of the first three books were released in 2008 , 2009 , and 2010 respectively . The fourth book is adapted into two full-length films -- the first film being released in November 2011 , and the second film in November 2012 .


Novak Djokovic played in the finals at all nine parties.

Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( Новак Ђоковић , Novak Đoković , -LSB- nôʋaːk d͡ʑôːkoʋit͡ɕ -RSB- ; born 22 May 1987 ) , often referred to by the hypocorism Nole , is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 2 in men 's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals ( ATP ) . He is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time . Djokovic holds the highest match winning rate ( 82.8 % ) in the Open Era , as of May 2017 .   Djokovic has won 12 Grand Slam singles titles , the fourth most in history , and held the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for a total of 223 weeks . In majors , Djokovic has won six Australian Open titles , three Wimbledon titles , two US Open titles and one French Open title . In 2016 , he became the eighth player in history to achieve the Career Grand Slam ; by winning the 2016 French Open , Djokovic became the third man to hold all four major titles at once , the first since Rod Laver in 1969 , and the first ever to do so on three different surfaces .   Djokovic has won an all-time record of 30 Masters 1000 series titles , tied with Rafael Nadal . Djokovic 's records include breaking the single-season record with six masters titles in 2015 , winning 31 consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series matches , playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments ( shared with Roger Federer and Nadal , and being the only player to win eight of the nine events ( and at least twice ) . Among other titles , he has won the ATP World Tour Finals five times and was on the Serbian team which won the 2010 Davis Cup . He also won the Bronze medal in men 's singles at the 2008 Summer Olympics .   Djokovic is the first Serbian player to be ranked No. 1 by the ATP and the first male player representing Serbia to win a Grand Slam singles title . Djokovic has won numerous awards , including the 2012 , 2015 , and 2016 Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year , 2011 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year , five-time ITF World Champion , and four-time ATP year-end number 1 . He is a recipient of the Order of St. Sava , the Order of Karađorđe 's Star and the Order of the Republika Srpska .


UFC 216 UFC 216 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will be held on September 9 , 2017 at Rogers Place in Edmonton , Alberta .


The Wild Thornberrys was on Nicktoonsters.

The Wild Thornberrys The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2004 . The show returned to The '90s Are All That for one night , and aired on March 21 , 2013 . The show aired on Nicktoonsters in the United Kingdom . Following Shout ! Factory 's acquisition of the title in February 2011 , all 5 seasons have been released on DVD .


Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra ( -LSB- sᵻˈnɑːtrə -RSB- -LSB- siˈnaːtra -RSB- ; December 12 , 1915 -- May 14 , 1998 ) was an American singer , actor , and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century . He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time , having sold more than 150 million records worldwide . Born in Hoboken , New Jersey , to Italian immigrants , Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey . Sinatra found success as a solo artist after he signed with Columbia Records in 1943 , becoming the idol of the `` bobby soxers '' . He released his debut album , The Voice of Frank Sinatra , in 1946 . Sinatra 's professional career had stalled by the early 1950s , and he turned to Las Vegas , where he became one of its best known performers as part of the Rat Pack . His career was reborn in 1953 with the success of From Here to Eternity , with his performance subsequently winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor . Sinatra released several critically lauded albums , including In the Wee Small Hours ( 1955 ) , Songs for Swingin ' Lovers ! ( 1956 ) , Come Fly with Me ( 1958 ) , Only the Lonely ( 1958 ) and Nice 'n' Easy ( 1960 ) .   Sinatra left Capitol in 1960 to start his own record label , Reprise Records , and released a string of successful albums . In 1965 , he recorded the retrospective September of My Years , starred in the Emmy-winning television special Frank Sinatra : A Man and His Music , and released the tracks `` Strangers in the Night '' and `` My Way '' . After releasing Sinatra at the Sands , recorded at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Vegas with frequent collaborator Count Basie in early 1966 , the following year he recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim , the album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim . It was followed by 1968 's collaboration with Duke Ellington . Sinatra retired for the first time in 1971 , but came out of retirement two years later and recorded several albums and resumed performing at Caesars Palace , and reached success in 1980 with `` New York , New York '' . Using his Las Vegas shows as a home base , he toured both within the United States and internationally until a short time before his death in 1998 .   Sinatra forged a highly successful career as a film actor . After winning an Academy Award for From Here to Eternity , he starred in The Man with the Golden Arm ( 1955 ) , and received critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate ( 1962 ) . He appeared in various musicals such as On the Town ( 1949 ) , Guys and Dolls ( 1955 ) , High Society ( 1956 ) , and Pal Joey ( 1957 ) , winning another Golden Globe for the latter . Toward the end of his career , he became associated with playing detectives , including the title character in Tony Rome ( 1967 ) . Sinatra would later receive the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1971 . On television , The Frank Sinatra Show began on ABC in 1950 , and he continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s . Sinatra was also heavily involved with politics from the mid-1940s , and actively campaigned for presidents such as Harry S. Truman , John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan , though before Kennedy 's death Sinatra 's alleged Mafia connections led to his being snubbed .   While Sinatra never formally learned how to read music , he had an impressive understanding of it , and he worked very hard from a young age to improve his abilities in all aspects of music . A perfectionist , renowned for his dress sense and performing presence , he always insisted on recording live with his band . His bright blue eyes earned him the popular nickname `` Ol' Blue Eyes '' . Sinatra led a colorful personal life , and was often involved in turbulent affairs with women , such as with his second wife Ava Gardner . He went on to marry Mia Farrow in 1966 and Barbara Marx in 1976 . Sinatra had several violent confrontations , usually with journalists he felt had crossed him , or work bosses with whom he had disagreements . He was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983 , was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1985 , and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997 . Sinatra was also the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards , including the Grammy Trustees Award , Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award . After his death , American music critic Robert Christgau called him `` the greatest singer of the 20th century '' , and he continues to be seen as an iconic figure .


From Here to Eternity From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones . The picture deals with the tribulations of three U.S. Army soldiers , played by Burt Lancaster , Montgomery Clift , and Frank Sinatra , stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor . Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed portray the women in their lives and the supporting cast includes Ernest Borgnine , Philip Ober , Jack Warden , Mickey Shaughnessy , Claude Akins , and George Reeves .   The film won eight Academy Awards out of 13 nominations , including awards for Best Picture , Best Director ( Fred Zinnemann ) , Adapted Screenplay , Supporting Actor ( Frank Sinatra ) and Supporting Actress ( Donna Reed ) . The film 's title originally comes from a quote from Rudyard Kipling 's 1892 poem `` Gentlemen-Rankers '' , about soldiers of the British Empire who had `` lost -LSB- their -RSB- way '' and were `` damned from here to eternity . ''   In 2002 , From Here to Eternity was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant . ''


David Jones (video game developer) is a Scottish citizen.

David Jones (video game developer) David Scott Jones ( born October 1965 ) is a Scottish games programmer and entrepreneur who founded computer game companies DMA Design in 1987 ( which became Rockstar North in 2002 ) and Realtime Worlds in 2002 . Jones created Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto , which both spawned many successful sequels . He also created the Crackdown franchise for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles , and the open-ended massively multiplayer online game , APB : All Points Bulletin .


