The Rev composed the album Chapter Four.

The Rev James Owen Sullivan ( February 9 , 1981 -- December 28 , 2009 ) , professionally known by his stage name The Rev ( shortened version of The Reverend Tholomew Plague ) , was an American musician , composer and songwriter , best known as the drummer , composer , songwriter , backing ( occasional co-leading ) vocalist and founding member for the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold . The Rev was widely regarded and critically acclaimed for his work on Avenged Sevenfold albums , and contributed entire songs composed by himself , such as `` Chapter Four '' , `` Afterlife '' , `` A Little Piece of Heaven '' , and `` Almost Easy '' . He was also the lead vocalist/pianist in Pinkly Smooth , a side project where he was known by the name Rathead , with fellow Avenged Sevenfold member , guitarist Synyster Gates ( Brian Elwin Haner Jr. ) , and he was the drummer for Suburban Legends from 1998 to 1999 .


Confessions was sold in the United States.

Confessions (Usher album) Confessions is the fourth studio album by American singer Usher . It was released on March 23 , 2004 , by Arista Records . Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003 to 2004 , with its production handled by his longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri , alongside with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Lil Jon , among others . Primarily an R&B album , Confessions showcases Usher as a crooner through a mixture of ballads and up-tempos , incorporating musical genres of dance-pop , hip hop and crunk . The album 's themes generated controversy about Usher 's personal relationships ; however , the album 's primary producer Jermaine Dupri claimed the album reflects his personal story .   The album became an instant commercial success in the United States , selling 1.1 million copies in its first week . Its continued success was bolstered by its four chart-topping singles . To begin strategizing of boosting its sales amid threats of bootlegging , the special edition for the album was issued , which includes the hit single , `` My Boo '' ; a duet with Alicia Keys . Despite some mixed criticism towards its lyrical substance , Confessions received mostly positive reviews and earned Usher several awards ; including the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album .   The album has been regarded by music writers as Usher 's greatest work , and according to Billboard , is the second best-selling album of the 2000s decade in the United States . With over eight million copies sold in 2004 , the album 's commercial success was viewed as a sign of recovering album sales in the US , following three years of decline . It was also exemplary of urban music 's commercial peak and dominance of the Billboard charts in 2004 . Confessions has been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) and , as of 2016 , has sold over 11 million copies in the US and over 20 million copies worldwide .


Melbourne Melbourne ( -LSB- ˈmɛlbərn -RSB- ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria , and the second-most populous city in Australia and Oceania . The name `` Melbourne '' refers to an urban agglomeration spanning 9900 km2 , which comprises the broader metropolitan area , as well as being the common name for its city centre . The metropolis is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip and expands into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon mountain ranges , Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley . Melbourne consists of 31 municipalities . It has a population of 4,641,636 , and its inhabitants are called Melburnians .   Founded by free settlers from the British Crown colony of Van Diemen 's Land on 30 August 1835 , in what was then the colony of New South Wales , it was incorporated as a Crown settlement in 1837 . It was named `` Melbourne '' by the Governor of New South Wales , Sir Richard Bourke , in honour of the British Prime Minister of the day , William Lamb , 2nd Viscount Melbourne . It was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria , to whom Lord Melbourne was close , in 1847 , after which it became the capital of the newly founded colony of Victoria in 1851 . During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s , it was transformed into one of the world 's largest and wealthiest cities . After the federation of Australia in 1901 , it served as the nation 's interim seat of government until 1927 .   Melbourne rates highly in education , entertainment , health care , research and development , tourism and sport , making it the world 's most liveable city -- for the sixth year in a row in 2016 , according to the Economist Intelligence Unit . It is a leading financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region , and ranks among the top 30 cities in the world in the Global Financial Centres Index . Referred to as Australia 's `` cultural capital '' , it is the birthplace of Australian impressionism , Australian rules football , the Australian film and television industries , and Australian contemporary dance . It is recognised as a UNESCO City of Literature and a major centre for street art , music and theatre . It is home to many of Australia 's largest and oldest cultural institutions such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground , the National Gallery of Victoria , the State Library of Victoria and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building . It was the host city of the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games .   The main passenger airport serving the metropolis and the state is Melbourne Airport ( also called Tullamarine Airport ) , the second busiest in Australia . The Port of Melbourne is Australia 's busiest seaport for containerised and general cargo . Melbourne has an extensive transport network . The main metropolitan train terminus is Flinders Street Station , and the main regional train and coach terminus is Southern Cross Station . Melbourne is also home to Australia 's most extensive freeway network and has the world 's largest urban tram network .


Gerard Lee Gerard Lee ( born 1951 in Melbourne ) is an Australian novelist , screenwriter and director .


The English Civil War's two sides were the Parliamentarians and the Royalists.

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


International Space Station is unsuited for the testing of spacecraft equipment.

International Space Station The International Space Station ( ISS ) is a space station , or a habitable artificial satellite , in low Earth orbit . Its first component launched into orbit in 1998 , and the ISS is now the largest man-made body in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth . The ISS consists of pressurised modules , external trusses , solar arrays , and other components . ISS components have been launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets , and American Space Shuttles .   The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology , human biology , physics , astronomy , meteorology , and other fields . The station is suited for the testing of spacecraft systems and equipment required for missions to the Moon and Mars . The ISS maintains an orbit with an altitude of between 330 and by means of reboost manoeuvres using the engines of the Zvezda module or visiting spacecraft . It completes orbits per day .   The ISS is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews , following the Soviet and later Russian Salyut , Almaz , and Mir stations as well as Skylab from the US . The station has been continuously occupied for since the arrival of Expedition 1 on 2 November 2000 . This is the longest continuous human presence in low Earth orbit , having surpassed the previous record of held by Mir . The station is serviced by a variety of visiting spacecraft : the Russian Soyuz and Progress , the American Dragon and Cygnus , the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle , and formerly the Space Shuttle and the European Automated Transfer Vehicle . It has been visited by astronauts , cosmonauts and space tourists from 17 different nations .   After the US Space Shuttle programme ended in 2011 , Soyuz rockets became the only provider of transport for astronauts at the International Space Station , and Dragon became the only provider of bulk cargo return to Earth ( called downmass ) . Soyuz has very limited downmass capability .   The ISS programme is a joint project among five participating space agencies : NASA , Roscosmos , JAXA , ESA , and CSA . The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements . The station is divided into two sections , the Russian Orbital Segment ( ROS ) and the United States Orbital Segment ( USOS ) , which is shared by many nations . , the American portion of ISS is being funded until 2024 . Roscosmos has endorsed the continued operation of ISS through 2024 but has proposed using elements of the Russian Orbital Segment to construct a new Russian space station called OPSEK .   On 28 March 2015 , Russian sources announced that Roscosmos and NASA had agreed to collaborate on the development of a replacement for the current ISS . NASA later issued a guarded statement expressing thanks for Russia 's interest in future co-operation in space exploration but fell short of confirming the Russian announcement .


