Kenny Rogers has received numerous awards, such as Grammys and AMAs.

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers ( born August 21 , 1938 ) is an American singer , songwriter , actor , record producer , and entrepreneur . He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame .   Though he has been most successful with country audiences , Rogers has charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres , topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone and has sold over 100 million records worldwide , making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time . On September 25 , 2015 , Rogers announced on NBC 's Today Show that he was retiring from show business after a final tour to spend more time with his wife and twin boys .   Two of his albums , The Gambler and Kenny , are featured in the About.com poll of `` The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever '' . He was voted the `` Favorite Singer of All-Time '' in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People . He has received numerous such awards as the AMAs , Grammys , ACMs and CMAs , as well as a lifetime achievement award for a career spanning six decades in 2003 .   Later success includes the 2006 album release , Water & Bridges , an across the board hit , that hit the Top 5 in the Billboard Country Albums sales charts , also charting in the Top 15 of the Billboard 200 . The first single from the album , `` I Ca n't Unlove You , '' was also a sizable chart hit . Remaining a popular entertainer around the world , the following year he completed a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland , telling BBC Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright his favorite hit was `` The Gambler '' . He has also acted in a variety of movies and television shows , most notably the title roles in Kenny Rogers as The Gambler and the MacShayne series as well as his appearance on The Muppet Show . He is also a co-founder of the restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters .


In 2006, Nicole Kidman was the highest-paid actress in the film industry.

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman , AC ( born June 20 , 1967 ) is an Australian actress and film producer . Kidman 's breakthrough roles were in the 1989 feature film thriller Dead Calm and television thriller miniseries Bangkok Hilton . Appearing in several films in the early 1990s , she came to worldwide recognition for her performances in the stock-car racing film Days of Thunder ( 1990 ) , the romance-drama Far and Away ( 1992 ) , and the superhero film Batman Forever ( 1995 ) . Other successful films followed in the late 1990s . Her performance in the musical Moulin Rouge ! ( 2001 ) earned her a second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress . Kidman 's performance as Virginia Woolf in the drama film The Hours ( 2002 ) received critical acclaim and earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress , the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role , the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama and the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival .   Kidman 's other notable films include the crime comedy-drama To Die For ( 1995 ) , for which she won her first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Comedy or Musical , the erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut ( 1999 ) , the horror-thriller The Others ( 2001 ) , the epic war drama film Cold Mountain ( 2003 ) , the drama Dogville ( 2003 ) , the political thriller The Interpreter ( 2005 ) , and the epic historical romantic drama Australia ( 2008 ) . Her performances in the drama Birth ( 2004 ) and the thriller The Paperboy ( 2012 ) earned her Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress and Supporting Actress respectively . Her performance in the 2010 drama Rabbit Hole ( 2010 ) , which she also produced , earned Kidman further accolades , including a third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress . In 2012 , she earned her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role in the biopic Hemingway & Gellhorn ( 2012 ) . Kidman 's performance in Lion ( 2016 ) earned her a fourth Academy Award nomination , her first for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . In 2017 , Kidman returned to television , starring in the HBO miniseries Big Little Lies .   Kidman has been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF since 1994 and for UNIFEM since 2006 . In 2006 , Kidman was made a Companion in the Order of Australia , and was the highest-paid actress in the motion picture industry for that year . As a result of being born to Australian parents in Hawaii , Kidman has dual citizenship in Australia and the United States . Kidman founded and owns the production company Blossom Films .


Donkey (Shrek) Donkey is a fast-talking donkey created by William Steig and adapted by DreamWorks Animation for the Shrek franchise . The character is voiced by Eddie Murphy .


Nikita (TV series) is an American creative work.

Nikita (TV series) Nikita is an American television series that aired on The CW from September 9 , 2010 to December 27 , 2013 in the United States . The series is a reboot of the popular 1997 TV series La Femme Nikita ( itself based on the 1990 Luc Besson film Nikita ) .   The series focuses on Nikita ( Maggie Q ) , a woman who escaped from a secret government-funded organization known as `` Division '' and , after a three-year hiding period , is back to bring down the organization . The main cast in various seasons features Maggie Q , Lyndsy Fonseca , Shane West , Aaron Stanford , Melinda Clarke , Xander Berkeley , Noah Bean , Tiffany Hines , Ashton Holmes , Dillon Casey , and Devon Sawa .


Logic has been mute for his entire life.

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 .


Ronaldo Maczinski is something other than Brazilian.

Ronaldo Maczinski Ronaldo Maczinski ( born 11 September 1980 ) , known as Ronaldo , is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward ; he had a lengthy career in Portuguese football .


Jack Black Thomas Jacob `` Jack '' Black ( born August 28 , 1969 ) is an American actor , comedian , writer , producer , musician and singer . His acting career has been extensive , starring primarily in comedy films . He is known for his roles in High Fidelity ( 2000 ) , Shallow Hal ( 2001 ) , School of Rock ( 2003 ) , King Kong ( 2005 ) , The Holiday ( 2006 ) , Nacho Libre ( 2006 ) , Kung Fu Panda ( 2008 ) , Tropic Thunder ( 2008 ) , Gulliver 's Travels ( 2010 ) , Kung Fu Panda 2 ( 2011 ) , Bernie ( 2011 ) , Goosebumps ( 2015 ) , and Kung Fu Panda 3 ( 2016 ) . He has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards . Black is the lead vocalist of the comedic rock group Tenacious D which he formed in 1994 with friend Kyle Gass . They have released the albums Tenacious D , The Pick of Destiny and Rize of the Fenix .


Rob Lowe was in the cast of a television series.

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe ( -LSB- ˈloʊ -RSB- born March 17 , 1964 ) is an American actor . He came to prominence in the 1980s , playing teen and young adult roles in films such as The Outsiders ( 1983 ) , Oxford Blues ( 1984 ) , St. Elmo 's Fire ( 1985 ) , and About Last Night ... ( 1986 ) . However , he continued acting in less prominent film roles , and went on to high-profile roles in television series such as The West Wing ( 1999 -- 2003 ) , Brothers & Sisters ( 2006 -- 2010 ) , and Parks and Recreation ( 2010 -- 2014 ) .   In addition to receiving an Emmy Award nomination in 2001 for his work on The West Wing , Lowe has been nominated for six Golden Globe Awards ; his nominations span four of the seven categories for male actors .


Tanzania Tanzania -LSB- ˌtænzəˈniːə -RSB- , officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania ) , is a country in Eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region . Parts of the country are in Southern Africa . It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north ; Rwanda , Burundi , and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west ; Zambia , Malawi , and Mozambique to the south ; and by the Indian Ocean to the east . Mount Kilimanjaro , Africa 's highest mountain , is in northeastern Tanzania .   Tanzania 's population of 51.82 million ( 2014 ) is diverse , composed of several ethnic , linguistic , and religious groups . Tanzania is a presidential constitutional republic , and since 1996 , its official capital city has been Dodoma , where the President 's Office , the National Assembly , and some government ministries are located . Dar es Salaam , the former capital , retains most government offices and is the country 's largest city , principal port , and leading commercial centre . Tanzania is a one party dominant state with the socialist-progressive Chama Cha Mapinduzi ( CCM ) party in power . From its formation until 1992 , it was the only legally permitted party in the country . This changed on 1 July 1992 , when amendments to the Constitution and a number of laws permitting and regulating the formation and operations of more than one political party were enacted by the National Assembly . Elections for president and all National Assembly seats were last held in October 2015 . The CCM holds approximately 75 % of the seats in the assembly .   Prehistoric population migrations include Southern Cushitic speakers , who are ancestral to the Iraqw , Gorowa , and Burunge and who moved south from Ethiopia into Tanzania . Based on linguistic evidence , there may also have been two movements into Tanzania of Eastern Cushitic people at about 4,000 and 2,000 years ago , originating from north of Lake Turkana . Archaeological evidence supports the conclusion that Southern Nilotes , including the Datoog , moved south from the present-day South Sudan-Ethiopia border region into central northern Tanzania between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago . These movements took place at about the same time as the settlement of the iron-making Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika areas . They brought with them the west African planting tradition and the primary staple of yams . They subsequently migrated out of these regions across the rest of Tanzania , between 2,300 and 1,700 years ago . European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa , which gave way to British rule following World War I . The mainland was governed as Tanganyika , with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction . Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963 , the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania .   Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast , where Mount Kilimanjaro is located . Three of Africa 's Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania . To the north and west lie Lake Victoria , Africa 's largest lake , and Lake Tanganyika , the continent 's deepest lake , known for its unique species of fish . The eastern shore is hot and humid , with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore . The Kalambo water falls in the southwestern region of Rukwa are the second highest uninterrupted fall in Africa and are located near the southeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia . The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibar 's largest marine protected area .   Over 100 different languages are spoken in Tanzania , making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa . Among the languages spoken in Tanzania are all four of Africa 's language families : Bantu , Cushitic , Nilotic , and Khoisan . Swahili and English are Tanzania 's official languages . A highly multilingual country , Swahili is used in parliamentary debate , in the lower courts , and as a medium of instruction in primary school ; and English is used in foreign trade , in diplomacy , in higher courts , and as a medium of instruction in secondary and higher education , although the Tanzanian government plans to discontinue English as a language of instruction altogether . In connection with his Ujamaa social policies , President Nyerere encouraged the use of Swahili ; as a means of unifying the country 's many ethnic groups . Approximately 10 % of Tanzanians speak Swahili as a first language , and up to 90 % speak it as a second language . Most Tanzanians thus speak both Swahili and a local language ; many educated Tanzanians are trilingual ; also speaking English . The widespread use and promotion of Swahili is contributing to the decline of smaller languages in the country . Young children increasingly speak Swahili as a first language , mostly in urban areas .   Tanzania-Malawi relations have been tense because of a dispute over the countries ' Lake Nyasa ( Lake Malawi ) border . An unsuccessful mediation regarding this issue happened in March 2014 . The two countries agreed in 2013 to ask the International Court of Justice ( ICJ ) to resolve the dispute should mediation be unsuccessful . Malawi , but not Tanzania , has accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ .


Marie Curie was trained in an academic discipline.

Chemist A chemist ( from Greek chēm ( ía ) alchemy + - ist ; replacing chymist from Medieval Latin alchimista ) is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry . Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties . Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities , with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms . Chemists carefully measure substance proportions , reaction rates , and other chemical properties . The word ` chemist ' is also used to address Pharmacists in Commonwealth English .   Chemists use this knowledge to learn the composition , and properties of unfamiliar substances , as well as to reproduce and synthesize large quantities of useful naturally occurring substances and create new artificial substances and useful processes . Chemists may specialize in any number of subdisciplines of chemistry . Materials scientists and metallurgists share much of the same education and skills with chemists . The work of chemists is often related to the work of chemical engineers , who are primarily concerned with the proper design , construction and evaluation of the most cost-effective large-scale chemical plants and work closely with industrial chemists on the development of new processes and methods for the commercial-scale manufacture of chemicals and related products .


Marie Curie Marie Skłodowska Curie ( -LSB- ˈkjʊri , _ kjʊˈriː -RSB- -LSB- kyʁi -RSB- ; -LSB- kʲiˈri -RSB- ; 7 November 18674 July 1934 ) , born Maria Salomea Skłodowska ( -LSB- ˈmarja salɔˈmɛa skwɔˈdɔfska -RSB- ) , was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity . She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize , the first person and only woman to win twice , the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences , and was part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes . She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris , and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Panthéon in Paris .   She was born in Warsaw , in what was then the Kingdom of Poland , part of the Russian Empire . She studied at Warsaw 's clandestine Floating University and began her practical scientific training in Warsaw . In 1891 , aged 24 , she followed her older sister Bronisława to study in Paris , where she earned her higher degrees and conducted her subsequent scientific work . She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie and with physicist Henri Becquerel . She won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry .   Her achievements included the development of the theory of radioactivity ( a term that she coined ) , techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes , and the discovery of two elements , polonium and radium . Under her direction , the world 's first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms , using radioactive isotopes . She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and in Warsaw , which remain major centres of medical research today . During World War I , she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals .   While a French citizen , Marie Skłodowska Curie ( she used both surnames ) never lost her sense of Polish identity . She taught her daughters the Polish language and took them on visits to Poland . She named the first chemical element that she discoveredpolonium , which she isolated in 1898after her native country .   Curie died in 1934 , aged 66 , at a sanatorium in Sancellemoz ( Haute-Savoie ) , France , due to aplastic anemia brought on by exposure to radiation while carrying test tubes of radium in her pockets during research , and in the course of her work at field hospitals during World War I.


A Monster Calls is only of the comedy genre.

A Monster Calls (film) A Monster Calls is a 2016 dark fantasy drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Patrick Ness , based on his novel of the same name . The film stars Sigourney Weaver , Felicity Jones , Toby Kebbell , Lewis MacDougall , and Liam Neeson , and tells the story of Conor ( MacDougal ) , a child whose mother ( Jones ) is terminally ill ; one night , he is visited by a giant tree-like monster ( Neeson ) , who states that he will come back and tell him three stories .   A Monster Calls premiered on September 10 , 2016 , at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival . It was then released in Spain on October 7 , 2016 , and in the United Kingdom on January 1 , 2017 . In the United States , the film began a limited release in on December 23 , 2016 , followed by a wide release on January 6 , 2017 . It received positive reviews , being praised for its themes , directing , performances and visual effects . The film has grossed $ 45.6 million worldwide .


That '70s Show is a sitcom aired on television.

That '70s Show That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that originally aired on Fox from August 23 , 1998 , to May 18 , 2006 . The series focused on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place , Wisconsin , from May 17 , 1976 , to December 31 , 1979 .   The main teenage cast members were Topher Grace , Mila Kunis , Ashton Kutcher , Danny Masterson , Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama . The main adult cast members were Debra Jo Rupp , Kurtwood Smith , Don Stark , Tommy Chong and Tanya Roberts .


John Deacon wrote Another One Bites the Dust.

Another One Bites the Dust `` Another One Bites the Dust '' is a 1980 song by British rock band Queen . Written by bass guitarist John Deacon , the song featured on the group 's eighth studio album The Game ( 1980 ) . The song was a worldwide hit , charting number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks , from October 4 to October 18 ( their second number-one single in the country ) . The song spent fifteen weeks in the Billboard top ten ( the longest running top ten song of 1980 ) and 31 weeks total on the chart ( more than any other song in 1980 ) . It reached number two on the Hot Soul Singles chart and the Disco Top 100 chart , and number seven on the UK Singles Chart . The song is credited as Queen 's best-selling single , with sales of over 7 million copies . This version was ranked at number 34 on Billboard 's All-Time Top Songs .   The song won an American Music Award for Favorite Rock Single and also garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal .


Prakash Jha Prakash Jha ( born 27 February 1952 ) is an Indian film producer , actor , director and screenwriter , mostly known for his political and socio-political films such as Damul ( 1984 ) , Mrityudand ( 1997 ) , Gangaajal ( 2003 ) , Apaharan ( 2005 ) , including multistarrer hit movies Raajneeti ( 2010 ) , Aarakshan ( 2011 ) Chakravyuh ( 2012 ) , and Satyagraha ( 2013 ) . He is also the maker of National Film Award winning documentaries like , Faces After The Storm ( 1984 ) and Sonal ( 2002 ) .   Jha runs a production company , Prakash Jha Productions . Jha also owns the P&M Mall in Patna .


The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award has never been presented to a member of a Miami team.

Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award ( MVP ) is an annual Major League Baseball ( MLB ) award , given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League . Since 1931 , it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers ' Association of America ( BBWAA ) . The winners receive the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award , which became the official name of the award in 1944 , in honor of the first MLB commissioner , who served from 1920 until his death on November 25 , 1944 .   MVP voting takes place before the postseason , but the results are not announced until after the World Series . The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each league city in 1938 , reducing that number to two per league city in 1961 . The BBWAA does not offer a clear-cut definition of what `` most valuable '' means , instead leaving the judgment to the individual voters .   First basemen , with 34 winners , have won the most MVPs among infielders , followed by second basemen ( 16 ) , third basemen ( 15 ) , and shortstops ( 15 ) . Of the 24 pitchers who have won the award , 15 are right-handed while 9 are left-handed . Walter Johnson , Carl Hubbell , and Hal Newhouser are the only pitchers who have won multiple times , Newhouser winning consecutively in 1944 and 1945 .   Hank Greenberg , Stan Musial , Alex Rodriguez , and Robin Yount have won at different positions , while Rodriguez is the only player who has won the award with two different teams at two different positions . Barry Bonds has won the most often ( seven times ) and the most consecutively ( 2001 -- 04 ) . Jimmie Foxx was the first player to win multiple times ; 9 players have won three times , and 19 have won twice . Frank Robinson is the only player to win the award in both the American and National Leagues .   The award 's only tie occurred in the National League in 1979 , when Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell received an equal number of points . There have been 18 unanimous winners , who received all the first-place votes . The New York Yankees have the most winning players with 22 , followed by the St. Louis Cardinals with 17 winners . The award has never been presented to a member of the following four teams : Arizona Diamondbacks , Miami Marlins , New York Mets , and Tampa Bay Rays . The most recent recipients are Mike Trout in the American League and Kris Bryant in the National League .   In recent decades , pitchers have rarely won the award . When Justin Verlander won the AL award in 2011 , he became the first pitcher in either league to be named the MVP since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 . Verlander also became the first starting pitcher to win this award since Roger Clemens had accomplished the feat in 1986 . The National League went even longer without an MVP award to a pitcher -- after Bob Gibson won in 1968 , no pitcher in that league was named MVP until Clayton Kershaw in 2014 .


Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami , Florida . The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) as a member of the National League ( NL ) East division . Their home park is Marlins Park . Though one of only two MLB franchises to have never won a division title ( the other is the Colorado Rockies ) , the Marlins have won two World Series championships as a wild card team .   The team began play in the 1993 season as the Florida Marlins and played home games from their inaugural season to the 2011 season at Joe Robbie Stadium , which they shared with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The stadium was later called Pro Player Park , Pro Player Stadium , Dolphin Stadium , Dolphins Stadium , Land Shark Stadium , and Sun Life Stadium during their tenancy . Since the 2012 season , they have played at Marlins Park in downtown Miami , on the site of the former Orange Bowl in Little Havana , Florida . The new park , unlike Sun Life Stadium ( which was criticized in its baseball configuration for poor sight lines in some locations ) , was designed foremost as a baseball park . The new park 's name is a temporary one until naming rights are purchased . Per an agreement with the city and Miami-Dade County ( which owns the park ) , the Marlins officially changed their name to the `` Miami Marlins '' on November 11 , 2011 . They also adopted a new logo , color scheme , and uniforms .   The Marlins have the distinction of winning a World Series championship in both seasons they qualified for the postseason , doing so in 1997 and 2003 -- both times as the National League wild card team . They defeated the American League ( AL ) champion Cleveland Indians in the 1997 World Series , which was notable for shortstop Édgar Rentería driving in second baseman Craig Counsell for the series-clinching run in the 11th inning of the seventh and deciding game . The 2003 season was notable for the firing of manager Jeff Torborg after 38 games . The Marlins were in last place in the NL East with a 16 -- 22 record at the time . Torborg 's successor , 72-year-old Jack McKeon , led them to the NL wild card berth in the postseason ; they defeated the New York Yankees four games to two in the 2003 World Series .


Metropolis A metropolis ( -LSB- mᵻˈtrɒpəlɪs , _ - plɪs -RSB- ) is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic , political , and cultural center for a country or region , and an important hub for regional or international connections , commerce , and communications . The term is Greek and means the `` mother city '' of a colony ( in the ancient sense ) , that is , the city which sent out settlers . This was later generalized to a city regarded as a center of a specified activity , or any large , important city in a nation .   A big city belonging to a larger urban agglomeration , but which is not the core of that agglomeration , is not generally considered a metropolis but a part of it . The plural of the word is most commonly metropolises , although the correct plural is `` metropoles '' , Latin from the Greek `` Metropoleis '' ( Μητρoπόλεις ) .   For urban centers outside metropolitan areas that generate a similar attraction at smaller scale for their region , the concept of the regiopolis , short regio , was introduced by German professors in 2006 .


London London -LSB- ˈlʌndən -RSB- is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom . Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain , London has been a major settlement for two millennia . It was founded by the Romans , who named it Londinium . London 's ancient core , the City of London , largely retains its 1.12 sqmi medieval boundaries . Since at least the 19th century , `` London '' has also referred to the metropolis around this core , historically split between Middlesex , Essex , Surrey , Kent , and Hertfordshire , which today largely makes up Greater London , See also : Independent city § National capitals . governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.The London Mayor is not to be confused with the Lord Mayor of London who heads the City of London Corporation , which administers the City of London .   London is a leading global city in the arts , commerce , education , entertainment , fashion , finance , healthcare , media , professional services , research and development , tourism , and transportation . It is crowned as the world 's largest financial centre and has the fifth - or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world.Rankings of cities by metropolitan area GDP can vary as a result of differences in the definition of the boundaries and population sizes of the areas compared , exchange rate fluctuations and the method used to calculate output . London and Paris are of broadly similar size in terms of total economic output which can result in third party sources varying as to which is the fifth-largest city GDP in the world . A report by the McKinsey Global Institute published in 2012 estimated that London had a city GDP of US$ 751.8 billion in 2010 , compared to US$ 764.2 billion for Paris , making them respectively the sixth - and fifth-largest in the world . A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers published in November 2009 estimated that London had a city GDP measured in purchasing power parity of US$ 565 billion in 2008 , compared to US$ 564 billion for Paris , making them respectively the fifth - and sixth-largest in the world . The McKinsey Global Institute study used a metropolitan area with a population of 14.9 million for London compared to 11.8 million for Paris , whilst the PricewaterhouseCoopers study used a metropolitan area with a population of 8.59 million for London compared to 9.92 million for Paris . London is a world cultural capital . It is the world 's most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the world 's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic . London is the world 's leading investment destination , hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city . London 's universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe . In 2012 , London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times .   London has a diverse range of people and cultures , and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region . Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population ( corresponding to Greater London ) was 8,673,713 , the largest of any city in the European Union , and accounting for 12.5 % of the UK population . London 's urban area is the second most populous in the EU , after Paris , with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census . The city 's metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants , while the Greater London Authority states the population of the city-region ( covering a large part of the south east ) as 22.7 million .  London was the world 's most populous city from around 1831 to 1925 .   London contains four World Heritage Sites : the Tower of London ; Kew Gardens ; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster , Westminster Abbey , and St Margaret 's Church ; and the historic settlement of Greenwich ( in which the Royal Observatory , Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian , 0 ° longitude , and GMT ) . Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace , the London Eye , Piccadilly Circus , St Paul 's Cathedral , Tower Bridge , Trafalgar Square , and The Shard . London is home to numerous museums , galleries , libraries , sporting events , and other cultural institutions , including the British Museum , National Gallery , Natural History Museum , Tate Modern , British Library , and West End theatres . The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world .


Londinium Londinium was a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around 43 . Its bridge over the River Thames turned the city into a road nexus and major port , serving as a major commercial centre in Roman Britain until its abandonment during the 5th century .   Following its foundation in the mid-1st century , early Londinium occupied the relatively small area of 1.4 sqkm , roughly equivalent to the size of present-day Hyde Park , with a fortified garrison on one of its hills . In the year 60 or 61 , the rebellion of the Iceni under Boudica forced the garrison to abandon the settlement , which was then razed . Following the Iceni 's defeat at the Battle of Watling Street , the city was rebuilt as a planned Roman town and recovered within about a decade . During the later decades of the 1st century , Londinium expanded rapidly , becoming Great Britain 's largest city . By the turn of the century , Londinium had grown to about 60,000 people , almost certainly replacing Camulodunum ( Colchester ) as the provincial capital and by the 2nd century , Londinium was at its height . Its forum and basilica were one of the largest structures north of the Alps , when the Emperor Hadrian visited Londinium in 122 . Excavations have discovered evidence of a major fire that destroyed most of the city shortly thereafter , but the city was again rebuilt . By the second half of the 2nd century , Londinium appears to have shrunk in both size and population .   Although Londinium remained important for the rest of the Roman period , no further expansion resulted . Londinium supported a smaller but stable settlement population as archaeologists have found that much of the city after this date was covered in dark earth - the by-product of urban household waste , manure , ceramic tile , and non-farm debris of settlement occupation , which accumulated relatively undisturbed for centuries . Sometime between 190 and 225 , the Romans built a defensive wall around the landward side of the city . Along with Hadrian 's Wall and the road network , this wall was one of the largest construction projects carried out in Roman Britain . The London Wall survived for another 1,600 years and broadly defined the perimeter of the old City of London .


Stone Temple Pilots had an original member that had the middle name Emile.

Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots ( sometimes abbreviated as STP ) are an American rock band from San Diego , California , that originally consisted of Scott Weiland ( lead vocals ) , brothers Dean ( guitar ) and Robert DeLeo ( bass , backing vocals ) , and Eric Kretz ( drums ) . Since the band 's formation in 1989 , its line-up remained unchanged until the firing of Weiland in 2013 , who was replaced by Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington . In 2015 , Bennington left the band to focus solely on Linkin Park . On December 3 , 2015 , Weiland was found dead on his tour bus prior to a performance with his band The Wildabouts . In 2016 , the band launched an online audition for a new lead vocalist .   After forming in 1989 under the name Mighty Joe Young , the band signed with Atlantic Records and changed its name to Stone Temple Pilots . The band found immediate success in 1993 upon releasing their debut album , Core ( 1992 ) , and went on to become one of the most commercially successful bands of the 1990s . The band released four more studio albums : Purple ( 1994 ) , Tiny Music ... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop ( 1996 ) , No. 4 ( 1999 ) and Shangri-La Dee Da ( 2001 ) , before separating in 2002 , after which the band members partook in various projects ( most notably Velvet Revolver and Army of Anyone ) . The band eventually reconvened in 2008 for a reunion tour , released a new self-titled album in 2010 , and actively toured until Chester Bennington 's departure . The band 's only material with Bennington was the EP High Rise in 2013 .   While initially displaying a sound typically identified as grunge early on in its career , further releases from the band expressed a variety of influences , including psychedelic rock , bossa nova and classic rock . The band 's evolution throughout the 1990s and early 2000s involved several tumultuous periods of commercial highs and lows , brought about in part by Weiland 's well-publicized struggles with drug addiction .


Robert DeLeo Robert Emile DeLeo ( born February 2 , 1966 ) is an American bass player , songwriter , and backing vocalist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots . He is part of Delta Deep ,  and he has also played in Talk Show and Army of Anyone . He is the younger brother of Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo . He is also the current bass player for the group Hollywood Vampires .