Ben Affleck Benjamin Geza Affleck-Boldt ( born August 15 , 1972 ) is an American actor and filmmaker . His accolades include two Academy Awards , three Golden Globe Awards , two BAFTA Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards . He began his career as a child and starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi ( 1984 , 1988 ) . He later appeared in the independent coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused ( 1993 ) and various Kevin Smith films including Chasing Amy ( 1997 ) and Dogma ( 1999 ) . Affleck gained wider recognition when he and childhood friend Matt Damon won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting ( 1997 ) . He then established himself as a leading man in studio films including the disaster drama Armageddon ( 1998 ) , the romantic comedy Forces of Nature ( 1999 ) , the war drama Pearl Harbor ( 2001 ) and the thriller Changing Lanes ( 2002 ) .   After a career downturn , during which he appeared in Daredevil and Gigli ( both 2003 ) , Affleck received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the noir biopic Hollywoodland ( 2006 ) . His directorial debut , Gone Baby Gone ( 2007 ) , which he also co-wrote , was well received . He then directed , co-wrote , and starred in the crime drama The Town ( 2010 ) . For the political thriller Argo ( 2012 ) , which he directed and starred in , Affleck won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Director , and the Golden Globe , BAFTA , and Academy Award for Best Picture . He starred in the psychological thriller Gone Girl ( 2014 ) . In 2016 , Affleck began playing Batman in the DC Extended Universe , starred in the action thriller The Accountant , and directed , wrote and acted in the gangster drama Live by Night .   Affleck is the co-founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative , a grantmaking and advocacy-based nonprofit organization . He is also a stalwart member of the Democratic Party . Affleck and Damon are co-owners of the production company Pearl Street Films . His younger brother is actor Casey Affleck , with whom he has worked on several films including Good Will Hunting and Gone Baby Gone . Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner in 2005 ; they have three children together . The couple announced their separation in 2015 and filed for divorce in early 2017 .


Logic has an album called Bobby Tarantino.

Logic (musician) Sir Robert Bryson Hall II ( born January 22 , 1990 ) , known by his stage name Logic , is an American rapper , singer , songwriter , and record producer . Raised in Gaithersburg , Maryland , Logic expressed an interest in music as a teenager , and ventured into a musical career in early 2009 , releasing a mixtape titled Young , Broke & Infamous in 2010 . He would then sign with Visionary Music Group , before releasing two more mixtapes over two years .   His fourth mixtape , Young Sinatra : Welcome to Forever ( 2013 ) , was released to critical acclaim , and allowed Logic to secure a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings . He later released his debut studio album Under Pressure in October 2014 , which debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 , eventually becoming certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) and having sold more than 171,000 copies .   Logic 's second studio album The Incredible True Story was released in November 2015 , receiving mostly positive reviews from critics . Also certified gold in the US , it was later confirmed to have sold over 185,000 copies in the country . Logic soon released Bobby Tarantino in 2016 . It is his fifth mixtape and the first since Young Sinatra : Welcome to Forever . Logic released his third studio album Everybody in 2017 .


As You Like It (2006 film) As You Like It is a 2006 film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh , and based on the Shakespearean play of the same name . It stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Rosalind , David Oyelowo as Orlando De Boys , Romola Garai as Celia , Adrian Lester as Oliver De Boys , Alfred Molina as Touchstone , Kevin Kline as Jaques , Janet McTeer as Audrey , and Brian Blessed as Duke Frederick and his brother Duke Senior .   Branagh moved the play 's setting from medieval France to a late 19th century European colony in Japan after the Meiji Restoration . Branagh filmed it at Shepperton Film Studios and at the never-before-filmed gardens of Wakehurst Place . The film is a production of The Shakespeare Film Company , financed by HBO Films . It is Kenneth Branagh 's first Shakespearean film shot in a Super 35 format .


Leopold II of Belgium was king from 1865 to 1909.

Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II ( 9 April 1835 -- 17 December 1909 ) reigned as the second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909 . He became known for the founding and exploitation of the Congo Free State as a private venture . Born in Brussels as the second ( but eldest surviving ) son of Leopold I and Louise of Orléans ,  he succeeded his father to the Belgian throne in 1865 and reigned for 44 years until his death - the longest reign of any Belgian monarch . He died without surviving male issue ; the current Belgian king descends from his nephew and successor , Albert I.   Leopold became the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State , a private project undertaken on his own behalf . He used explorer Henry Morton Stanley to help him lay claim to the Congo , the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo . At the Berlin Conference of 1884 -- 1885 the colonial nations of Europe authorized his claim by committing the Congo Free State to improving the lives of the native inhabitants . From the beginning , however , Leopold essentially ignored these conditions . He ran the Congo using the mercenary Force Publique for his personal enrichment . He used great sums of the money from this exploitation for public and private construction projects in Belgium during this period . He donated the private buildings to the state before his death , to preserve them for Belgium .   Leopold extracted a fortune from the Congo , initially by the collection of ivory , and - after a rise in the price of rubber in the 1890s - by forced labour from the natives to harvest and process rubber . Under his régime millions of the Congolese people died ; modern estimates range from 1 to 15 million , with a consensus growing around 10 million . Human-rights abuses under his régime contributed significantly to these deaths . Reports of deaths and abuse led to a major international scandal in the early 20th century , and the Belgian government ultimately forced Leopold to relinquish control of the colony to Belgian civil administration in 1908 .


December 10, 1830 is the birth date of Emily Dickinson.

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson ( December 10 , 1830 -- May 15 , 1886 ) was an American poet . With the possible exception of Walt Whitman , Dickinson is now recognized as the most important American poet of the 19th century .   Dickinson was born in Amherst , Massachusetts . Although part of a prominent family with strong ties to its community , Dickinson lived much of her life in reclusive isolation . After studying at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth , she briefly attended the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family 's house in Amherst . Considered an eccentric by locals , she developed a noted penchant for white clothing and became known for her reluctance to greet guests or , later in life , to even leave her bedroom . Dickinson never married , and most friendships between her and others depended entirely upon correspondence . Dickinson was a recluse for the later years of her life .   While Dickinson was a prolific private poet , fewer than a dozen of her nearly 1,800 poems were published during her lifetime . The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time . Dickinson 's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote ; they contain short lines , typically lack titles , and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation . Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality , two recurring topics in letters to her friends .   Although Dickinson 's acquaintances were most likely aware of her writing , it was not until after her death in 1886 -- when Lavinia , Dickinson 's younger sister , discovered her cache of poems -- that the breadth of her work became apparent to the public . Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd , though both heavily edited the content . A complete , and mostly unaltered , collection of her poetry became available for the first time when scholar Thomas H. Johnson published The Poems of Emily Dickinson in 1955 . Despite some unfavorable reception and skepticism over the late 19th and early 20th centuries regarding her literary prowess , Dickinson is now almost universally considered to be one of the most significant of all American poets .


Roald Dahl became an acting wing commander during World War II.

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl ( -LSB- langpronˈroʊ.əld _ ˈdɑːl -RSB- , -LSB- ˈɾuːɑl dɑl -RSB- ; 13 September 1916 -- 23 November 1990 ) was a British novelist , short story writer , poet , screenwriter , and fighter pilot . His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide .   Born in Wales to Norwegian parents , Dahl served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War , in which he became a flying ace and intelligence officer , rising to the rank of acting wing commander . He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults and he became one of the world 's best selling authors . He has been referred to as `` one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century '' . His awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement , and the British Book Awards ' Children 's Author of the Year in 1990 . In 2008 , The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of `` The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 '' .   Dahl 's short stories are known for their unexpected endings and his children 's books for their unsentimental , macabre , often darkly comic mood , featuring villainous adult enemies of the child characters . His books champion the kind-hearted , and feature an underlying warm sentiment . Dahl 's works for children include James and the Giant Peach , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Matilda , The Witches , Fantastic Mr Fox , The BFG , The Twits and George 's Marvellous Medicine . His adult works include Tales of the Unexpected .


La La Anthony worked for a cable and satellite television channel.