2017 Open Championship does not take place in England.

2017 Open Championship The 2017 Open Championship will be the 146th Open Championship , held 20 -- 23 July 2017 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport , England.It will be the 10th Open Championship played at Royal Birkdale .


Break on Me `` Break on Me '' ( stylized as `` Break on Me . '' ) is a song written by Ross Copperman and Jon Nite and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban . It was released on 23 October 2015 as the second single from his ninth studio album , Ripcord , through Hit Red and Capitol Nashville . The bass-driven ballad was co-produced by Urban with Nathan Chapman and has been deemed a stylistic counterpoint to its funky predecessor `` John Cougar , John Deere , John 3:16 '' . The song is also the second of his career not to have an accompanying music video , after 2010 's `` I 'm In '' .


Toy Story was produced solely by DreamWorks.

Toy Story Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures . The directorial debut of John Lasseter , Toy Story was the first feature-length computer-animated film and the first theatrical film produced by Pixar .   Taking place in a world where anthropomorphic toys pretend to be lifeless whenever humans are present , the film 's plot focuses on the relationship between Woody , an old-fashioned pullstring cowboy doll ( voiced by Tom Hanks ) , and Buzz Lightyear , an astronaut action figure ( voiced by Tim Allen ) , as they evolve from rivals competing for the affections of Andy , their owner , to friends who work together to be reunited with Andy as his family prepares to move to a new home . The screenplay was written by Joss Whedon , Andrew Stanton , Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow , based on a story by Lasseter , Pete Docter , Stanton and Joe Ranft . The film features music by Randy Newman , and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull .   Pixar , which produced short animated films to promote their computers , was approached by Disney to produce a computer-animated feature after the success of their short film Tin Toy ( 1988 ) , which is told from a small toy 's perspective . Lasseter , Stanton and Docter wrote early story treatments which were thrown out by Disney , as they wanted the film to be edgier . After disastrous story reels , production was halted and the script was re-written , better reflecting the tone and theme Pixar desired : that `` toys deeply want children to play with them , and that this desire drives their hopes , fears , and actions '' . The studio , then consisting of a relatively small number of employees , produced the film under minor financial constraints .   Released in theaters on November 22 , 1995 , Toy Story was the highest-grossing film on its opening weekend and earned over $ 373 million worldwide . The film was widely acclaimed by critics , who praised the animation 's technical innovation , the wit and thematic sophistication of the screenplay , and the performances of Hanks and Allen . It is now considered by many critics to be one of the best animated films ever made . The film received three Academy Award nominations , including Best Original Screenplay , Best Original Score , and Best Original Song for `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' , as well as winning a Special Achievement Academy Award . It was inducted into the National Film Registry as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' in 2005 , its first year of eligibility .   In addition to home media releases and theatrical re-releases , Toy Story-inspired material has run the gamut from toys , video games , theme park attractions , spin-offs , merchandise , and two sequels -- Toy Story 2 ( 1999 ) and Toy Story 3 ( 2010 ) -- both of which also garnered massive commercial success and critical acclaim , with a third sequel , Toy Story 4 , slated for a 2019 release .


Wladimir Klitschko reached a career peak in November 2014.

Wladimir Klitschko Wladimir Wladimirowitsch Klitschko ( Володи́мир Володи́мирович Кличко́ , ; born 25 March 1976 ) is a Ukrainian professional boxer . He is a former world heavyweight champion of three major sanctioning bodies , having held the titles of the WBA , IBF , and WBO ( twice ) ; additionally he has held the IBO , Ring magazine , and lineal heavyweight titles . A strategic and cerebral boxer , Klitschko is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time , as well as among the hardest punching knockout artists in the history of the division ; his strong jab , straight right hand and left hook being his most formidable weapons .   As an amateur , Klitschko represented Ukraine at the 1996 Olympics , winning a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division . After turning professional later that year , he defeated Chris Byrd in 2000 to win the WBO heavyweight title . Klitschko 's first reign as champion ended in an upset knockout loss to Corrie Sanders in 2003 , which was followed by another knockout loss to Lamon Brewster in 2004 . It was during this time that Klitschko hired Emanuel Steward as his trainer , which began an eight-year partnership that lasted until Steward 's death in 2012 . In particular , Steward was credited with Klitschko 's transition from an aggressive puncher to a more defensively-oriented boxer , much as he had done with Lennox Lewis in 1995 to 2003 .   In 2006 , Klitschko regained a portion of the world heavyweight championship after stopping Chris Byrd in a rematch to win the IBF and IBO titles . He won the WBO title for a second time by defeating then-unbeaten champion Sultan Ibragimov in 2008 . Following his defeat of Ruslan Chagaev in 2009 , Klitschko was awarded the Ring and lineal titles , and lastly he won the WBA title from David Haye in 2011 . Until his defeat by Tyson Fury in 2015 , Klitschko was also recognized as champion by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board , while the WBA recognized him as one of its `` Super champions '' , a distinction given to boxers who hold that title in addition to those by other sanctioning bodies in the same division .   Overall , he became the second-longest reigning heavyweight champion of all time , and has the second-most successful title defenses total of any heavyweight boxer with 23 ( including his initial reign as WBO champion ) , behind Joe Louis ( 25 ) and ahead of Larry Holmes ( 20 ) and Muhammad Ali ( 19 ) . On 14 September 2015 , BoxRec rated Klitschko as the number one fighter in the world , pound for pound . On 15 November 2014 , he reached a career peak of number two on The Rings pound for pound list . Klitschko has fought in 29 heavyweight title fights , more than any heavyweight champion in the sport 's history . He also holds the record of having defeated the most boxers with an undefeated record , at 12 , and has also defeated ten current or former world champions throughout his career .   Wladimir 's older brother , Vitali Klitschko , is also a former WBC , WBO , and The Ring heavyweight champion . From 2006 until 2015 , Wladimir and Vitali dominated heavyweight boxing , a period typically known as the `` Klitschko Era '' of the division .