Luxo Jr. Luxo Jr. is a 1986 American computer-animated short film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter . The two-minute short film revolves around one larger and one smaller desk lamp . The larger lamp , named Luxo Sr. , looks on while the smaller , `` younger '' Luxo Jr. plays exuberantly with a ball that it accidentally deflates . Luxo Jr. was Pixar 's first animation after Ed Catmull and John Lasseter left Industrial Light and Magic 's computer division . It is the source of the hopping desk lamp included in Pixar 's corporate logo .   Lasseter 's aim was to finish the short film for the 1986 SIGGRAPH , an annual computer graphics conference attended by thousands of industry professionals . The film would come from his experiments with modeling his Luxo lamp . Lasseter worked to improve the story within the allotted two minutes . In animation , the film demonstrates the use of shadow maps within the rendering software . Lasseter applied classic animation principles defined by Disney 's Nine Old Men to convey the lamps ' emotions . Catmull and Lasseter worked around the clock , and Lasseter even took a sleeping bag into work and slept under his desk , ready to work early the next morning . In total it took about four and a half months to do .   The commitment paid off , and it was finished in time to be shown at SIGGRAPH . Before Luxo Jr. finished playing at SIGGRAPH , the crowd had already risen in applause . Luxo Jr. is regarded as a breakthrough in the animation medium as a whole , changing traditionalists ' interpretation of computer animation . The short was the first work of animation to use procedural animation , the software written by Eben Ostby . It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film , becoming the first CGI film nominated for an Academy Award .   In 2014 , Luxo Jr. was deemed `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry .


Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 , 1962 ) , known professionally as Tom Cruise , is an American actor and producer . He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards . He started his career at age 19 in the film Endless Love ( 1981 ) . After portraying supporting roles in Taps ( 1981 ) and The Outsiders ( 1983 ) , his first leading role was in the romantic comedy Risky Business , released in August 1983 . Cruise became a full-fledged movie star after starring as Pete `` Maverick '' Mitchell in the action drama Top Gun ( 1986 ) . One of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood , Cruise starred in several more successful films in the 1980s , including the dramas The Color of Money ( 1986 ) , Cocktail ( 1988 ) , Rain Man ( 1988 ) , and Born on the Fourth of July ( 1989 ) .   In the 1990s , he starred in a number of hit films , including the romance Far and Away ( 1992 ) , the drama A Few Good Men ( 1992 ) , the legal thriller The Firm ( 1993 ) , the drama horror film Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) , the romantic comedy-drama sports film Jerry Maguire ( 1996 ) , the erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut , and the drama Magnolia ( both 1999 ) . Since 1996 , Cruise has been well known for his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission : Impossible film series , whose most recent film , Mission : Impossible -- Rogue Nation , was released in 2015 .   In the 2000s , Cruise starred in a number of successful films , including the science fiction thrillers Vanilla Sky ( 2001 ) and Minority Report ( 2002 ) , the epic war film The Last Samurai ( 2003 ) , the crime film Collateral ( 2004 ) , the science fiction disaster thriller War of the Worlds ( 2005 ) , and the historical thriller Valkyrie ( 2008 ) .   In the 2010s , he has starred in the action comedy Knight and Day ( 2010 ) , the thriller Jack Reacher ( 2012 ) , the post-apocalyptic science fiction film Oblivion ( 2013 ) , and the military science fiction film Edge of Tomorrow ( 2014 ) . In 2012 , Cruise was Hollywood 's highest-paid actor . 16 of his films grossed over $ 100 million domestically ; 22 have grossed in excess of $ 200 million worldwide .   He has won Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in Drama in 1990 for Born on the Fourth of July ; Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in Comedy/Musical in 1997 for Jerry Maguire ; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in 2000 for Magnolia . In 2002 , Cruise won the Saturn Award for Best Actor for Vanilla Sky . In 2003 , he won an AFI Movie of the Year Award for The Last Samurai and an Empire Award for Best Actor for Minority Report .   Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology and its associated social programs , and credits it with helping him overcome dyslexia . In the 2000s , his criticisms of psychiatry and anti-depressant drugs , particularly therapy for 9/11 rescue workers , and efforts to promote Scientology as a religion in Europe , sparked controversies , as did a leaked video interview of him promoting Scientology .


The name Minneapolis is attributed to the schoolteacher Charles Hoag.

Minneapolis Minneapolis ( -LSB- mɪniˈæpəlɪs -RSB- ) is the county seat of Hennepin County , and the larger of the Twin Cities , the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States . As of 2015 , Minneapolis is the largest city in the state of Minnesota and 46th-largest in the United States with a population of 410,939 . Minneapolis and Saint Paul anchor the second-largest economic center in the Midwest , after Chicago .   Minneapolis lies on both banks of the Mississippi River , just north of the river 's confluence with the Minnesota River , and adjoins Saint Paul , the state 's capital . The city is abundantly rich in water , with thirteen lakes , wetlands , the Mississippi River , creeks and waterfalls , many connected by parkways in the Chain of Lakes and the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway . It was once the world 's flour milling capital and a hub for timber . The city and surrounding region is the primary business center between Chicago and Seattle , with Minneapolis proper containing America 's fifth-highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies . As an integral link to the global economy , Minneapolis is categorized as a global city . Noted for its strong music and performing arts scenes , Minneapolis is home to both the award-winning Guthrie Theater and the historic First Avenue nightclub . Reflecting the region 's status as an epicenter of folk , funk , and alternative rock music , the city served as the launching pad for several of the 20th century 's most influential musicians , including Bob Dylan and Prince .   The name Minneapolis is attributed to Charles Hoag , the city 's first schoolteacher , who combined mni , a Dakota Sioux word for water , and polis , the Greek word for city .


British Fantasy Award categories include Best Anthology.

British Fantasy Award The British Fantasy Awards are administered annually by the British Fantasy Society ( BFS ) and were first awarded in 1976 . Prior to that they were known as The August Derleth Fantasy Awards ( see August Derleth Award ) . First awarded in 1972 ( The Knight of Swords by Michael Moorcock ) only for novels , the number of award categories increased and in 1976 the BFS renamed them collectively the British Fantasy Awards . The current award categories are Best Fantasy Novel ( the Robert Holdstock Award ) , Best Horror Novel ( the August Derleth Award ) , Best Novella , Best Short Story , Best Independent Press , Best Artist , Best Anthology , Best Collection , Best Comic/Graphic Novel , Best Non-Fiction , and Best Newcomer ( the Sydney J. Bounds Award ) , while the Karl Edward Wagner Award for `` important contribution to the genre or the Society '' is given at the discretion of the BFS committee . The membership of the BFS vote to determine the shortlists of the awards , the winners being decided by juries .


Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland `` Joe '' Barbera ( -LSB- bɑrˈbɛrə -RSB- or -LSB- ˈbɑrbərə -RSB- ; -LSB- barˈbɛːra -RSB- ; March 24 , 1911 -- December 18 , 2006 ) was an American animator , director , producer , storyboard artist , and cartoon artist , whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the 20th century .   Through his young adult years , Barbera lived , attended college , and began his career in New York City . After working odd jobs and as a banker , Barbera joined Van Beuren Studios in 1932 and subsequently Terrytoons in 1936 . In 1937 , he moved to California and while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ( MGM ) , Barbera met William Hanna . The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry and live action/animated hybrid films . In 1957 , after MGM dissolved their animation department , they co-founded Hanna-Barbera , which became the most successful television animation studio in the business , producing programs such as The Flintstones , Yogi Bear , Scooby-Doo , Top Cat , The Smurfs , Huckleberry Hound and The Jetsons . In 1967 , Hanna-Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $ 12 million , but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company until 1991 . At that time , the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System , which in turn was merged with Time Warner , owners of Warner Bros. , in 1996 ; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors .   Hanna and Barbera won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards . Their cartoon shows have become cultural icons , and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such as films , books , and toys . Hanna-Barbera 's shows had a worldwide audience of over 300 million people in the 1960s and have been translated into more than 20 languages .


Welcome Back (film) Welcome Back is an Indian action comedy film directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Firoz Nadiadwala , released in 2015 . It is a sequel to Welcome and features an ensemble cast that includes Anil Kapoor , Nana Patekar , John Abraham , Shruti Haasan , Paresh Rawal , Dimple Kapadia and Naseeruddin Shah . While Kapoor , Patekar and Rawal have reprised their roles from the 2007 film , Abraham and Hassan are new additions to the lead cast . Made on a budget of US$ 16 million , the film was largely shot in and around Dubai , United Arab Emirates . Welcome Back was released worldwide on 4 September 2015 .


Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor ( born 24 December 1956 ) is an Indian actor and producer who has appeared in many Bollywood films , as well as international films and television series . His career has spanned almost 40 years as an actor , and as a producer since 2005 . He has won many awards in his career , including two National Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards in different acting categories .   Kapoor made his Hindi film cameo appearance with Umesh Mehra 's Hamare Tumhare ( 1979 ) in a small role . He made his first debut film and then starred as a lead actor in the 1980 Telugu film , Vamsa Vruksham directed by Bapu . He then made his Kannada film debut with Mani Ratnam 's Pallavi Anu Pallavi ( 1983 ) . He received his first Filmfare Award , in the Best Supporting Actor category , for his role in Yash Chopra 's Mashaal ( 1984 ) . Kapoor earned his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in N. Chandra 's Tezaab ( 1988 ) and later again for his performance in Indra Kumar 's Beta ( 1992 ) .   He has also starred in many other critically and commercially successful films : Meri Jung ( 1985 ) ; Karma ( 1986 ) ; Mr. India ( 1987 ) ; Virasat ( 1997 ) , for which he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor ; Taal ( 1999 ) , for which he won his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award ; Pukar ( 2000 ) , for which he won a National Film Award for Best Actor ; No Entry ( 2005 ) ; Dil Dhadakne Do ( 2015 ) for which he won his third Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award .   Kapoor 's first role in an international film was in Danny Boyle 's Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire , for which he shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture . His performance in the eighth season of the action series 24 generated rave reviews from the American press . Globally , Kapoor is one of the most recognised Indian actors .