La La Anthony Alani Nicole `` La La '' Anthony ( née Vázquez ; born June 25 , 1979 ) is a television personality , New York Times best-selling author , business woman , producer and actress .   In the early 2000s , La La came to prominence as an MTV VJ on Total Request Live . La La can be seen in the Starz original drama series , Power , executive produced by 50 Cent and starring Omari Hardwick and Naturi Naughton .   In 2014 La La reprised her role as Sonia in the film Think Like a Man Too and in 2015 appeared in November Rule and Destined .   In 2004 La La began dating NBA player Carmelo Anthony and they were married by Michael Eric Dyson on July 10 , 2010 at Cipriani 's in New York City before 320 guests . The ceremony was filmed by VH1 and aired as part of a reality series on the couple , titled La La 's Full Court Wedding . La La and Carmelo Anthony 's son , Kiyan Carmelo Anthony , was born on March 7 , 2007 .


Venice is located in a bay between the Po and Piave Rivers.

Venice Venice ( -LSB- langˈvɛnɪs -RSB- ; Venezia -LSB- veˈnɛtsja -RSB- ; Venesia -LSB- - vecveˈnɛsja -RSB- ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region . It is situated across a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by bridges . These are located in the shallow Venetian Lagoon , an enclosed bay that lies between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers . Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings , their architecture , and artwork . The lagoon and a part of the city are listed as a World Heritage Site .   In 2014 , 264,579 people resided in Comune di Venezia , of whom around 55,000 live in the historic city of Venice ( Centro storico ) . Together with Padua and Treviso , the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area ( PATREVE ) , with a total population of 2.6 million . PATREVE is a statistical metropolitan area without any degree of autonomy .   The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC . The city was historically the capital of the Republic of Venice . Venice has been known as the `` La Dominante , '' `` Serenissima , '' `` Queen of the Adriatic , '' `` City of Water , '' `` City of Masks , '' `` City of Bridges , '' `` The Floating City , '' and `` City of Canals . ''   The Republic of Venice was a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance , and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto , as well as a very important center of commerce ( especially silk , grain , and spice ) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century . The City State of Venice is considered to have been the first real international financial center which gradually emerged from the 9th century to its peak in the 14th century . This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history .   It is also known for its several important artistic movements , especially the Renaissance period . After the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna , the Republic was annexed by the Austrian Empire , until it became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866 , following a referendum held as a result of the Third Italian War of Independence . Venice has played an important role in the history of symphonic and operatic music , and it is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi . Venice has been ranked the most beautiful city in the world as of 2016 .


Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( -LSB- buːˈsɛmi -RSB- born December 13 , 1957 ) is an American actor and film director . Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films , including Parting Glances , New York Stories , Mystery Train , Reservoir Dogs , Desperado , Con Air , Armageddon , The Grey Zone , Ghost World , Big Fish , and The Sopranos . He is also known for his appearances in many films by the Coen brothers : Miller 's Crossing , Barton Fink , The Hudsucker Proxy , Fargo , and The Big Lebowski . Buscemi provides the voice of Randall Boggs in the Monsters , Inc. franchise .   From 2010 to 2014 , he portrayed Enoch `` Nucky '' Thompson in the critically acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire , which earned him two Screen Actors Guild Awards , a Golden Globe , and two nominations for an Emmy Award . He made his directorial debut in 1996 , with Trees Lounge , in which he also starred . Other works include Animal Factory ( 2000 ) , Lonesome Jim ( 2005 ) and Interview ( 2007 ) . He has also directed numerous episodes of TV shows , including Homicide : Life on the Street , The Sopranos , Oz , 30 Rock , and Nurse Jackie . He currently hosts the Emmy Award-winning AOL On comedy talk-show Park Bench .


Sweden provides post secondary education.

Sweden Sweden ( Konungariket Sverige ) , is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe . It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east , and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund . At 450295 km2 , Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area , with a total population of 10.0 million . Sweden consequently has a low population density of 22 PD/km2 , with the highest concentration in the southern half of the country . Approximately 85 % of the population lives in urban areas .   Germanic peoples have inhabited Sweden since prehistoric times , emerging into history as the Geats/G ötar and Swedes/Svear and constituting the sea peoples known as the Norsemen . Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural , while the north is heavily forested . Sweden is part of the geographical area of Fennoscandia . The climate is in general very mild for its northerly latitude due to significant maritime influence , that in spite of this still retains warm continental summers . Today , Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy , with a monarch as head of state . The capital city is Stockholm , which is also the most populous city in the country . Legislative power is vested in the 349-member unicameral Riksdag . Executive power is exercised by the government chaired by the prime minister . Sweden is a unitary state , currently divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities .   Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages . In the 17th century , it expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire , which became one of the great powers of Europe until the early 18th century . Swedish territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were gradually lost during the 18th and 19th centuries , ending with the annexation of present-day Finland by Russia in 1809 . The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814 , when Norway was militarily forced into personal union . Since then , Sweden has been at peace , maintaining an official policy of neutrality in foreign affairs . The union with Norway was peacefully dissolved in 1905 , leading to Sweden 's current borders . Though Sweden was formally neutral through both world wars , Sweden engaged in humanitarian efforts , such as taking in refugees from German-occupied Europe .   After the end of the Cold War , Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995 , but declined NATO membership , as well as Eurozone membership following a referendum . It is also a member of the United Nations , the Nordic Council , Council of Europe , the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) . Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens . It has the world 's eighth-highest per capita income and ranks highly in numerous metrics of national performance , including quality of life , health , education , protection of civil liberties , economic competitiveness , equality , prosperity and human development .


Tertiary education Tertiary education , also referred to as third stage , third level , and post-secondary education , is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education . The World Bank , for example , defines tertiary education as including universities as well as institutions that teach specific capacities of higher learning such as colleges , technical training institutes , community colleges , nursing schools , research laboratories , centers of excellence , and distance learning centers . Higher education is taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education , while vocational education and training beyond secondary education is known as further education in the United Kingdom , or continuing education in the United States .   Tertiary education generally culminates in the receipt of certificates , diplomas , or academic degrees .


Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( -LSB- ˈroʊzəvɛlt -RSB- ; October 27 , 1858 -- January 6 , 1919 ) was an American statesman , author , explorer , soldier , naturalist , and reformer who served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909 . He also served as the 25th Vice President of the United States and as the 33rd Governor of New York . As a leader of the Republican Party during this time , he became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century . His face is depicted on Mount Rushmore , alongside those of George Washington , Thomas Jefferson , and Abraham Lincoln .   Roosevelt was born a sickly child with debilitating asthma , but he successfully overcame his physical health problems by embracing a strenuous lifestyle . He integrated his exuberant personality , vast range of interests , and world-famous achievements into a `` cowboy '' persona defined by robust masculinity . Home-schooled , he began a lifelong naturalist avocation before attending Harvard College . His book , The Naval War of 1812 ( 1882 ) , established his reputation as both a learned historian and as a popular writer . Upon entering politics , he became the leader of the reform faction of Republicans in New York 's state legislature . Following the near-simultaneous deaths of his wife and mother , he escaped to a cattle ranch in the Dakotas . Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley , but resigned from that post to lead the Rough Riders during the Spanish -- American War . Returning a war hero , he was elected Governor of New York in 1898 . After the death of Vice President Garret Hobart , the New York state party leadership convinced McKinley to accept Roosevelt as his running mate in the 1900 election , moving Roosevelt to the prestigious but powerless role of vice president . Roosevelt campaigned vigorously and the McKinley-Roosevelt ticket won a landslide victory based on a platform of peace , prosperity , and conservatism .   Following McKinley 's assassination in September 1901 , Roosevelt became president at age 42 , and remains the youngest president . As a leader of the Progressive movement , he championed his `` Square Deal '' domestic policies , promising the average citizen fairness , breaking of trusts , regulation of railroads , and pure food and drugs . Making conservation a top priority , he established a myriad of new national parks , forests , and monuments intended to preserve the nation 's natural resources . In foreign policy , he focused on Central America , where he began construction of the Panama Canal . He expanded the Navy and sent the Great White Fleet on a world tour to project the United States ' naval power around the globe . His successful efforts to broker the end of the Russo-Japanese War won him the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize . He avoided the controversial tariff and money issues . Elected in 1904 to a full term , Roosevelt continued to promote progressive policies , but many of his efforts and much of his legislative agenda were eventually blocked in Congress . Roosevelt successfully groomed his close friend , William Howard Taft , and Taft won the 1908 presidential election to succeed him . In polls of historians and political scientists , Roosevelt is generally ranked as one of the five best presidents .   Frustrated with Taft 's conservatism , Roosevelt belatedly tried to win the 1912 Republican nomination . He failed , walked out , and founded a third party , the Progressive , so-called `` Bull Moose '' Party , which called for wide-ranging progressive reforms . The split allowed the Democrats to win the White House and a majority in both houses of Congress . Following his election defeat , Roosevelt led a two-year expedition to the Amazon basin , where he nearly died of tropical disease . During World War I , he criticized President Woodrow Wilson for keeping the country out of the war with Germany , and his offer to lead volunteers to France was rejected . Though he had considered running for president again in 1920 , Roosevelt 's health continued to deteriorate , and he died in 1919 .