Transformers: Age of Extinction is a book.

Transformers: Age of Extinction Transformers : Age of Extinction is a 2014 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers franchise . It is the fourth installment of the live-action Transformers film series and a stand-alone sequel to 2011 's Transformers : Dark of the Moon , taking place five years after its events . Like its predecessors , it was directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger , with Steven Spielberg and Bay as executive producers . It stars Mark Wahlberg , with Peter Cullen reprising his role as the voice of Optimus Prime , as the lead roles . It is the first film in the series to not feature the original human characters from the first three films , but features a new cast of human characters and many new Transformers including : the Dinobots , Lockdown , Stinger , Junkheap , Hound , Crosshairs and Drift . Returning Transformers include : Optimus Prime , Bumblebee , Ratchet , Leadfoot , Brains and Megatron ( now known as Galvatron ) . The film was released on June 27 , 2014 , in IMAX and 3D .   Transformers : Age of Extinction was panned by critics , many of whom considered it poorly directed , badly acted , and terribly written . According to Rotten Tomatoes , it is the worst reviewed film in the series , holding an 18 % approval rating . It also received seven nominations at the 35th Golden Raspberry Awards , including Worst Picture and Worst Prequel , Remake , Rip-off or Sequel , with Bay and Kelsey Grammer winning the awards for Worst Director and Worst Supporting Actor respectively . The film grossed over $ 1.104 billion worldwide , making it the highest-grossing film of 2014 , the second highest-grossing film in the Transformers series , the 19th film to gross over $ 1 billion , and the 16th highest-grossing film of all time . It was the only film to gross over $ 1 billion in 2014 .   A sequel , Transformers : The Last Knight , is set to be released on June 21 , 2017 , with Cullen , Tucci , and Wahlberg returning , and Bay directing .


Split (2016 American film) stars Tom Cruise.

Split (2016 American film) Split is a 2016 American psychological horror-thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan . The film stars James McAvoy , Anya Taylor-Joy , and Betty Buckley , and follows Kevin Wendell Crumb , a man with 23 different personalities who kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls in an isolated underground facility .   Principal photography began on November 11 , 2015 , in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . The film premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 26 , 2016 , and was released in the United States on January 20 , 2017 , by Universal Pictures . The film received general acclaim , with some critics labeling it a welcoming return for Shyamalan , and was a massive financial success , grossing $ 276 million worldwide on a budget of $ 9 million .   The film is a sequel to the 2000 movie Unbreakable which was also written , produced and directed by M. Night Shaymalan . A sequel has been confirmed which will be titled Glass .


Steven Gerrard only plays for the Austrian national football team.

Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard , ( born 30 May 1980 ) is an English football coach and former player who currently serves as an Academy coach at Liverpool and will take over as manager of the club 's U18 side ahead of the 2017 -- 18 season .  He played as a central midfielder and spent the majority of his career playing for Premier League club Liverpool , with most of that time spent as their captain .   Gerrard spent 17 seasons at Anfield , making his Liverpool debut in 1998 , cementing his place in the first team in 2000 , and succeeding Sami Hyypiä as team captain in 2003 . His honours include two FA Cups , three League Cups , one UEFA Champions League , one UEFA Cup , and one UEFA Super Cup . Gerrard scored Liverpool 's first goal and won the penalty kick for the third as Liverpool came from 3 -- 0 down to defeat Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final . He joined Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy in July 2015 , spending one-and-a-half seasons there before retiring on 24 November 2016 .   Gerrard made his international debut for the England national football team in 2000 , and represented his country at the 2000 , 2004 and 2012 UEFA European Football Championships , as well as the 2006 , 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups -- captaining the team at the latter two tournaments . He was named as the permanent England captain shortly before UEFA Euro 2012 , where he was named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament . Gerrard became the sixth player to win 100 caps for England in 2012 , and is currently fourth in the country 's all-time appearance list . He ended his international career in July 2014 , having won 114 caps .   Regarded to be one of the greatest midfielders of his generation , Gerrard came second to Kenny Dalglish in the `` 100 Players Who Shook The Kop '' , a 2008 Liverpool fan poll , and first in 2013 .  Zinedine Zidane and Pelé said in 2009 that they considered Gerrard to be the best footballer in the world . In 2005 , Gerrard was honoured as the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or Bronze Award . He has also been named in the PFA Team of the Year a record eight times , the UEFA Team of the Year and FIFA World XI three times , and was named PFA Players ' Player of the Year in 2006 and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009 . He is , to date , the only footballer ever to have scored a goal in an FA Cup Final , a League Cup Final , a UEFA Cup Final and a UEFA Champions League Final , also being on the winning team on each occasion .


Charlemagne hit a low point in his power in 800.

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( -LSB- ˈʃɑːrlᵻmeɪn -RSB- ) or Charles the Great ( 2 April 742/747/74828 January 814 ) , numbered Charles I , was the King of the Franks from 768 , King of the Lombards from 774 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 . He united much of Europe during the early Middle Ages . He was the first recognised emperor in western Europe since the fall of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier . The expanded Frankish state that Charlemagne founded was called the Carolingian Empire .   Charlemagne was the oldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon . He became king in 768 following his father 's death , initially as co-ruler with his brother Carloman I. Carloman 's sudden death in 771 in unexplained circumstances left Charlemagne as the undisputed ruler of the Frankish Kingdom . He continued his father 's policy towards the papacy and became its protector , removing the Lombards from power in northern Italy and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain . He campaigned against the Saxons to his east , Christianising them upon penalty of death and leading to events such as the Massacre of Verden . Charlemagne reached the height of his power in 800 when he was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day at Old St. Peter 's Basilica .   Charlemagne has been called the `` Father of Europe '' ( Pater Europae ) , as he united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire . His rule spurred the Carolingian Renaissance , a period of energetic cultural and intellectual activity within the Western Church . All Holy Roman Emperors considered their kingdoms to be descendants of Charlemagne 's empire , up to the last Emperor Francis II and the French and German monarchies .   However , the Eastern Orthodox Church views Charlemagne more controversially , labelling as heterodox his support of the filioque and recognition by the Bishop of Rome as legitimate Roman Emperor , rather than recognising Irene of Athens of the Eastern Roman Empire . These and other machinations led to the eventual split of Rome and Constantinople in the Great Schism of 1054 .   Charlemagne died in 814 , having ruled as emperor for thirteen years . He was laid to rest in his imperial capital of Aachen in what is today Germany . He married at least four times and had three legitimate sons , but only his son Louis the Pious survived to succeed him .