Boyz II Men missed out on being a musical group in the 1990's.

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group from Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , best known for emotional ballads and acappella harmonies . Formerly a quartet including bass Michael McCary , they are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris alongside tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman . During the 1990s , Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet . McCary left the group in 2003 due to health issues and contractual agreements .   During the 1990s , Boyz II Men gained international success . This began with the release of the number one single `` End of the Road '' in 1992 , which reached the top of charts worldwide . `` End of the Road '' would set a new record for longevity , staying at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for thirteen weeks , breaking the decades-old record held by Elvis Presley . Boyz II Men proceeded to break this record with the subsequent releases of `` I 'll Make Love to You '' and `` One Sweet Day '' ( with Mariah Carey ) , which , at fourteen and sixteen weeks respectively , each set new records for the total number of weeks at number one . `` I 'll Make Love to You '' also topped the charts in Australia ( for four weeks ) and garnered international success . As of 2016 , `` One Sweet Day '' still holds the all-time record with sixteen weeks at the top of the Hot 100 .   Consequently , Boyz II Men are top ranking members with regard to time spent at number one in Billboard history , ranking in the fourth spot with 50 weeks ( as of 2014 ) . Furthermore , when `` On Bended Knee '' took the number one spot away from `` I 'll Make Love to You '' , Boyz II Men became only the third artists ever ( after The Beatles and Presley ) to replace themselves at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 . Boyz II Men are among a select group of artists that have held at the number-one spot for at least 50 weeks cumulatively , placing them just fourth on that list behind Elvis Presley , The Beatles , and Mariah Carey . These achievements were enough to earn Boyz II Men recognition as Billboard magazine 's fourth most successful musical group of the 1990s .   Boyz II Men continue to perform worldwide , as a trio . Their most recent studio album , Collide , was released in 2014 .


The Illusionist was released in the United States.

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival ( SIFF ) , held annually in Seattle , Washington since 1976 , is among the top film festivals in North America . Audiences have grown steadily ; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees . The SIFF runs for more than three weeks ( 24 days ) , in May/June , and features a diverse assortment of predominantly independent and foreign films , and a strong contingent of documentaries .   SIFF 2006 included more than 300 films and was the first SIFF to include a venue in neighboring Bellevue , Washington , after an ill-fated early attempt . However , in 2008 , the festival was back to being entirely in Seattle , and had a slight decrease in the number of feature films . The 2010 festival featured over 400 films , shown primarily in downtown Seattle and its nearby neighborhoods , and in Renton , Kirkland , and Juanita Beach Park .


2006 Sundance Film Festival The 2006 Sundance Film Festival was held from 19 January to 29 January 2006 . It was held in Park City , Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City , Utah ; Ogden , Utah ; and the Sundance Resort . It was the 22nd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival , and the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Sundance Institute . The opening night film was Friends with Money ; the closing night film was Alpha Dog .


The Illusionist (2006 film) The Illusionist is a 2006 American romantic mystery film written and directed by Neil Burger and starring Edward Norton , Paul Giamatti , and Jessica Biel . It is based loosely on Steven Millhauser 's short story , `` Eisenheim the Illusionist '' . The film tells the story of Eisenheim , a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna , who reunites with his childhood love , a woman far above his social standing . The film also depicts a fictionalized version of the Mayerling Incident .   The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and opened the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival ; it was distributed in limited release to theaters on August 18 , 2006 , and expanded nationwide on September 1 . The film was a commercial and critical success .


Heikegani is native to the sovereign island nation of Japan in East Asia.

Japan Japan ( 日本 Nippon -LSB- ɲip̚poɴ -RSB- or Nihon -LSB- ɲihoɴ -RSB- formally or Nihon-koku , meaning `` State of Japan '' ) is a sovereign island nation in East Asia . Located in the Pacific Ocean , it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian mainland , and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the southwest .   The kanji that make up Japan 's name mean `` sun origin '' . 日 can be read as ni and means sun , while 本 can be read as hon , or pon and means origin . Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet `` Land of the Rising Sun '' in reference to its Japanese name .   Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands . The four largest are Honshu , Hokkaido , Kyushu and Shikoku , which make up about ninety-seven percent of Japan 's land area and often are referred to as home islands . The country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions ; Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one . The population of 127 million is the world 's tenth largest . Japanese people make up 98.5 % of Japan 's total population . Approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo , the capital of Japan .   Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period . The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD . Influence from other regions , mainly China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , has characterized Japan 's history . From the 12th century until 1868 , Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor .   Japan entered into a long period of isolation in the early 17th century , which was ended in 1853 when a United States fleet pressured Japan to open to the West . After nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection , the Imperial Court regained its political power in 1868 through the help of several clans from Chōshū and Satsuma , and the Empire of Japan was established . In the late 19th and early 20th centuries , victories in the First Sino-Japanese War , the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism .   The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941 , which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender . Since adopting its revised constitution on May 3 , 1947 during the occupation by the SCAP , Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with an Emperor and an elected legislature called the National Diet .   Japan is a member of the UN , the OECD , the G7 , the G8 , and the G20 and is considered a great power . The country has the world 's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world 's fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity . It is also the world 's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer . The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world , with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree .   Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war , it maintains a modern military with the world 's eighth-largest military budget , used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles . Japan is a developed country with a very high standard of living and Human Development Index . Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world .


Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan , with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face which many believed to be the face of an angry samurai hence the nickname Samurai Crab . It is locally believed that these crabs are reincarnations of the spirits of the Heike warriors defeated at the Battle of Dan-no-ura as told in The Tale of the Heike .


Andre Agassi was the number 1 tennis player in the world in 1995, based on tournament performances.

Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi ( -LSB- ˈɑːndreɪ_ˈæɡəsi -RSB- born April 29 , 1970 ) is an American retired professional tennis player and former World No. 1 who was one of the sport 's most dominant players from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s . Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time , Agassi has been called the greatest service returner in the history of the game . Described by the BBC upon his retirement as `` perhaps the biggest worldwide star in the sport 's history '' , Agassi compiled performances that , along with his unorthodox apparel and attitude , saw him cited as one of the most charismatic players in the history of the game . As a result , he is credited for helping to revive the popularity of tennis during the 1990s .   In singles tennis , Agassi is an eight-time Grand Slam champion and a 1996 Olympic gold medalist , as well as finishing runner-up in seven other Grand Slam tournaments . During the Open Era , Agassi was the first male player to have won 4 Australian Open titles , a record that was later surpassed by Novak Djokovic when he won his 5th title on 2015 , and then by Roger Federer in 2017 . Agassi is one of five male singles players to achieve the Career Grand Slam in the Open Era and one of eight in history , the first of two to achieve the Career Golden Slam ( Career Grand Slam and Olympic Gold Medal , the other being Rafael Nadal ) , and the only man to win the Career Golden Slam and the ATP Tour World Championships ( won in 1990 ) : a distinction dubbed as a `` Career Super Slam '' by Sports Illustrated .   Agassi was the first male player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments on three different surfaces ( hard , clay and grass ) , and the last American male to win both the French Open ( in 1999 ) and the Australian Open ( in 2003 ) . He also won 17 ATP Masters Series titles and was part of the winning Davis Cup teams in 1990 , 1992 and 1995 . Agassi reached the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in 1995 but was troubled by personal issues during the mid-to-late 1990s and sank to World No. 141 in 1997 , prompting many to believe that his career was over . Agassi returned to World No. 1 in 1999 and enjoyed the most successful run of his career over the next four years . During his 20-plus year tour career , Agassi was known by the nickname `` The Punisher '' .   After suffering from sciatica caused by two bulging discs in his back , a spondylolisthesis ( vertebral displacement ) and a bone spur that interfered with the nerve , Agassi retired from professional tennis on September 3 , 2006 , after losing in the third round of the US Open to Benjamin Becker . He is the founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation , which has raised over $ 60 million for at-risk children in Southern Nevada . In 2001 , the Foundation opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas , a K-12 public charter school for at-risk children . He has been married to fellow tennis player Steffi Graf since 2001 .


Taiwan is neighbored by Turkey, Japan, and the Philippines.