Vlad the Impaler Vlad III , known as Vlad the Impaler ( Vlad Țepeș -LSB- pronˈvlad_ˈțepeș -RSB- ) or Vlad Dracula ( 1428/311476/77 ) , was voivode ( or prince ) of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death . He was the second son of Vlad Dracul , who became the ruler of Wallachia in 1436 . Vlad and his younger brother , Radu , were held as hostages in the Ottoman Empire from 1442 to secure their father 's loyalty . Vlad 's father and eldest brother , Mircea , were murdered after John Hunyadi , Regent-Governor of Hungary , invaded Wallachia in 1447 . Hunyadi installed Vlad 's second cousin , VladislavII , as the new voivode .   Hunyadi launched a military campaign against the Ottomans in the autumn of 1448 , and Vladislav accompanied him . Vlad broke into Wallachia with Ottoman support in October , but Vladislav returned and Vlad sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire before the end of the year . Vlad went to Moldavia in 1449 or 1450 , and later to Hungary . He invaded Wallachia with Hungarian support in 1456 . Vladislav died fighting against him . Vlad began a purge among the Wallachian boyars to strengthen his position . He came into conflict with the Transylvanian Saxons , who supported his opponents , Dan and Basarab Laiotă ( who were Vladislav 's brothers ) , and Vlad 's illegitimate half-brother , Vlad the Monk . Vlad plundered the Saxon villages , taking the captured people to Wallachia where he had them impaled ( which gave rise to his cognomen ) . Peace was restored in 1460 .   The Ottoman Sultan , Mehmed II , ordered Vlad to pay homage to him personally , but Vlad had the sultan 's two envoys captured and impaled . In February 1462 , he broke into Ottoman territory , massacring tens of thousands of Turks and Bulgarians . Mehmed launched a campaign against Wallachia to replace Vlad with Vlad 's younger brother , Radu . Vlad attempted to capture the sultan at Târgovişte during the night of 1617June 1462 . The sultan and the main Ottoman army left Wallachia , but more and more Wallachians deserted to Radu . Vlad went to Transylvania to seek assistance from Matthias Corvinus , King of Hungary , in late 1462 , but Corvinus had him imprisoned .   Vlad was held in captivity in Visegrád from 1463 to 1475 . During this period , anecdotes about his cruelty started to spread in Germany and Italy . He was released at the request of Stephen III of Moldavia in the summer of 1475 . He fought in Corvinus 's army against the Ottomans in Bosnia in early 1476 . Hungarian and Moldavian troops helped him to force Basarab Laiotă ( who had dethroned Vlad 's brother , Radu ) to flee from Wallachia in November . Basarab returned with Ottoman support before the end of the year . Vlad was murdered before 10January 1477 . Books describing Vlad 's cruel acts were among the first bestsellers in the German-speaking territories . In Russia , popular stories suggested that Vlad was able to strengthen central government only through applying brutal punishments , and a similar view was adopted by most Romanian historians in the 19th century . Vlad 's reputation for cruelty and his patronymic gave rise to the name of the vampire Count Dracula in Bram Stoker 's 1897 novel Dracula .


The Divergent Series: Allegiant is the antithesis to Insurgent.

The Divergent Series: Allegiant The Divergent Series : Allegiant is a 2016 American action adventure film directed by Robert Schwentke with a screenplay by Bill Collage , Adam Cooper , and Noah Oppenheim . It is the first of two cinematic parts based on the novel Allegiant , the final book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth , and the third installment in The Divergent Series .   The film stars Shailene Woodley , Theo James , Jeff Daniels , Miles Teller , Ansel Elgort , Zoë Kravitz , Maggie Q , Ray Stevenson , Bill Skarsgard , Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts , and is the sequel to Insurgent and could be followed by the concluding entry , Ascendant ( Allegiant and Ascendant were originally to be titled Allegiant -- Part 1 and Allegiant -- Part 2 ) .   Allegiant was released on March 18 , 2016 , in theaters and IMAX and received mainly negative reviews . The film was a financial disappointment , grossing $ 179 million worldwide , becoming the lowest-grossing Divergent film . This led to budget cuts on the fourth and the possibility that the final installment in the series , Ascendant , would be released as a TV movie instead of a theatrical one .


Counterculture includes values that are substantially different from mainstream society.

Counterculture A counterculture ( also written counter-culture ) is a subculture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society , often in opposition to mainstream cultural mores .   A countercultural movement expresses the ethos and aspirations of a specific population during a well-defined era . When oppositional forces reach critical mass , countercultures can trigger dramatic cultural changes .   Prominent examples of countercultures in Europe and North America include Romanticism ( 1790 -- 1840 ) , Bohemianism ( 1850 -- 1910 ) , the more fragmentary counterculture of the Beat Generation ( 1944 -- 1964 ) , and perhaps most prominently , the counterculture of the 1960s ( 1964 -- 1974 ) , usually associated with the hippie subculture .


Nicole Scherzinger ended her musical career in 2000.

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger ( -LSB- niˈkoʊl_ˈʃɜːzɪŋər -RSB- born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente ; June 29 , 1978 ) is an American recording artist , actress and television personality born in Honolulu , Hawaii and raised in Louisville , Kentucky . She performed initially in high school plays , and studied at Wright State University before dropping out to pursue a musical career alongside the American rock band Days of the New and later auditioned for Popstars , becoming a member of the short-lived girl group Eden 's Crush . She rose to fame as the lead singer of the burlesque troupe-turned-recording act the Pussycat Dolls , who became one of the world 's best-selling girl groups . During their hiatus , Scherzinger planned to embark on her solo career with Her Name is Nicole , but it was later shelved after four singles failed to impact the charts significantly .   Following the group 's disbandment , Scherzinger ventured into television winning the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars and became a judge on The Sing-Off and on US and UK versions of The X Factor . Her debut studio album Killer Love ( 2011 ) was released to moderate success and was preceded by the number-one single `` Do n't Hold Your Breath '' . In 2014 , Scherzinger released her second album Big Fat Lie to commercial disappointment and starred on the West End revival of the musical Cats for which she received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical .   Throughout her career , she has had a total of three UK number one singles , two of which coming from recording group The Pussycat Dolls and one as a solo artist . She has sold over 60 million records worldwide , as a solo artist and as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls . In accordance with multiple sources , Scherzinger has sold at least 37 million singles and has had in excess of 15 million total album sales . Since her first chart entry in 2005 , she has scored 20 top-20 hits on the UK Singles Chart . Outside her work in the entertainment industry , Scherzinger has advertised brands including Herbal Essences and Müller , and helped to create the clothing brand Missguided . She is also an ambassador for UNICEF and a global ambassador for the Special Olympics and is involved in charitable activities .