Andy Dwyer Sir Andrew Maxwell `` Andy '' Dwyer KBE -LSB- ˈdwaɪ.ər -RSB- is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation portrayed by Chris Pratt . Originally meant to be a temporary character , Andy was so likable that producers asked Pratt back as a series regular . He appears in the first season as Ann Perkins ' unemployed slacker boyfriend , then takes a job as a shoe-shiner at Pawnee City Hall in the second season . Andy eventually marries April Ludgate and is later promoted to Leslie Knope 's assistant . Pratt was credited as a guest star for the first season , despite appearing in every episode ; he is part of the main cast for every season after season one .   Andy is one of the few starring characters not to appear in every episode , as he was absent for a multi-episode arc in season six while Chris Pratt was filming Guardians of the Galaxy .


Parks and Recreation Parks and Recreation , informally known as Parks and Rec , is an American political comedy television sitcom starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope , a perky , mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks Department of Pawnee , a fictional town in Indiana . Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur , the series aired on NBC from April 9 , 2009 to February 24 , 2015 , for 125 episodes , over seven seasons . It was written by the same writers and uses the same filming style as The Office , with the same implication of a documentary crew filming everyone . The ensemble and supporting cast feature Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins , Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford , Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson , Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate , Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz , Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer , Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt , Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger , Jim O'Heir as Garry `` Jerry '' Gergich , Retta as Donna Meagle , and Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks .   The writers researched local California politics for the show , and consulted with urban planners and elected officials . Poehler 's character , Leslie Knope , underwent major changes after the first season , in response to audience feedback that she seemed unintelligent and `` ditzy '' . The writing staff incorporated current events into the episodes , such as a government shutdown in Pawnee inspired by the real-life global financial crisis of 2007 -- 2008 . Several guest stars , such as Jason Mantzoukas , Kathryn Hahn , Sam Elliott , Bill Murray , Louis C.K. , Paul Rudd , and Jon Hamm , have been featured in the show , and their characters often appear in multiple episodes .   Parks and Recreation was part of NBC 's `` Comedy Night Done Right '' programming during its Thursday night prime-time block . The series received mixed reviews during its first season , but , after a re-approach to its tone and format , the second and subsequent seasons were widely acclaimed . Throughout its run , Parks and Recreation received several awards and nominations , including two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series , six Emmy nominations , a Golden Globe win for Poehler 's performance , and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series -- Musical or Comedy . In TIMEs 2012 year-end lists issue , Parks and Recreation was named the number one television series of that year . In 2013 , after receiving four consecutive nominations in the category , Parks and Recreation won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy .


Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( -LSB- ˈriːoʊ_di_ʒəˈnɛəroʊ , _ - deɪ_ʒə - , _ - də_dʒə - -RSB- -LSB- ˈʁi.u d ( ʒi ) ʒɐˈnejɾu -RSB- ; River of January ) , or simply Rio , is the second-most populous municipality in Brazil and the sixth-most populous in the Americas . The metropolis is anchor to the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area , the second-most populous metropolitan area in Brazil and sixth-most populous in the Americas . Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro , Brazil 's third-most populous state . Part of the city has been designated as a World Heritage Site , named `` Rio de Janeiro : Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea '' , by UNESCO on 1 July 2012 as a Cultural Landscape .   Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese , the city was initially the seat of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro , a domain of the Portuguese Empire . Later , in 1763 , it became the capital of the State of Brazil , a state of the Portuguese Empire . In 1808 , when the Portuguese Royal Court transferred itself from Portugal to Brazil , Rio de Janeiro became the chosen seat of the court of Queen Maria I of Portugal , who subsequently , in 1815 , under the leadership of her son , the Prince Regent , and future King João VI of Portugal , raised Brazil to the dignity of a kingdom , within the United Kingdom of Portugal , Brazil , and Algarves . Rio stayed the capital of the pluricontinental Lusitanian monarchy until 1822 , when the War of Brazilian Independence began . This is one of the few instances in history that the capital of a colonising country officially shifted to a city in one of its colonies . Rio de Janeiro subsequently served as the capital of the independent monarchy , the Empire of Brazil , until 1889 , and then the capital of a republican Brazil until 1960 when the capital was transferred to Brasília .   Rio de Janeiro has the second largest municipal GDP in the country , and 30th largest in the world in 2008 , estimated at about R$ 343 billion ( IBGE , 2008 ) ( nearly US$ 201 billion ) . It is headquarters to Brazilian oil , mining , and telecommunications companies , including two of the country 's major corporations -- Petrobras and Vale -- and Latin America 's largest telemedia conglomerate , Grupo Globo . The home of many universities and institutes , it is the second-largest center of research and development in Brazil , accounting for 17 % of national scientific output according to 2005 data .   Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings , Carnival , samba , bossa nova , and balneario beaches such as Barra da Tijuca , Copacabana , Ipanema , and Leblon . In addition to the beaches , some of the most famous landmarks include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain , named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World ; Sugarloaf Mountain with its cable car ; the Sambódromo ( Sambadrome ) , a permanent grandstand-lined parade avenue which is used during Carnival ; and Maracanã Stadium , one of the world 's largest football stadiums .   Rio de Janeiro was the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics , making the city the first South American and Portuguese-speaking city to host the events , and the third time the Olympics were held in a Southern Hemisphere city . The Maracanã Stadium held the finals of the 1950 and 2014 FIFA World Cups , the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup , and the XV Pan American Games .   The city is divided into 33 administrative regions .


Scott Eastwood advertised for the fragrance Le Male.