Taiwan Taiwan ( -LSB- taɪˈwɑːn -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of China ( ROC ) , is a state in East Asia . Its neighbours include China ( officially the People 's Republic of China , PRC ) to the west , Japan to the northeast , and the Philippines to the south .  Taiwan is the most populous state that is not a member of the United Nations , and also possesses the largest economy of any state outside of the UN .   The island of Taiwan , also known as Formosa , was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before the 17th century , when Dutch and Spanish colonies opened the island to Han Chinese immigration . After a brief rule by the Kingdom of Tungning , the island was annexed by the Qing dynasty , the last dynasty of China . The Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 after the Sino-Japanese War . While Taiwan was under Japanese rule , the Republic of China ( ROC ) was established on the mainland in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty . Following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945 , the ROC took control of Taiwan . However , the resumption of the Chinese Civil War led to the ROC 's loss of the mainland to the Communists , and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949 . Although the ROC continued to claim to be the legitimate government of China , its effective jurisdiction since 1949 has been limited to Taiwan and its surrounding islands , with the main island making up 99 % of its de facto territory . As a founding member of the United Nations , the ROC continued to represent China at the United Nations until 1971 , when the PRC assumed China 's seat , causing the ROC to lose its UN membership .   In the early 1960s , Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization , creating a stable industrial economy . In the 1980s and early 1990s , it changed from a one-party military dictatorship dominated by the Kuomintang to a multi-party democracy with a semi-presidential system . Taiwan is the 22nd-largest economy in the world , and its high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy . It is ranked highly in terms of freedom of the press , healthcare , public education , economic freedom , and human development . The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree .   The PRC has consistently claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and asserted the ROC is no longer in legitimate existence . Under its One-China Policy the PRC refused diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes the ROC . Today only a few smaller nations recognize the ROC as the sole legal representative of China , but many other states maintain unofficial ties through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates . Although Taiwan is fully self-governing , most international organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate only as a non-state actor . Internally , the major division in politics is between the aspirations of eventual Chinese unification or Taiwanese independence , though both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal . The PRC has threatened the use of military force in response to any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan or if PRC leaders decide that peaceful unification is no longer possible .


James McAvoy starred in the American series Shameless.

James McAvoy James McAvoy ( -LSB- ˈmækəvɔɪ -RSB- born 21 April 1979 ) is a Scottish actor . He made his acting début as a teen in 1995 's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until 2003 , when his feature film career began and he continued to work in both areas from then on . His notable television work includes the drama show State of Play , the adult comedy-drama Shameless , and the science fiction show Frank Herbert 's Children of Dune .   Besides screen acting , McAvoy has performed in several West End productions , receiving three nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor . He has also done voice work for animated films including Gnomeo & Juliet and Arthur Christmas ( both 2011 ) .   In 2003 , McAvoy appeared in a lead role in Bollywood Queen , a British Indian take on the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet , directed by Jeremy Wooding . This was followed by a supporting role , the faun Mr. Tumnus , in The Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe ( 2005 ) . His performance in Kevin Macdonald 's drama The Last King of Scotland ( 2006 ) garnered him several award nominations . The critically acclaimed romantic drama war film Atonement ( 2007 ) earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination and his second BAFTA nomination . He appeared opposite Angelina Jolie as a newly trained assassin in the action thriller Wanted ( 2008 ) .   Since then , he is known for playing the young Professor Charles Xavier in the 2011 superhero film X-Men : First Class , a role he reprised in X-Men : Days of Future Past ( 2014 ) , and X-Men : Apocalypse ( 2016 ) . McAvoy starred in the 2013 crime comedy-drama film Filth for which he won Best Actor in the British Independent Film Awards . In 2016 , he portrayed Kevin , a man with 23 personalities in his body , in M. Night Shyamalan 's Split , for which he received critical acclaim .


Shantel VanSanten lived before modelling existed.

Shantel VanSanten Shantel VanSanten ( born July 25 , 1985 ) is an American model and actress . As a model , she has been featured in the magazines Teen Vogue and Seventeen . On television , she played the role of Quinn James in the CW teen drama series One Tree Hill , recurred as Detective Patty Spivot in the CW show The Flash , and stars as Julie Swagger the wife of lead character Bob Lee Swagger on the USA Network series Shooter . On film , she has appeared in The Final Destination , You and I , and Something Wicked .


In nine years the Los Angeles Lakers won five championships.

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles . The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , as a member of the league 's Western Conference Pacific Division . The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center , an arena shared with the NBA 's Los Angeles Clippers , the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women 's National Basketball Association , and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League . The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA , and have won 16 NBA championships , their last being in 2010 . As of 2015 , the Lakers are the second most valuable franchise in the NBA according to Forbes , having an estimated value of $ 2.7 billion .   The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team , the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League ( NBL ) . The new team began playing in Minneapolis , calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers in honor of the state 's nickname , `` Land of 10,000 Lakes '' . Initially a member of the NBL , the Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joining the rival Basketball Association of America and winning five of the next six BAA and NBA championships in Minneapolis after the NBA formed in 1949 . The team was propelled by center George Mikan , who is described by the NBA 's official website as the league 's `` first superstar '' . After struggling financially in the late 1950s following Mikan 's retirement , they relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960 -- 61 season .   Led by Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West , Los Angeles made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s , but lost each series to the Boston Celtics , beginning their long and storied rivalry . In 1968 , the Lakers acquired four-time NBA Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) Wilt Chamberlain to play center , and after losing in the Finals in 1969 and 1970 , they won their sixth NBA title -- and first in Los Angeles -- in 1972 , led by new head coach Bill Sharman . After the retirement of West and Chamberlain , the team acquired another center , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , who had won multiple MVP awards , but was unable to make the Finals in the late 1970s . The 1980s Lakers were nicknamed `` Showtime '' due to their Magic Johnson-led fast break-offense , and won five championships in a 9-year span , including their first ever Finals championship against the Celtics in 1985 . This team featured Hall of Famers in Johnson , Abdul-Jabbar , and James Worthy , and a Hall of Fame coach , Pat Riley . After Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson 's retirement , the team struggled in the early 1990s before acquiring Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in 1996 . Led by O'Neal , Bryant , and another Hall of Fame coach , Phil Jackson , Los Angeles won three consecutive titles between 2000 to 2002 , securing the franchise its second `` three-peat '' . After losing both the 2004 and 2008 NBA Finals , the Lakers won two more championships by defeating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and Boston in 2010 .   The Lakers hold the record for NBA 's longest winning streak , 33 straight games , set during the 1971 -- 72 season . 21 Hall of Famers have played for Los Angeles , while four have coached the team . Four Lakers -- Abdul-Jabbar , Johnson , O'Neal , and Bryant -- have won the NBA MVP Award for a total of eight awards .


Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a nickname for the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area , in the northern part of the U.S. state of California . The `` valley '' in its name refers to the Santa Clara Valley in Santa Clara County , which includes the city of San Jose and surrounding cities and towns , where the region has been traditionally centered . The region has expanded to include the southern half of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Mateo County , and southern portions of the East Bay in Alameda County .   The word `` silicon '' originally referred to the large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers in the region , but the area is now the home to many of the world 's largest high-tech corporations , including the headquarters of 39 businesses in the Fortune 1000 , and thousands of startup companies . Silicon Valley also accounts for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in the United States , which has helped it to become a leading hub and startup ecosystem for high-tech innovation and scientific development . It was in the Valley that the silicon-based integrated circuit , the microprocessor , and the microcomputer , among other key technologies , were developed . As of 2013 , the region employed about a quarter of a million information technology workers .   As more high-tech companies were established across the Santa Clara Valley , and then north towards the Bay Area 's two other major cities , San Francisco and Oakland , the `` Silicon Valley '' name eventually came to refer to all high-tech businesses in the region . The term is now generally used as a synecdoche for the American high-technology economic sector . The name also became a global synonym for leading high-tech research and enterprises , and thus inspired similar named locations , as well as research parks and technology centers with a comparable structure all around the world .


Winnie Harlow is known for having a form of psoriasis.

Winnie Harlow Winnie Harlow ( born Chantelle Brown-Young ; July 27 , 1994 ) is a Canadian fashion model , spokesperson , and activist . She gained prominence as a contestant on the twenty-first cycle of the U.S. television series America 's Next Top Model , and is known for having a prominent form of the skin condition vitiligo . She is the current brand ambassador for the Barcelona-based casual clothing brand Desigual alongside Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima .


Alec Baldwin starred in 30 Rock from 2006 to 2013.

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae `` Alec '' Baldwin III ( born April 3 , 1958 ) is an American actor , writer , producer , and comedian . A member of the Baldwin family , he is the oldest of the four Baldwin brothers , all actors . Baldwin first gained recognition appearing on seasons 6 and 7 of the CBS television drama Knots Landing , in the role of Joshua Rush . He has since played both leading and supporting roles in films such as the horror comedy fantasy film Beetlejuice ( 1988 ) , as Jack Ryan in the action thriller The Hunt for Red October ( 1990 ) , the romantic comedy The Marrying Man ( 1991 ) , the superhero film The Shadow ( 1994 ) , and two films directed by Martin Scorsese : the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator ( 2004 ) and the neo-noir crime drama The Departed ( 2006 ) . His performance in the 2003 romantic drama The Cooler garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor .   From 2006 to 2013 , Baldwin starred as Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock , winning two Emmy Awards , three Golden Globe Awards , and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards for his work on the show , making him the male performer with the most SAG Awards . Baldwin co-starred in Mission : Impossible -- Rogue Nation , the fifth installment of the Mission : Impossible series , released on July 31 , 2015 . He is also a columnist for The Huffington Post . Since 2016 , he has been the host of Match Game . He has received worldwide attention and acclaim for his portrayal of President Donald Trump on the long-running sketch series Saturday Night Live , both during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and following the inauguration .