Syria Syria ( -LSB- ˈsɪ.riə -RSB- سوريا ) , officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia , bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west , Turkey to the north , Iraq to the east , Jordan to the south , and Israel to the southwest . Syria 's capital and largest city is Damascus .   A country of fertile plains , high mountains , and deserts , Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups , including Syrian Arabs , Greeks , Armenians , Assyrians , Kurds , Circassians , Mandeans and Turks . Religious groups include Sunnis , Christians , Alawites , Druze , Mandeans , Shiites , Salafis , and Yazidis . Sunni Arabs make up the largest religious group in Syria .   In English , the name `` Syria '' was formerly synonymous with the Levant ( known in Arabic as al-Sham ) , while the modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires , including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BC . Its capital Damascus and largest city Aleppo are among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world . In the Islamic era , Damascus was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt .   The modern Syrian state was established after the end of centuries of Ottoman control in World War I as a French mandate , and represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly Ottoman-ruled Arab Levant . It gained independence as a parliamentary republic on 24 October 1945 when Syria became a founding member of the United Nations , an act which legally ended the former French Mandate -- although French troops did not leave the country until April 1946 . The post-independence period was tumultuous , and a large number of military coups and coup attempts shook the country in the period 1949 -- 71 . In 1958 , Syria entered a brief union with Egypt called the United Arab Republic , which was terminated by the 1961 Syrian coup d'état . The Arab Republic of Syria came into being in late 1961 after December 1 constitutional referendum , and was increasingly unstable until the Ba'athist coup d'état , since which the Ba'ath Party has maintained its power . Syria was under Emergency Law from 1963 to 2011 , effectively suspending most constitutional protections for citizens . Bashar al-Assad has been president since 2000 and was preceded by his father Hafez al-Assad , who was in office from 1970 to 2000 .   Syria is a member of one international organization other than the United Nations , the Non-Aligned Movement ; it has become suspended from the Arab League on November 2011 and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , and self-suspended from the Union for the Mediterranean . Since March 2011 , Syria has been embroiled in an uprising against Assad and the Ba'athist government as part of the Arab Spring , a crackdown that contributed to the Syrian Civil War and to Syria 's becoming one of the most violent countries in the world . Since the start of the war in 2011 , a number of self-proclaimed state entities have since emerged on Syrian territories , including the Syrian Opposition , the Federation of Northern Syria and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant .


Poppy's debut album is titled "Bubblebath".

Poppy (singer) Poppy , also known as That Poppy , is an American singer , songwriter , and YouTube personality . Raised in Nashville , Tennessee , she moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue a musical career , where she signed with Island Records and released her debut EP , Bubblebath ( 2016 ) . In late 2016 , she became the face of Sanrio 's `` Hello Sanrio '' collection .


University College London University College London ( UCL ) is a public research university in London , England , and a constituent college of the federal University of London . It is the third-largest university in the United Kingdom by total enrollment ( and largest by postgraduate enrollment ) and is regarded as one of the world 's leading universities .   Established in 1826 as London University by founders inspired by the radical ideas of Jeremy Bentham , UCL was the first university institution to be established in London , and the first in England to be entirely secular and to admit students regardless of their religion . UCL also makes the contested claims of being the third-oldest university in EnglandThe title of third-oldest university in England is claimed by three institutions : Durham University as the third-oldest officially recognised university ( 1832 ) and the third to confer degrees ( 1837 ) , the University of London as the third university to be granted a Royal Charter ( 1836 ) , and University College London as it was founded as London University ( 1826 ) and was the third-oldest university institution to start teaching ( 1828 ) . A fourth institution , King 's College London , officially claims to be the fourth-oldest university in England ; it was the third university institution to receive a Royal Charter ( 1829 ) and some claim it as third oldest on that basis . Deciding which is the `` third oldest university '' depends largely on the definition of university status . and the first to admit women.The University of Bristol also makes this claim , having admitted women from its foundation ( as a college ) in 1876 . In 1836 UCL became one of the two founding colleges of the University of London , which was granted a royal charter in the same year . It has grown through mergers , including with the Institute of Neurology ( in 1997 ) , the Royal Free Hospital Medical School ( in 1998 ) , the Eastman Dental Institute ( in 1999 ) , the School of Slavonic and East European Studies ( in 1999 ) , the School of Pharmacy ( in 2012 ) and the Institute of Education ( in 2014 ) .   UCL has its main campus in the Bloomsbury area of central London , with a number of institutes and teaching hospitals elsewhere in central London and a satellite campus in Doha , Qatar . UCL is organised into 11 constituent faculties , within which there are over 100 departments , institutes and research centres . UCL operates several culturally significant museums and manages collections in a wide range of fields , including the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and the Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy , and administers the annual Orwell Prize in political writing . In 2015/16 , UCL had around 38,300 students and 14,200 staff ( including around 7,100 academic staff and 840 professors ) and had a total group income of # 1.36 billion , of which # 530 million was from research grants and contracts .   UCL ranks highly in national and international league tables and its graduates rank among the most employable in the world . UCL alumni include the `` Father of the Nation '' of each of India , Kenya and Mauritius , the founders of Ghana , modern Japan and Nigeria , the inventor of the telephone , and one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA . UCL academics discovered five of the naturally occurring noble gases , co-discovered hormones , invented the vacuum tube , and made several foundational advances in modern statistics . There are at least 29 Nobel Prize winners and 3 Fields medalists amongst UCL 's alumni and current and former staff.Universities practice different methods for counting Nobel prize affiliates , from the flattering to the highly conservative . As of March 2016 , UCL had an `` official count '' of 29 Nobel affiliates as students or academics , and a further 11 as honorary graduates or honorary fellows . UCL is a member of numerous academic organisations , including the Russell Group , and is part of UCL Partners , the world 's largest academic health science centre , and the ` golden triangle ' of research-intensive English universities .


United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland , the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland.Although Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state , two of its Overseas Territories also share land borders with other sovereign countries . Gibraltar shares a border with Spain , while the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia share borders with the Republic of Cyprus , the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the UN buffer zone separating the two Cypriot polities . Apart from this land border , the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west , giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of 242500 km2 , the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe . It is also the 21st-most populous country , with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union ( EU ) .   The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance . The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II , who has reigned since 6 February 1952 . The capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city is London , a global city and financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million , the fourth-largest in Europe and second-largest in the European Union . Other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the conurbations centred on Birmingham , Leeds , Glasgow , Liverpool and Manchester . The United Kingdom consists of four countries -- England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The last three have devolved administrations , each with varying powers , based in their capitals , Edinburgh , Cardiff and Belfast , respectively . The nearby Isle of Man , Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey are not part of the United Kingdom , being Crown dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation .   The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time . Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain , which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 , leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921 to resolve the Irish War of Independence . When it took effect one year later , it established the Irish Free State as a separate dominion within the Commonwealth . The UK 's current name was adopted to reflect the change . There are fourteen British Overseas Territories . These are the remnants of the British Empire which , at its height in the 1920s , encompassed almost a quarter of the world 's land mass and was the largest empire in history . British influence can be observed in the language , culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies .   The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world 's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest economy by purchasing power parity . The UK is considered to have a high-income economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index , ranking 16th in the world . It was the world 's first industrialised country and the world 's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries . The UK remains a great power with considerable economic , cultural , military , scientific and political influence internationally . It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and is seventh in military expenditure in the world . The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 . It has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor , the European Economic Community ( EEC ) , since 1973 . However , on 23 June 2016 , a national referendum on the UK 's membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave , and its exit from the EU is currently being negotiated . The UK is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the Council of Europe , the G7 finance ministers , the G7 forum , the G20 , NATO , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) .