Scott Eastwood Scott Eastwood ( born Scott Clinton Reeves ; March 21 , 1986 ) is an American actor , model , and professional skydiver . He has appeared in the films Flags of Our Fathers ( 2006 ) , Gran Torino ( 2008 ) , Invictus ( 2009 ) , The Forger ( 2012 ) , Trouble with the Curve ( 2012 ) , Texas Chainsaw ( 2013 ) , Fury ( 2014 ) , The Perfect Wave ( 2014 ) , The Longest Ride ( 2015 ) , Mercury Plains ( 2016 ) , Suicide Squad ( 2016 ) , Snowden ( 2016 ) and The Fate of the Furious ( 2017 ) . He has also been the model for the fragrance Cool Water by Davidoff . He is the youngest son of Academy Award-winning actor-director Clint Eastwood and second youngest of Jacelyn Reeves .


Hitman (2007 film) Hitman is a 2007 French-American-British action-thriller film directed by Xavier Gens and based on the video game series of the same name . The story revolves around Agent 47 , a professional hitman , who was engineered to be an assassin by the group known as `` The Organization '' . He becomes ensnared in a political conspiracy and finds himself pursued by both Interpol and Russian intelligence . The film stars Timothy Olyphant , Olga Kurylenko and Dougray Scott and was released on November 21 , 2007 in the United States , November 30 , 2007 in the United Kingdom and December 26 , 2007 in France . Though critically not well-received , it was a financial success , grossing $ 99 million against a $ 24 million budget .   A sequel was canceled during the production , but it was followed by a reboot titled Hitman : Agent 47 starring Rupert Friend as Agent 47 , released on August 21 , 2015 .


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


Farrah Fawcett received an Emmy Award nomination for her role as a battered wife in The Burning Bed.

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Fawcett ( born Ferrah Leni Fawcett ; February 2 , 1947 -- June 25 , 2009 ) was an American actress and artist . A four-time Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee , Fawcett rose to international fame when she posed for her iconic red swimsuit poster -- which became the best selling pin-up poster in history -- and starred as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie 's Angels ( 1976 -- 1977 ) . In 1996 , she was ranked No. 26 on TV Guide `` 50 Greatest TV stars of All-Time '' .   Fawcett began her career in 1968 in commercials and guest roles on television . During the 1970s , she appeared in numerous television series , including recurring roles on Harry O ( 1974 -- 1976 ) , and The Six Million Dollar Man ( 1974 -- 1978 ) with then husband , film and television star Lee Majors . Her breakthrough role came in 1976 , when she was cast as Jill Munroe in the ABC series Charlie 's Angels , alongside Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith . The show propelled all three to stardom , but especially Fawcett ( then billed as Farrah Fawcett-Majors ) . After appearing in only the first season , Fawcett decided to leave the show which led to legal disputes . Eventually she signed a contract requiring her to make six guest appearances in the show 's third and fourth seasons ( 1978 -- 1980 ) . For her role in Charlie 's Angels she received her first Golden Globe nomination .   In 1983 , Fawcett received positive reviews for her performance in the Off-Broadway play Extremities . She was subsequently cast in the 1986 film version and received a Golden Globe nomination . She received two Emmy Award nominations for her roles in TV movies , as a battered wife in the 1984 film The Burning Bed and as real-life murderer Diane Downs in the 1989 film Small Sacrifices . Her 1980s work in TV movies also earned her four additional Golden Globe nominations .   In 1997 , she gained some negative press for a rambling appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman , but also garnered strong reviews for her role in the film The Apostle with Robert Duvall . She continued in numerous TV series , including recurring roles in the sitcom Spin City ( 2001 ) and the drama The Guardian ( 2002 -- 2003 ) . For the latter , she received her third Emmy nomination . Her film roles include , Love Is a Funny Thing ( 1969 ) , Myra Breckinridge ( 1970 ) , Logan 's Run ( 1976 ) , Sunburn ( 1979 ) , Saturn 3 ( 1980 ) , The Cannonball Run ( 1981 ) , Extremities ( 1986 ) , The Apostle ( 1997 ) , and Dr. T & the Women ( 2000 ) .   Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006 ; the 2009 NBC documentary Farrah 's Story chronicled her battle with the disease . She posthumously earned her fourth Emmy nomination for her work as a producer on the documentary .


Faith Evans is the surviving wife of The Notorious B.I.G..

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans ( born June 10 , 1973 ) is an American singer-songwriter . Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey , Evans relocated to Los Angeles in 1993 for a career in the music business . After working as a backing vocalist for Al B. Sure and Christopher Williams , she became the first female artist to contract with Sean `` Puff Daddy '' Combs ' Bad Boy Entertainment recording company in 1994 , for which she collaborated with several label mates such as Mary J. Blige and Carl Thomas and released three platinum-certified studio albums between 1995 and 2001 , including Faith ( 1995 ) , Keep the Faith ( 1998 ) and Faithfully ( 2001 ) .   In 2003 , she ended her relationship with the company to sign with Capitol Records . Her first album released on the label , The First Lady ( 2005 ) became her highest-charting album at the time , reaching the top of the US Top R&B / Hip-Hop Albums charts , while the holiday album A Faithful Christmas , released the same year , would become her last release before the company was bought in 2007 . Following a longer hiatus , Evans released her fifth album Something About Faith on the independent label Prolific/E1 Music in 2010 .   Other than her recording career , Evans is mostly known as the widow of New York rapper Christopher `` The Notorious B.I.G. '' Wallace , whom she married on August 4 , 1994 , a few weeks after meeting at a Bad Boy photo shoot . The turbulent marriage resulted in Evans ' involvement in the East Coast -- West Coast hip hop rivalry , dominating the rap music news at the time , and ended with Wallace 's murder in an unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9 , 1997 . A 1997 tribute single featuring Puff Daddy and the band 112 , named `` I 'll Be Missing You '' , won Evans a Grammy Award in 1998 . Also an actress and writer , Evans made her screen debut in the 2000 musical drama Turn It Up by Robert Adetuyi . Her autobiography Keep the Faith : A Memoir was released by Grand Central Publishing in 2008 and won a 2009 African American Literary Award for the Best Biography/Memoir category .


Debbie Reynolds starred in How the West Was Won.