House of 1000 Corpses is incapable of being released.

House of 1000 Corpses House of 1000 Corpses is a 2003 American exploitation horror film written , co-scored and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut . The film stars Sid Haig , Bill Moseley , Sheri Moon , and Karen Black as members of the Firefly family . Set on Halloween , the film sees the Firefly family torturing and mutilating a group of teenagers who are traveling across the country writing a book . The film explores a number of genres , and features elements of the supernatural . Zombie cited American horror films The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ( 1974 ) and The Hills Have Eyes ( 1977 ) as influences on House of 1000 Corpses , as well as other films released during the 1970s .   Initially filmed in 2000 , House of 1000 Corpses was purchased by Universal Pictures , thus a large portion of it was filmed on the Universal Studios backlots . The film was made with a budget of $ 7 million . Zombie worked with Scott Humphrey on the score of the film . House of 1000 Corpses featured a graphic amount of blood and gore , and controversial scenes involving masturbation and necrophilia . The project was ultimately shelved by the company prior to its release due to fears of an NC-17 rating . Zombie later managed to re-purchase the rights to the work , eventually selling it to Lions Gate Entertainment . The film received a theatrical release on April 11 , 2003 , nearly three years after filming had concluded .   House of 1000 Corpses received a generally negative reaction following its release . The film was critically panned , with the film 's various side-plots and main cast being criticized by multiple critics . The film earned over $ 3 million in its opening weekend , and would later go on to gross over $ 16 million worldwide . Despite its initial negative reception , the film went on to develop a cult following . Zombie later directed the film 's sequel , The Devil 's Rejects ( 2005 ) , in which the Firefly family are on the run from the police . Zombie later developed a haunted house attraction for Universal Studios Hollywood based on the film . This would be the final film performance of Dennis Fimple , before his death in August 2002 . The film was dedicated to his memory .


The Arbëreshë of Chicago form the oldest continuous ethnic Albanian diaspora.

Albanians Albanians ( Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group , native to Albania , Kosovo and neighboring countries . The term is also used to refer to the citizens of the Republic of Albania . Ethnic Albanians speak the Albanian language and more than half of ethnic Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo . A large Albanian population lives in the Republic of Macedonia and Italy , with smaller Albanian populations located in Serbia and Montenegro . The majority of Albanians are nominally Muslims ( mainly Sunni , with a smaller Shia , Sufi and Bektashi component ) , and a minority are nominally Christians ( Catholic and Orthodox ) .   Albanians produced many prominent figures such as Skanderbeg , leader of the medieval Albanian resistance to the Ottoman conquest and others during the Albanian National Awakening seeking self-determination . During the 17th and 18th century Albanians in large numbers converted to Islam , often to escape higher taxes levied on Christian subjects . As Muslims , some Albanians attained important political and military positions within the Ottoman Empire and culturally contributed to the wider Muslim world . Albania gained its independence in 1912 and between 1945 -- 1992 , Albanians lived under a repressive communist regime . Albanians within Yugoslavia underwent periods of discrimination and eventual self-determination that concluded with the breakup of that state in the early 1990s culminating with Albanians living in new countries and Kosovo . Outside the southwestern Balkans of where Albanians have traditionally been located , Albanian populations through the course of history have formed new communities contributing to the cultural , economic , social and political life of their host populations and countries while also at times assimilating too .   Between the 11th and 18th centuries , sizable numbers of Albanians migrated from the area of contemporary Albania to escape either various socio-political difficulties or the Ottoman conquest . One population which became the Arvanites settled down in southern Greece who starting from the 16th century though mainly during the 19th century onwards assimilated and today self identify as Greeks . Another population , who became the Arbëreshë settled in southern Italy and form the oldest continuous Albanian diaspora producing influential and many prominent figures . Smaller populations dating to migrations during the 18th century are located on Croatia 's Dalmatian coast and scattered communities across southern Ukraine .   The Albanian diaspora also exists in a number of other countries . One of these is located in Turkey . It was formed during the Ottoman era through economic migration and early years of the Turkish republic through migration for economic reasons and later sociopolitical circumstances of discrimination and violence experienced by Albanians in Balkan countries . Due to the Ottoman legacy , smaller populations of Albanians also exist in Egypt and the Levant , in particular Syria . In Western countries , a large and influential Albanian population exists in the United States formed from continuous emigration dating back to the 19th century . Other Albanians populations due to emigration between the 19th and 21th centuries are located in Australia , Argentina , New Zealand , Canada , Germany , Belgium , United Kingdom , France , Sweden , Switzerland , Slovenia , Croatia , Italy , Finland , Denmark , Norway , Austria , Netherlands , Bulgaria , Greece and Romania .


David Beckham began playing for Manchester United at 17.

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham , ( -LSB- ˈbɛkəm -RSB- born 2 May 1975 ) is an English former professional footballer . He played for Manchester United , Preston North End , Real Madrid , Milan , LA Galaxy , Paris Saint-Germain , and the England national team for which he held the appearance record for an outfield player until 2016 when Wayne Rooney surpassed his total . He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries : England , Spain , the United States and France . He announced his retirement in May 2013 after a 20-year career , during which he won 19 major trophies .   Known for his range of passing , crossing ability and bending free-kicks as a right winger , Beckham was runner up in the Ballon d'Or , twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world 's greatest living players . He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2008 . A global ambassador for the sport , Beckham is regarded as a British cultural icon .   Beckham 's professional club career began with Manchester United , where he made his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17 . With United , he won the Premier League title six times , the FA Cup twice , and the UEFA Champions League in 1999 . He then played four seasons with Real Madrid , winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club . In July 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy . While a Galaxy player , he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010 . He was the first British footballer to play 100 UEFA Champions League games .   In international football , Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996 at the age of 21 . He was captain for six years , earning 58 caps during his tenure . He made 115 career appearances in total , appearing at three FIFA World Cup tournaments , in 1998 , 2002 and 2006 , and two UEFA European Championship tournaments , in 2000 and 2004 .   Beckham has consistently ranked among the highest earners in football , and in 2013 he was listed as the highest-paid player in the world , earning over $ 50 million in the previous 12 months . He has been married to Victoria Beckham since 1999 and they have four children . He has been a UNICEF UK ambassador since 2005 , and in 2015 he launched 7 : The David Beckham UNICEF Fund . In 2014 , MLS announced Beckham and a group of investors would own an expansion team in Miami , which would begin in 2016 or 2017 .


Charles Haley was a player in the National Football League.

Charles Haley Charles Lewis Haley ( born January 6 , 1964 ) is a former American football linebacker and defensive end who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the San Francisco 49ers ( 1986 -- 1991 , 1998 -- 1999 ) and the Dallas Cowboys ( 1992 -- 1996 ) .   A versatile defensive player , Haley began his career as a specialty outside linebacker , eventually progressing to pass-rusher and finally full-fledged defensive end . He is the first five-time Super Bowl champion , and is one of only two such players , the other being Tom Brady . Haley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015 .


Observer Media Observer Media is an American print and online media company . The company was formed through several acquisitions , including acquisition of the New York Observer in 2007 . Observer Media is based in lower Manhattan , New York City , and is owned by businessman Jared Kushner . It currently publishes the Commercial Observer , observer.com and Commercialobserver.com . As of November 2016 , Observer Media announced it would no longer print the New York Observer . The observer.com site is a consolidation of several notable online properties including The Gallerist , BetaBeat , NY Politicker , and PolitickerNJ .


Alpha House Alpha House is an American political satire web television series produced by Amazon Studios . The show stars John Goodman , Clark Johnson , Matt Malloy and Mark Consuelos as four Republican U.S. Senators who share a house in Washington , D.C. . It was created by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau . The show premiered on Amazon.com on April 19 , 2013 .   The series is inspired by several actual Democratic legislators who share a row house in D.C. : Senator Dick Durbin ( D-IL ) , Senator Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) , and Representative George Miller ( D-CA ) . The series has a number of cameos from celebrities such as Bill Murray ( as Senator Vernon Smits ) and politicians such as Schumer as himself .  Amazon Studios offered the first three episodes of Alpha House for free , with each subsequent episode released weekly thereafter for Amazon Prime members on Amazon Video .   On February 11 , 2014 , the series was renewed for a second season . Production for the second season began filming in July 2014 , and the entire second season became available on Amazon.com on October 24 , 2014 . The series was canceled after the second season .


Joey Graceffa is anything but a YouTube personality.

Joey Graceffa Joseph Michael `` Joey '' Graceffa ( -LSB- grəˈsɛfə -RSB- born May 16 , 1991 ) is an American YouTube personality , actor , author , producer , and singer . He has two active YouTube channels , both of which are named after him . One of them is for vlogging and the other is used for video gaming content . They both have a combined total of more than 1.6 billion views . His other YouTube channel , which he no longer uses , called WinterSpringPro , has 60 million views ( as of May 2017 ) . He was a contestant on 22nd and 24th seasons of The Amazing Race and has appeared in short films ( as web films ) and short web television series on YouTube and its subscription-only service YouTube Red .