England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west . The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest . England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south . The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain ( which lies in the North Atlantic ) in its centre and south ; and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly , and the Isle of Wight .   The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period , but takes its name from the Angles , one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries . England became a unified state in the 10th century , and since the Age of Discovery , which began during the 15th century , has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world . The English language , the Anglican Church , and English law -- the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world -- developed in England , and the country 's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations . The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England , transforming its society into the world 's first industrialised nation .   England 's terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains , especially in central and southern England . However , there are uplands in the north ( for example , the mountainous Lake District , and the Pennines ) and in the southwest ( for example , Dartmoor and the Cotswolds ) . The capital is London , which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union.According to the European Statistical Agency , London is the largest Larger Urban Zone in the EU , a measure of metropolitan area which comprises a city 's urban core as well as its surrounding commuting zone . London 's municipal population is also the largest in the EU . England 's population of over 53 million comprises 84 % of the population of the United Kingdom , largely concentrated around London , the South East , and conurbations in the Midlands , the North West , the North East , and Yorkshire , which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century .   The Kingdom of England -- which after 1535 included Wales -- ceased being a separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707 , when the Acts of Union put into effect the terms agreed in the Treaty of Union the previous year , resulting in a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain . In 1801 , Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom , leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .


Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist and keyboardist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London ( UCL ) . After they formed under the name Pectoralz , Guy Berryman joined the group as bassist and they changed their name to Starfish . Will Champion joined as drummer and backing vocalist , completing the lineup . Creative director Phil Harvey is often referred to as the fifth member by the band . The band renamed themselves `` Coldplay '' in 1998 , before recording and releasing three EPs : Safety in 1998 and Brothers & Sisters and The Blue Room in 1999 . The Blue Room was their first release on a major label , after signing to Parlophone .   Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single `` Yellow '' in 2000 , followed in the same year by their debut album Parachutes , which was nominated for the Mercury Prize . The band 's second album , A Rush of Blood to the Head ( 2002 ) , was released to critical acclaim and won awards including NME 's Album of the Year . Their next release , X&Y , the bestselling album worldwide in 2005 , received mostly positive reviews , though some critics felt it was inferior to its predecessor . Their fourth studio album , Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends ( 2008 ) , was produced by Brian Eno and released to largely positive reviews , earning several Grammy Award nominations and wins at the 51st Grammy Awards . In October 2011 , Coldplay released their fifth studio album , Mylo Xyloto , which topped the charts in over 34 countries and was the UK 's best-selling rock album of 2011 , but received mixed reviews , In May 2014 , they released their sixth album , Ghost Stories , which also received mixed reviews and topped the iTunes Store albums charts in over 100 countries . In December 2015 , the band released their seventh album , A Head Full of Dreams , which reached the top two in most major markets , but received generally mixed reviews .   Coldplay have won 62 awards from 209 nominations throughout their career , including nine Brit Awards -- winning Best British Group four times -- five MTV Video Music Awards and seven Grammy Awards from 31 nominations . They have sold more than 80 million records worldwide , making them one of the world 's bestselling music artists . In December 2009 , Rolling Stone readers voted the group the fourth-best artist of the 2000s . Coldplay have supported various social and political causes , such as Oxfam 's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International . They have also performed at charity projects including Band Aid 20 , Live 8 , Sound Relief , Hope for Haiti Now : A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief , The Secret Policeman 's Ball , Sport Relief and the UK Teenage Cancer Trust .


Soundgarden signed to A&M Records in 1988.

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


Nike, Inc. Nike , Inc. ( official , -LSB- ˈnaɪki -RSB- also , non-US -LSB- ` naɪk -RSB- ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design , development , manufacturing , and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear , apparel , equipment , accessories , and services . The company is headquartered near Beaverton , Oregon , in the Portland metropolitan area . It is one of the world 's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment , with revenue in excess of US$ 24.1 billion in its fiscal year 2012 ( ending May 31 , 2012 ) . As of 2012 , it employed more than 44,000 people worldwide . In 2014 the brand alone was valued at $ 19 billion , making it the most valuable brand among sports businesses .   The company was founded on January 25 , 1964 , as Blue Ribbon Sports , by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight , and officially became Nike , Inc. on May 30 , 1971 . The company takes its name from Nike , the Greek goddess of victory . Nike markets its products under its own brand , as well as Nike Golf , Nike Pro , Nike + , Air Jordan , Nike Blazers , Air Force 1 , Nike Dunk , Air Max , Foamposite , Nike Skateboarding , and subsidiaries including Brand Jordan , Hurley International and Converse . Nike also owned Bauer Hockey ( later renamed Nike Bauer ) between 1995 and 2008 , and previously owned Cole Haan and Umbro . In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment , the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name . Nike sponsors many high-profile athletes and sports teams around the world , with the highly recognized trademarks of `` Just Do It '' and the Swoosh logo .


Gray wolves have a preference for large ungulates.

Gray wolf The gray wolf or grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) , also known as the timber wolf or western wolf , is a canine native to the wilderness and remote areas of Eurasia and North America . It is the largest extant member of its family , with males averaging 43 - and females 36 - . Like the red wolf , it is distinguished from other Canis species by its larger size and less pointed features , particularly on the ears and muzzle . Its winter fur is long and bushy and predominantly a mottled gray in color , although nearly pure white , red , and brown to black also occur . , 37 subspecies of C. lupus are recognised by MSW3 .   The gray wolf is the second most specialised member of the genus Canis , after the Ethiopian wolf , as demonstrated by its morphological adaptations to hunting large prey , its more gregarious nature , and its highly advanced expressive behavior . It is nonetheless closely related enough to smaller Canis species , such as the eastern wolf , coyote , and golden jackal to produce fertile hybrids . It is the only species of Canis to have a range encompassing both the Old and New Worlds , and originated in Eurasia during the Pleistocene , colonizing North America on at least three separate occasions during the Rancholabrean . It is a social animal , travelling in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair , accompanied by the pair 's adult offspring . The gray wolf is typically an apex predator throughout its range , with only humans and tigers posing a serious threat to it . It feeds primarily on large ungulates , though it also eats smaller animals , livestock , carrion , and garbage .   The gray wolf is one of the world 's best-known and most-researched animals , with probably more books written about it than any other wildlife species . It has a long history of association with humans , having been despised and hunted in most pastoral communities because of its attacks on livestock , while conversely being respected in some agrarian and hunter-gatherer societies . Although the fear of wolves is pervasive in many human societies , the majority of recorded attacks on people have been attributed to animals suffering from rabies . Non-rabid wolves have attacked and killed people , mainly children , but this is rare , as wolves are relatively few , live away from people , and have developed a fear of humans from hunters and shepherds .


The Twilight Saga has at least two installments.

The Twilight Saga (film series) The Twilight Saga is a series of five romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four novels by American author Stephenie Meyer . The films star Kristen Stewart , Robert Pattinson , and Taylor Lautner . The series has grossed over $ 3.3 billion in worldwide receipts and consists , to date , of five motion pictures . The first installment , Twilight , was released on November 21 , 2008 . The second installment , New Moon , followed on November 20 , 2009 , breaking box office records as the biggest midnight screening and opening day in history , grossing an estimated $ 72.7 million . The third installment , Eclipse , was released on June 30 , 2010 , and was the first Twilight film to be released in IMAX .   The series was in development since 2004 at Paramount Pictures , during which time a screen adaptation of Twilight that differed significantly from the novel was written . Three years later , Summit Entertainment acquired the rights to the film . After Twilight grossed $ 35.7 million on its opening day , Summit Entertainment announced they would begin production on New Moon ; they had acquired the rights to the remaining novels earlier that same month . A two-part adaptation of Breaking Dawn began shooting in November 2010 with release dates of November 18 , 2011 , and November 16 , 2012 , respectively .


The automobile industry has a company called Toyota.