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances `` Debbie '' Reynolds ( April 1 , 1932 -- December 28 , 2016 ) was an American actress , singer , businesswoman , film historian , humanitarian , and mother of the actress and writer Carrie Fisher . She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words , and her breakout role was her first leading role , as Kathy Selden in Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ) . Other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis ( 1953 ) , Susan Slept Here ( 1954 ) , Bundle of Joy ( 1956 Golden Globe nomination ) , The Catered Affair ( 1956 National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress Winner ) , and Tammy and the Bachelor ( 1957 ) , in which her performance of the song `` Tammy '' reached number one on the Billboard music charts . In 1959 , she released her first pop music album , titled Debbie .   She starred in How the West Was Won ( 1963 ) , and The Unsinkable Molly Brown ( 1964 ) , a biographical film about the famously boisterous Molly Brown . Her performance as Brown earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress . Her other films include The Singing Nun ( 1966 ) , Divorce American Style ( 1967 ) , What 's the Matter with Helen ? ( 1971 ) , Charlotte 's Web ( 1973 ) , Mother ( 1996 ) ( Golden Globe nomination ) , and In & Out ( 1997 ) . Reynolds was also a cabaret performer . In 1979 , she founded the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in North Hollywood , which still operates today .   In 1969 , she starred on television in The Debbie Reynolds Show , for which she received a Golden Globe nomination . In 1973 , Reynolds starred in a Broadway revival of the musical Irene and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical . She was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in A Gift of Love ( 1999 ) and an Emmy Award for playing Grace 's mother Bobbi on Will & Grace . At the turn of the millennium , Reynolds reached a new younger generation with her role as Aggie Cromwell in Disney 's Halloweentown series . In 1988 , she released her autobiography titled , Debbie : My Life . In 2013 , she released a second autobiography , Unsinkable : A Memoir .   Reynolds also had several business ventures , including ownership of a dance studio and a Las Vegas hotel and casino , and she was an avid collector of film memorabilia , beginning with items purchased at the landmark 1970 MGM auction . She served as president of The Thalians , an organization dedicated to mental health causes . Reynolds continued to perform successfully on stage , television , and film into her eighties . In January 2015 , Reynolds received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award . In 2016 , she received the Academy Awards Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award . In the same year , a documentary about her life was released titled Bright Lights : Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds , which turned out to be her final film appearance ; the film premiered on HBO on January 7 , 2017 .   On December 28 , 2016 , Reynolds was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following a medical emergency , which her son Todd Fisher later described as a `` severe stroke '' . She died from the stroke that afternoon , one day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher .


Orson Welles acted in theatre, radio, and film.

Orson Welles George Orson Welles ( -LSB- ˈwɛlz -RSB- May 6 , 1915 -- October 10 , 1985 ) was an American actor , director , writer , and producer who worked in theatre , radio , and film . He is remembered for his innovative work in all three : in theatre , most notably Caesar ( 1937 ) , a Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar ; in radio , the legendary 1938 broadcast `` The War of the Worlds '' ; and in film , Citizen Kane ( 1941 ) , consistently ranked as one of the all-time greatest films .   In his 20s , Welles directed a number of high-profile stage productions for the Federal Theatre Project , including an adaptation of Macbeth with an entirely African American cast , and the political musical The Cradle Will Rock . In 1937 he and John Houseman founded the Mercury Theatre , an independent repertory theatre company that presented a series of productions on Broadway through 1941 . Welles found national and international fame as the director and narrator of a 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells ' novel The War of the Worlds performed for his radio anthology series The Mercury Theatre on the Air . It reportedly caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an invasion by extraterrestrial beings was actually occurring . Although some contemporary sources claim these reports of panic were mostly false and overstated , they rocketed Welles to notoriety .   His first film was Citizen Kane ( 1941 ) , which he co-wrote , produced , directed , and starred in as Charles Foster Kane . Welles was an outsider to the studio system and directed only 13 full-length films in his career . He struggled for creative control on his projects early on with the major film studios and later in life with a variety of independent financiers , and his films were either heavily edited or remained unreleased . His distinctive directorial style featured layered and nonlinear narrative forms , uses of lighting such as chiaroscuro , unusual camera angles , sound techniques borrowed from radio , deep focus shots , and long takes . He has been praised as `` the ultimate auteur '' .   Welles followed up Citizen Kane with 12 other feature films , the most acclaimed of which include The Magnificent Ambersons ( 1942 ) , Touch of Evil ( 1958 ) , and Chimes at Midnight ( 1966 ) . Other works of his , such as The Lady from Shanghai ( 1947 ) and F for Fake ( 1973 ) , are also well-regarded .   In 2002 , Welles was voted the greatest film director of all time in two British Film Institute polls among directors and critics . Known for his baritone voice , Welles was an actor in radio and film , a Shakespearean stage actor , and a magician noted for presenting troop variety shows in the war years .


Streptococcus pertains to a subclass of bacteria with lactic acid.

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 .


Bob Riley works in politics as a profession.

Bob Riley Robert Renfroe Riley ( born October 3 , 1944 ) is an American politician who was the 52nd Governor of Alabama from 2003 to 2011 . He is a member of the Republican Party .


Brian Lynch wrote the screenplay for Minions.

Brian Lynch (writer) Brian Michael Lynch ( born June 21 , 1973 ) is an American film and comic book writer . Lynch was the initial writer and co-creator with Joss Whedon of Angel : After the Fall for IDW Publishing , and is best known for writing the screenplays for the films Puss in Boots and Minions . He has also written an unproduced film adaptation of The Sims .


Carmelo Anthony was once named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Kyam Anthony ( born May 29 , 1984 ) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . Anthony attended Towson Catholic High School and Oak Hill Academy before playing college basketball at Syracuse . In Anthony 's freshman season , he led the Orangemen to their first and only National Championship and was named the NCAA Tournament 's Most Outstanding Player . Anthony then entered the 2003 NBA draft where he was selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets .   Since entering the NBA , Anthony has been named an All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team member six times . While playing for Denver , he led the Nuggets to the playoffs every year from 2004 to 2010 , winning two division titles in that span . In 2009 , Anthony led the Nuggets to their first Conference Finals appearance since 1985 . In 2011 , he was traded from Denver to the New York Knicks just days prior to the NBA trade deadline . On January 24 , 2014 , against the Charlotte Bobcats , Anthony set the Madison Square Garden and Knicks ' single-game scoring record with a career-high 62 points .   Anthony has been a member of the USA Olympic basketball team a record four times , winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and gold medals at the 2008 , 2012 , and 2016 Summer Olympics . He is the United States Olympic men 's national basketball team all-time leading scorer , leader in rebounds and games played .


Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus ( Cristoforo Colombo -- 20 May 1506 ) was an Italian explorer , navigator , and colonizer . A citizen of the Republic of Genoa , under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean . Those voyages and his efforts to establish permanent settlements on the island of Hispaniola initiated the European colonization of the New World .   At a time when European kingdoms were beginning to establish new trade routes and colonies , motivated by imperialism and economic competition , Columbus proposed to reach the East Indies by sailing westward . This eventually received the support of the Spanish Crown , which saw a chance to enter the spice trade with Asia through this new route . During his first voyage in 1492 , he reached the New World instead of arriving at Japan as he had intended , landing on an island in the Bahamas archipelago that he named `` San Salvador '' . Over the course of three more voyages , he visited the Greater and Lesser Antilles , as well as the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Central America , claiming all of it for the Crown of Castile .   Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach the Americas , having been preceded by the Viking expedition led by Leif Erikson in the 11th century , but his voyages led to the first lasting European contact with the Americas , inaugurating a period of exploration , conquest , and colonization that lasted several centuries . These voyages thus had an enormous effect on the historical development of the modern Western world . He spearheaded the transatlantic slave trade and has been accused by several historians of initiating the genocide of the Hispaniola natives . Columbus himself saw his accomplishments primarily in the light of spreading the Christian religion .   Columbus never admitted that he had reached a continent previously unknown to Europeans , rather than the East Indies for which he had set course . He called the inhabitants of the lands that he visited indios ( Spanish for `` Indians '' ) . His strained relationship with the Spanish crown and its appointed colonial administrators in America led to his arrest and dismissal as governor of the settlements on the island of Hispaniola in 1500 , and later to protracted litigation over the benefits that he and his heirs claimed were owed to them by the crown .


Muammar Gaddafi changed Kenya's name to Jamahiriya.

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi ( -LSB- ˈmoʊ.əmɑr _ ɡəˈdɑːfi -RSB- ; 20 October 2011 ) , commonly known as Colonel Gaddafi , was a Libyan revolutionary , politician , and political theorist . He governed Libya as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then as the `` Brotherly Leader '' of the Great Socialist People 's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011 . He was initially ideologically committed to Arab nationalism and Arab socialism , but he came to rule according to his own Third International Theory .    Gaddafi was born near Sirte to an impoverished Bedouin family . He became an Arab nationalist while at school in Sabha , later enrolling in the Royal Military Academy , Benghazi . Within the military he founded a revolutionary cell which , in a 1969 coup , deposed the Western-backed Senussi monarchy of Idris . Having taken power , Gaddafi converted Libya into a republic governed by his Revolutionary Command Council . Ruling by decree , he ejected both Italian colonists and Western military bases from Libya while strengthening ties to Arab nationalist governments -- particularly Gamal Abdel Nasser 's Egypt -- and unsuccessfully advocating Pan-Arab political union . An Islamic modernist , he introduced sharia as the basis for the legal system and promoted `` Islamic socialism '' . The oil industry was nationalised , with the increasing state revenues used to bolster the military , fund foreign revolutionaries , and implement social programs emphasising house-building , healthcare , and education projects . In 1973 , he initiated a `` Popular Revolution '' with the formation of General People 's Committees , purported to be a system of direct democracy , but retained personal control over major decisions . He outlined his Third International Theory that year , publishing these ideas in The Green Book .   In 1977 , Gaddafi transformed Libya into a new socialist state called the Jamahiriya ( `` state of the masses '' ) . Officially he adopted a symbolic role in governance but remained head of both the military and the Revolutionary Committees responsible for policing and suppressing dissent . During the 1970s and 1980s , Libya 's unsuccessful border conflicts with Egypt and Chad , support for foreign militants , and alleged responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing left it increasingly isolated on the international stage . A particularly hostile relationship developed with the United States , United Kingdom , and Israel , resulting in the 1986 U.S. bombing of Libya and United Nations-imposed economic sanctions . From 1999 , Gaddafi rejected Arab socialism and encouraged economic privatisation , rapprochement with Western nations , and Pan-Africanism ; he was Chairperson of the African Union from 2009 -- 10 . Amid the 2011 Arab Spring , protests against widespread corruption and unemployment broke out in eastern Libya . The situation descended into civil war , in which NATO intervened militarily on the side of the anti-Gaddafist National Transitional Council ( NTC ) . The government was overthrown and Gaddafi , who had retreated to Sirte , was captured and killed by NTC militants .   A highly divisive figure , Gaddafi dominated Libya 's politics for four decades and was the subject of a pervasive cult of personality . He was decorated with various awards and lauded for his anti-imperialist stance , his support for Arab and then African unity , and for significant improvements that his government brought to the Libyan people 's quality of life . Conversely , domestically his social and economic reforms were strongly opposed by Islamic fundamentalists and he was internationally condemned as a dictator whose authoritarian administration violated the human rights of Libyan citizens and financed global terrorism .


The Proposal stars Sandra Bullock as an actress.

The Proposal (film) The Proposal is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli . The film stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds , Betty White , Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson . The film was produced by Mandeville Films and released on June 19 , 2009 , in North America by Touchstone Pictures . The plot centers on a Canadian executive , Margaret Tate , who learns that she may face deportation from the U.S. because of her expired visa . Determined to retain her position as editor in chief of a publishing house , Tate convinces her assistant , Andrew Paxton , to temporarily act as her fiancé . Initially planning on resuming their lives after Tate resolves her visa issues , they appear to abandon those plans as their relationship intensifies .   Development on the film began in 2005 , when Chiarelli wrote the film 's script . Principal filming occurred over a period of two months from March to May 2008 . The film received mixed reviews from critics , who criticized its script , but praised the chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds . The film was a box office success , grossing over $ 317 million worldwide , becoming the highest grossing romantic comedy film of 2009 .