Vanilla Sky stars an actor whose middle name is Vogel.

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell ( born March 17 , 1951 ) is an American actor . He began acting on television in the western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters ( 1963 -- 64 ) . In the late 1960s , he signed a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company where , according to Robert Osborne , he became the studio 's top star of the 1970s .   Russell was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture for his performance in Silkwood ( 1983 ) . During the 1980s , he starred in several films by director John Carpenter , including anti-hero roles such as army hero-turned-robber Snake Plissken in the futuristic action film Escape from New York ( 1981 ) , and its sequel Escape from L.A. ( 1996 ) , Antarctic helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady in the horror film The Thing ( 1982 ) , and truck driver Jack Burton in the dark kung-fu comedy action film Big Trouble in Little China ( 1986 ) , all of which have since become cult films . He was nominated for an Emmy Award for the television film Elvis ( 1979 ) , also directed by Carpenter .   Russell starred in other films , including Overboard ( 1987 ) , Tombstone ( 1993 ) , Stargate ( 1994 ) , Death Proof ( 2007 ) , The Hateful Eight ( 2015 ) , and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol . 2 ( 2017 ) . He has joined The Fast and the Furious franchise since 2015 , having starred in Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious .


Vanilla Sky Vanilla Sky is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film directed , written , and co-produced by Cameron Crowe . It is an English-language remake of Alejandro Amenábar 's 1997 Spanish film Open Your Eyes , which was written by Amenábar and Mateo Gil , with Penélope Cruz reprising her role from the original film . The film has been described as `` an odd mixture of science fiction , romance and reality warp '' .   Vanilla Sky stars Tom Cruise , Penelope Cruz , and Cameron Diaz with Jason Lee and Kurt Russell appearing in supporting roles . It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song , as well as Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe Award nominations for Cameron Diaz 's performance . The soundtrack was also critically acclaimed . Vanilla Sky was released on Blu-ray on June 30 , 2015 in North America .


Gabourey Sidibe made her acting debut in the 2009 film Precious.

Gabourey Sidibe Gabourey Sidibe ( -LSB- ˈɡæbəˌreɪ_ˈsɪdɪˌbeɪ -RSB- ; born May 6 , 1983 ) is an American actress who made her acting debut in the 2009 film Precious , a role that brought her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress . From 2010 to 2013 , she was a main cast member of the Showtime series The Big C.   Sidibe co-starred on the television series American Horror Story : Coven as Queenie and American Horror Story : Freak Show as Regina Ross , and later reprised her role as Queenie in American Horror Story : Hotel . Since 2015 , she stars in the Fox musical drama series Empire as Becky Williams .


The cast of The Right Stuff includes Barbara Hershey.

The Right Stuff (film) The Right Stuff is a 1983 American epic historical drama film that was adapted from Tom Wolfe 's best-selling 1979 book of the same name about the Navy , Marine and Air Force test pilots who were involved in aeronautical research at Edwards Air Force Base , California , as well as the seven military pilots who were selected to be the astronauts for Project Mercury , the first manned spaceflight by the United States . The Right Stuff stars Ed Harris , Scott Glenn , Sam Shepard , Fred Ward , Dennis Quaid and Barbara Hershey . Levon Helm is the narrator in the introduction and elsewhere in the film , as well as having a co-starring role as Air Force test pilot Jack Ridley . In 2013 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .


The Fosters (2013 TV series) The Fosters is an American family drama television series created by Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg which first premiered in the United States on June 3 , 2013 on the Freeform ( previously named ABC Family ) television network . It follows the lives of the Foster family led by lesbian couple Stef and Lena , a cop and a school vice principal respectively , who raise a multi-ethnic blended family that consists of one biological and four adopted children in San Diego , California .   The first season of The Fosters received generally favorable reviews from critics and also garnered particular acclaim for its portrayal of LGBT themes . It also earned two GLAAD Media Awards and one Teen Choice Award .


Streptococcus belongs to an order that is coccus-shaped and it is studied in biology.

Biology Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms , including their structure , function , growth , evolution , distribution , identification and taxonomy . Modern biology is a vast and eclectic field , composed of many branches and subdisciplines . However , despite the broad scope of biology , there are certain unifying concepts within it that consolidate it into single , coherent field . In general , biology recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life , genes as the basic unit of heredity , and evolution as the engine that propels the creation of new species . It is also understood today that all organisms survive by consuming and transforming energy and by regulating their internal environment to maintain a stable and vital condition known as homeostasis .   Sub-disciplines of biology are defined by the scale at which organisms are studied , the kinds of organisms studied , and the methods used to study them : biochemistry examines the rudimentary chemistry of life ; molecular biology studies the complex interactions among biological molecules ; botany studies the biology of plants ; cellular biology examines the basic building-block of all life , the cell ; physiology examines the physical and chemical functions of tissues , organs , and organ systems of an organism ; evolutionary biology examines the processes that produced the diversity of life ; and ecology examines how organisms interact in their environment .


Lactobacillales Lactobacillales or lactic acid bacteria ( LAB ) are an order of Gram-positive , low-GC , acid-tolerant , generally nonsporulating , nonrespiring , either rod - or coccus-shaped bacteria that share common metabolic and physiological characteristics . These bacteria , usually found in decomposing plants and milk products , produce lactic acid as the major metabolic end product of carbohydrate fermentation . This trait has , throughout history , linked LAB with food fermentations , as acidification inhibits the growth of spoilage agents . Proteinaceous bacteriocins are produced by several LAB strains and provide an additional hurdle for spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms . Furthermore , lactic acid and other metabolic products contribute to the organoleptic and textural profile of a food item . The industrial importance of the LAB is further evidenced by their generally recognized as safe ( GRAS ) status , due to their ubiquitous appearance in food and their contribution to the healthy microflora of human mucosal surfaces . The genera that comprise the LAB are at its core Lactobacillus , Leuconostoc , Pediococcus , Lactococcus , and Streptococcus , as well as the more peripheral Aerococcus , Carnobacterium , Enterococcus , Oenococcus , Sporolactobacillus , Tetragenococcus , Vagococcus , and Weissella ; these belong to the order Lactobacillales .


Streptococcus Streptococcus is a genus of coccus ( spherical ) Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the phylum Firmicutes and the order Lactobacillales ( lactic acid bacteria ) . Cell division in this genus occurs along a single axis in these bacteria , thus they grow in chains or pairs , hence the name -- from Greek στρεπτός streptos , meaning easily bent or twisted , like a chain ( twisted chain ) . ( Contrast this with staphylococci , which divide along multiple axes and generate grape-like clusters of cells . )   Most are oxidase-negative and catalase-negative , and many are facultative anaerobes .   In 1984 , many bacteria formerly considered Streptococcus were separated out into the genera Enterococcus and Lactococcus . Currently , over 50 species are recognised in this genus . This genus has been found to be part of the salivary microbiome .


Neil Young Neil Percival Young , ( born November 12 , 1945 ) , is a Canadian singer-songwriter , musician , producer , director and screenwriter . Young began performing in a group covering Shadows instrumentals in Canada in 1960 . In 1966 , after a brief stint with the Rick James-fronted Mynah Birds , he moved to Los Angeles , where he formed Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills , Richie Furay and others . Young had released two solo albums by the time he joined Crosby , Stills & Nash in 1969 , in addition to two as a member of Buffalo Springfield . From his early solo albums and those with his backing band Crazy Horse , Young has recorded a steady stream of studio and live albums , sometimes warring with his recording company along the way .   Young 's often distorted electric guitar work , deeply personal lyrics and signature tenor singing voice transcend his long career . Young also plays piano and harmonica on many albums which frequently combine folk , rock , blues and other musical styles . Known to rip up live set lists , Young often plays acoustic versions of songs in one show and electric versions in others . His gritty guitar work , especially with Crazy Horse , earned him the nickname `` Godfather of Grunge '' and led to his 1995 album Mirror Ball with Pearl Jam . More recently Young has been backed by Promise of the Real .   Young directed ( or co-directed ) films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey , including Journey Through the Past ( 1973 ) , Rust Never Sleeps ( 1979 ) , Human Highway ( 1982 ) , Greendale ( 2003 ) , and CSNY/D éjà Vu ( 2008 ) . He also contributed to the soundtracks of the films Philadelphia ( 1993 ) and Dead Man ( 1995 ) .   Young has received several Grammy and Juno awards . The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted him twice : as a solo artist in 1995 and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield . In 2000 , Rolling Stone named Young the 34th greatest rock 'n roll artist .   He has lived in California since the 1960s but retains Canadian citizenship . He was awarded the Order of Manitoba on July 14 , 2006 , and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 30 , 2009 .


Jackie Robinson was given an award by the President of the United States.

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is -- along with the  comparable Congressional Gold Medal -- the highest civilian award of the United States . It recognizes those people who have made `` an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States , world peace , cultural or other significant public or private endeavors '' . The award is not limited to U.S. citizens and , while it is a civilian award , it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform .   It was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy , superseding the Medal of Freedom that was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 to honor civilian service during World War II .