Toyota is a Japanese multinational , and as of 2017 the world 's largest , automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota , Aichi , Japan . In March 2014 , Toyota 's corporate structure consisted of 338,875 employees worldwide and , , was the ninth-largest company in the world by revenue . Toyota was the world 's first automobile manufacturer to produce more than 10 million vehicles per year which it has done since 2012 , when it also reported the production of its 200-millionth vehicle . , Toyota was the largest listed company in Japan by market capitalization ( worth more than twice as much as # 2-ranked SoftBank ) and by revenue .   Toyota is the world 's market leader in sales of hybrid electric vehicles , and one of the largest companies to encourage the mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles across the globe . Cumulative global sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrid passenger car models achieved the 10 million milestone in January 2017 . Its Prius family is the world 's top selling hybrid nameplate with over 6 million units sold worldwide .   The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 , as a spinoff from his father 's company Toyota Industries to create automobiles . Three years earlier , in 1934 , while still a department of Toyota Industries , it created its first product , the Type A engine , and its first passenger car in 1936 , the Toyota AA . Toyota Motor Corporation produces vehicles under five brands , including the Toyota brand , Hino , Lexus , Ranz , and Daihatsu . It also holds a 16.66 % stake in Subaru Corporation , a 5.9 % stake in Isuzu , as well as joint-ventures with two in China ( GAC Toyota and Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor ) , one in India ( Toyota Kirloskar ) , one in the Czech Republic ( TPCA ) , along with several `` nonautomotive '' companies . TMC is part of the Toyota Group , one of the largest conglomerates in the world .


WALL-E WALL-E ( stylized with an interpunct as WALL · E ) is a 2008 American computer-animated dystopian science fiction comedy film directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton , produced by Jim Morris , and co-written by Jim Reardon . It stars the voices of Ben Burtt , Elissa Knight , Jeff Garlin , Fred Willard , John Ratzenberger , Kathy Najimy , Sigourney Weaver and the MacInTalk system . It was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures , and was the overall ninth feature film produced by the company .   After directing Finding Nemo , Stanton felt Pixar had created believable simulations of underwater physics and was willing to direct a film set largely in space . WALL-E has minimal dialogue in its early sequences ; many of the characters do not have voices , but instead communicate with body language and robotic sounds designed by Ben Burtt . The film criticizes consumerism , corporatism , nostalgia , waste management , human environmental impact and concerns , obesity , and global catastrophic risk . It is also Pixar 's first animated film with segments featuring live-action characters . Following Pixar tradition , WALL-E was paired with a short film titled Presto for its theatrical release .   WALL-E was released in the United States and Canada on June 27 , 2008 , by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures . It was an instant blockbuster , grossing $ 533.3 million worldwide over a $ 180 million budget , receiving overwhelming acclaim from critics and winning the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film , the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Long Form Dramatic Presentation , the final Nebula Award for Best Script , the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature with five nominations . The film also topped Times `` Best Movies of the Decade '' .


Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first two humans on the Moon . Mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin , both American , landed the lunar module Eagle on July 20 , 1969 , at 20:18 UTC . Armstrong became the first to step onto the lunar surface six hours later on July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC ; Aldrin joined him about 20 minutes later . They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft , and collected 47.5 lb of lunar material to bring back to Earth . Michael Collins piloted the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moon 's surface . Armstrong and Aldrin spent just under a day on the lunar surface before rendezvousing with Columbia in lunar orbit .   Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island , Florida , on July 16 , and was the fifth manned mission of NASA 's Apollo program . The Apollo spacecraft had three parts : a command module ( CM ) with a cabin for the three astronauts , and the only part that landed back on Earth ; a service module ( SM ) , which supported the command module with propulsion , electrical power , oxygen , and water ; and a lunar module ( LM ) that had two stages -- a lower stage for landing on the Moon , and an upper stage to place the astronauts back into lunar orbit . After being sent toward the Moon by the Saturn V 's upper stage , the astronauts separated the spacecraft from it and traveled for three days until they entered into lunar orbit . Armstrong and Aldrin then moved into the lunar module Eagle and landed in the Sea of Tranquility . They stayed a total of about 21.5 hours on the lunar surface . The astronauts used Eagle '' 's upper stage to lift off from the lunar surface and rejoin Collins in the command module . They jettisoned Eagle '' before they performed the maneuvers that blasted them out of lunar orbit on a trajectory back to Earth . They returned to Earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 .   Broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience , Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and described the event as `` one small step for -LSB- a -RSB- man , one giant leap for mankind . '' Apollo 11 effectively ended the Space Race and fulfilled a national goal proposed in 1961 by U.S. President John F. Kennedy : `` before this decade is out , of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth . ''


Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel ( -LSB- vɛ̃sɑ̃ kasɛl -RSB- ; born Vincent Crochon , 23 November 1966 ) is a French actor best known to English-speaking audiences through his film performances in Ocean 's Twelve and Ocean 's Thirteen , as well as Black Swan . Cassel is also renowned for playing the infamous French bank-robber Jacques Mesrine in Mesrine : Killer Instinct and Mesrine : Public Enemy Number One .


Syd Barrett was the principal songwriter of Pink Floyd.

Syd Barrett Roger Keith `` Syd '' Barrett ( 6 January 1946 -- 7 July 2006 ) was a British musician , composer , singer-songwriter , and painter . Best known as a founder member of the band Pink Floyd , Barrett was the lead singer , guitarist and principal songwriter in its early years and is credited with naming the band . Barrett was excluded from Pink Floyd in April 1968 after David Gilmour took over as their new guitarist , and was briefly hospitalised amid speculation of mental illness .   Barrett was musically active for less than ten years . With Pink Floyd , he recorded four singles , their debut album ( and contributed to the second one ) , and several unreleased songs . Barrett began his solo career in 1969 with the single `` Octopus '' from his first solo album , The Madcap Laughs ( 1970 ) . The album was recorded over the course of a year with five different producers ( Peter Jenner , Malcolm Jones , David Gilmour , Roger Waters and Barrett himself ) . Nearly two months after Madcap was released , Barrett began working on his second and final album , Barrett ( 1970 ) , produced by Gilmour and featuring contributions from Richard Wright . Two years later , he left the music industry , retired from public life and strictly guarded his own privacy until his death in 2006 . In 1988 , an album of unreleased tracks and outtakes , Opel , was released by EMI with Barrett 's approval .   Barrett 's innovative guitar work and exploration of experimental techniques such as dissonance , distortion and feedback influenced many musicians . His recordings are also noted for their strongly English-accented vocal delivery . After leaving music , Barrett continued with painting and dedicated himself to gardening . Pink Floyd wrote and recorded several tributes to him , most notably the 1975 album Wish You Were Here , which included `` Shine On You Crazy Diamond '' , as homage to Barrett .


The Nashville Songwriters Association International is a not-for-profit organization.

Nashville Songwriters Association International The Nashville Songwriters Association International is a 501 ( c ) not-for-profit trade organization that works to help songwriters in three ways : through legislative advocacy , through education and advice about the actual craft of songwriting , and through teaching about the music industry , and how to best position a song for success within it . They own the Bluebird Cafe .   HISTORY OF NSAI   As songwriters know , sometimes the best ideas appear during lunch , and that was the case more than 40 years ago with songwriters Eddie Miller , Buddy Mize and Bill Brock . In 1967 , over lunch at Ireland 's Restaurant in Nashville , the three came up with an idea to build a community : a songwriters association .   That kernel of an idea , planted and nurtured four decades ago , took root and has since grown into the 4,500 + member Nashville Songwriters Association International ( NSAI ) , which today promotes awareness of songwriters ' cultural contributions ( through events such as Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival ) , champions the legal rights of professional songwriters and helps develop the abilities of aspiring songwriters .   But such growth and prosperity did n't occur overnight . Back in the late ` 60s , Nashville 's songwriting community consisted of only a few dozen writers who received little credit for their achievements and whose royalty compensation was small , largely because of an antiquated copyright law . Additionally , outside of the performing rights societies ASCAP , BMI and SESAC , songwriter recognition was virtually non-existent .   Then , one November day in 1967 , Miller ( a 1975 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and founding member of the Academy of Country Music in California ) encouraged fellow songwriters Mize and Brock to begin an association for writers in Nashville . Mize and Brock loved the idea , and all three set out to make it happen .   Within a month , Eddie , Buddy and Bill were conducting the group 's first organizational meeting at the Old Professional 's Club on Music Row . The meeting attracted some 40 songwriters , including Liz & Casey Anderson ( `` The Fugitive '' ) , Felice & Boudleaux Bryant ( `` Wake Up Little Susie '' ) , Kris Kristofferson ( `` Me And Bobby McGee '' ) and Marijohn Wilkin ( `` One Day At A Time '' ) . Those 40 -- more than half the songwriters in town at that time -- became the founding membership of NSAI and began spending countless hours around Marijohn 's kitchen table brainstorming , discussing and refining ideas .   Within a year , the Nashville Songwriters Association was chartered by the state of Tennessee as a not-for-profit trade association , and from that moment , NSAI would go on to make a difference for all songwriters by helping to revise antiquated copyright laws and to establish new intellectual property protection in the digital age , by establishing a network of over 90 songwriter workshops to provide local instruction at home and abroad , and by conducting more than a half dozen educational conferences and awards shows each year .   And though based in Nashville , NSAI represents all musical genres and includes songwriters from across the United States and overseas . NSAI provides a haven for both proven and undiscovered writers -- to get a cup of coffee , to make a phone call or just to receive a word of advice or consolation . To quote NSAI 's motto : `` IT ALL BEGINS WITH A SONG '' -- and , sometimes , it all begins over lunch .   About   The Nashville Songwriters Association International ( NSAI ) is the world 's largest not-for-profit songwriters trade association . Established in 1967 , the membership of more than 5,000 active and pro members spans the United States and six other countries . NSAI is dedicated to protecting the rights of and serving aspiring and professional songwriters in all genres of music .   Mission Statement   The Nashville Songwriters Association International ( NSAI ) consists of a body of creative minds , including songwriters from all genres of music , professional and amateur , who are committed to protecting the rights and future of the profession of songwriting , and to educate , elevate , and celebrate the songwriter and to act as a unifying force within the music community and the community at large .   The association was founded in the 1970s , with former singer-songwriter Lorene Mann as a co-founder .   Songwriters Caucus -- NSAI established Songwriters Caucuses in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate . In Congress , a `` caucus '' is a group of like-minded lawmakers who share a philosophical pre-disposition to support an issue .   When NSAI has an issue before Congress , we now have caucus members who will help us by co-sponsoring legislation , allowing songwriters to testify , and using the power of their offices and the media to represent the songwriter view .   FEDERAL COURT CASES   Eldred vs. Ashcroft -- NSAI filed an `` amicus brief '' with the United States Supreme Court in a case that determined how long you and your heirs will own your copyrights . NSAI was the only songwriter organization to meet with the Justice Department attorneys , arguing the case on behalf of copyright owners . NSAI songwriter and Constitutional scholar Peter McCann researched the diaries of founding father James Madison . Madison authored Section 1 , Article 8 of the United States Constitution that says : `` Congress may grant , for a ` limited time ' , to authors and composers ... '' At issue was the definition of `` limited time . '' McCann found that Madison intended for his own diaries to be published after his death by his family , FOR PROFIT ! This compelling argument influlenced the Supreme Court 's decision in favor of copyright owners and their heirs .


Broadcast News (film) Broadcast News is a 1987 romantic comedy-drama film written , produced and directed by James L. Brooks . The film concerns a virtuoso television news producer ( Holly Hunter ) , who has daily emotional breakdowns , a brilliant yet prickly reporter ( Albert Brooks ) and his charismatic but far less seasoned rival ( William Hurt ) . It also stars Robert Prosky , Lois Chiles , Joan Cusack , and Jack Nicholson ( billed only in the end credits ) as the evening news anchor .


Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland ( born 21 December 1966 ) is a British born Canadian actor , producer , director , and singer-songwriter . One of his better-known roles was Jack Bauer on the Fox drama series 24 ( 2001 -- 2010 ) , for which he earned an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe Award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite Awards .   He has also starred as Martin Bohm in the Fox drama Touch , and provided the facial motion capture and English voices for Big Boss and Venom Snake in the video games Metal Gear Solid V : Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V : The Phantom Pain . He currently stars as President Tom Kirkman in the ABC political drama series Designated Survivor .   Sutherland got his first leading film role in the Canadian drama The Bay Boy ( 1984 ) , which earned him a Genie Award nomination . Since that time he has had a successful movie career , starring in films like Stand by Me ( 1986 ) , The Lost Boys ( 1987 ) , Young Guns ( 1988 ) , Flatliners ( 1990 ) , A Few Good Men ( 1992 ) , The Three Musketeers ( 1993 ) , A Time to Kill ( 1996 ) , Dark City ( 1998 ) , Phone Booth ( 2002 ) , Melancholia ( 2011 ) , Pompeii ( 2014 ) and Forsaken ( 2016 ) .   Sutherland has been inducted to Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada 's Walk of Fame , and further has been bestowed with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Zurich Film Festival .


Joe Manganiello has appeared in a movie.

Joe Manganiello Joseph Michael Manganiello ( -LSB- ˌmæŋɡəˈnɛloʊ -RSB- ; -LSB- maŋɡaˈnjɛllo -RSB- ; born December 28 , 1976 ) is an American actor , director , producer , author and philanthropist . He played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi 's Spider-Man trilogy and had various recurring roles in television on ER , How I Met Your Mother , and One Tree Hill , before landing his breakout role as werewolf Alcide Herveaux on the HBO television series True Blood . In 2011 , he was voted `` Favorite Pop-Culture Werewolf of All Time '' by the readers of Entertainment Weekly , and one of Men 's Health `` 100 Fittest Men of All Time '' .   Manganiello has appeared in films such as Magic Mike , What to Expect When You 're Expecting , and Sabotage . In late 2013 , he became a published author when his first book , Evolution , was released by Simon & Schuster 's Gallery Books . He is active with several charities , including Children 's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC , and he serves on the committee of The Art of Elysium .


Daft Punk Daft Punk are a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . The duo achieved significant popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement and had continuous success in the years following , combining elements of house music with funk , techno , disco , rock music and synthpop influences . They are also known for their visual stylization and disguises associated with their music ; the duo have worn ornate helmets and gloves to assume robot personas in most of their public appearances since 2001 and rarely grant interviews or appear on television . The duo were managed from 1996 to 2008 by Pedro Winter ( also known as Busy P ) , the head of Ed Banger Records .   Bangalter and de Homem-Christo were originally briefly in an indie rock band named Darlin ' . When the group disbanded , it left the two to experiment musically with drum machines and synthesisers . The duo released their debut studio album Homework through Virgin Records in 1997 to highly positive reviews . The duo 's next album Discovery ( 2001 ) was even more successful , driven by the release of the hit singles `` One More Time '' , `` Digital Love '' and `` Harder , Better , Faster , Stronger '' . In March 2005 , the duo released their third album Human After All to mixed reviews . However , the singles `` Robot Rock '' and `` Technologic '' achieved considerable success in the United Kingdom .   Daft Punk toured throughout 2006 and 2007 and released the live album Alive 2007 , which won a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album . The duo later composed the score for the Disney film Tron : Legacy in 2010 , and released its soundtrack album that same year . In January 2013 , Daft Punk left Virgin for Columbia Records , and released their next album Random Access Memories in 2013 to worldwide critical acclaim . The album 's lead single `` Get Lucky '' became an international success , peaking on top 10 charts in 32 countries . Random Access Memories won five Grammy Awards in 2014 , including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for `` Get Lucky '' . Daft Punk later gained their first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song `` Starboy '' , a collaboration with The Weeknd .