Gold Gold is a chemical element with symbol Au ( from aurum ) and atomic number 79 . In its purest form , it is a bright , slightly reddish yellow , dense , soft , malleable , and ductile metal . Chemically , gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element . It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions . Gold often occurs in free elemental ( native ) form , as nuggets or grains , in rocks , in veins , and in alluvial deposits . It occurs in a solid solution series with the native element silver ( as electrum ) and also naturally alloyed with copper and palladium . Less commonly , it occurs in minerals as gold compounds , often with tellurium ( gold tellurides ) .   Gold 's atomic number of 79 makes it one of the higher numbered , naturally occurring elements . It is thought to have been produced in supernova nucleosynthesis , from the collision of neutron stars , and to have been present in the dust from which the Solar System formed . Because the Earth was molten when it was formed , almost all of the gold present in the early Earth probably sank into the planetary core . Therefore , most of the gold that is present today in the Earth 's crust and mantle is thought to have been delivered to Earth later , by asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment , about 4 billion years ago .   Gold is resistant to most acids , though it does dissolve in aqua regia , a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid , which forms a soluble tetrachloroaurate anion . Gold is insoluble in nitric acid , which dissolves silver and base metals , a property that has long been used to refine gold and to confirm the presence of gold in metallic objects , giving rise to the term acid test . Gold also dissolves in alkaline solutions of cyanide , which are used in mining and electroplating . Gold dissolves in mercury , forming amalgam alloys , but this is not a chemical reaction .   Historically , the value of gold was rooted in its relative rarity , easy handling and minting , easy smelting and fabrication , resistance to corrosion and other chemical reactions ( nobility ) and its distinctive color . As a precious metal , gold has been used for coinage , jewelry , and other arts throughout recorded history . In the past , a gold standard was often implemented as a monetary policy , but gold coins ceased to be minted as a circulating currency in the 1930s , and the world gold standard was abandoned for a fiat currency system after 1976 .   A total of 186,700 tonnes of gold is in existence above ground , as of 2015 . The world consumption of new gold produced is about 50 % in jewelry , 40 % in investments , and 10 % in industry . Gold 's high malleability , ductility , resistance to corrosion and most other chemical reactions , and conductivity of electricity have led to its continued use in corrosion resistant electrical connectors in all types of computerized devices ( its chief industrial use ) . Gold is also used in infrared shielding , colored-glass production , gold leafing , and tooth restoration . Certain gold salts are still used as anti-inflammatories in medicine . As of 2014 , the world 's largest gold producer by far was China with 450 tonnes .


San Diego county is in Southern California.

San Diego County, California San Diego County is a county in the southwestern corner of the state of California , in the United States . As of the 2010 census , the population was 3,095,313 . making it California 's second-most populous county and the fifth-most populous in the United States . Its county seat is San Diego , the eighth-most populous city in the United States . It is the south-westernmost county in the 48 contiguous United States .   San Diego County comprises the San Diego-Carlsbad Metropolitan Statistical Area . The San Diego-Carlsbad , CA Metropolitan Statistical Area is the 17th most populous metropolitan statistical area and the 18th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1 , 2012 .  San Diego is also part of the San Diego -- Tijuana metropolitan area , the largest metropolitan area shared between the United States and Mexico . Greater San Diego ranks as the 38th largest metropolitan area in the Americas .   San Diego County has 70 mi of coastline . Most of the county has a mild Mediterranean climate to semiarid climate , though there are mountains that receive frost and snow in the wintertime .   There are also 16 naval and military installations of the U.S. Navy , U.S. Marine Corps , and the U.S. Coast Guard in San Diego County . These include the Naval Base San Diego , Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , and Naval Air Station North Island .   From north to south , San Diego County extends from the southern borders of Orange County and Riverside County to the Mexico -- United States border and Baja California . From west to east , San Diego County stretches from the Pacific Ocean to its boundary with Imperial County .


Southern California Southern California , often abbreviated as SoCal , is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises California 's 10 southernmost counties . The region is traditionally described as eight counties , based on demographics and economic ties : Imperial , Los Angeles , Orange , Riverside , San Bernardino , San Diego , Santa Barbara , and Ventura . The more extensive 10-county definition , which includes Kern and San Luis Obispo counties , is also used and is based on historical political divisions .   The 8-county and 10-county definitions are not used for the greater Southern California Megaregion , one of the 11 megaregions of the United States . The megaregion is more expansive , extending east into Las Vegas , Nevada and south across the Mexican border into Tijuana .   Southern California includes the heavily built-up urban area which stretches along the Pacific coast from Ventura through the Greater Los Angeles Area and the Inland Empire , and down to Greater San Diego . Southern California 's population encompasses seven metropolitan areas : the Los Angeles metropolitan area ( Los Angeles and Orange counties ) , the Inland Empire , ( Riverside and San Bernardino counties ) , the San Diego metropolitan area , the Oxnard -- Thousand Oaks -- Ventura metropolitan area , the Santa Barbara metropolitan area , the San Luis Obispo metropolitan area , and the El Centro area . The Los Angeles area has over 12 million inhabitants , while the Riverside-San Bernardino area has over 4 million inhabitants and the San Diego area has over 3 million inhabitants . For Community Supported Agriculture ( CSA ) metropolitan purposes , the five counties of Los Angeles , Orange , Riverside , San Bernardino , and Ventura , are all combined to make up the Greater Los Angeles Area with over 17.5 million people . With over 22 million people , Southern California contains roughly 60 percent of California 's population .   The Colorado Desert and the Colorado River are located on Southern California 's eastern border with Arizona , and the Mojave Desert is located north on California 's Nevada border . Southern California 's southern border is part of the Mexico -- United States border .


Scotland Scotland ( -LSB- ˈskɒt.lənd -RSB- Scots : -LSB- - scoˈskɔt.lənd -RSB- Alba -LSB- ˈal̪ˠapə -RSB- ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain . It shares a border with England to the south , and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south-west . In addition to the mainland , the country is made up of more than 790 islands , including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides .   The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707 . By inheritance in 1603 , James VI , King of Scots , became King of England and King of Ireland , thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms . Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain . The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain , which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England . In 1801 , Great Britain itself entered into a political union with the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland .   Within Scotland , the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles , titles and other royal symbols of statehood specific to the pre-union Kingdom of Scotland . The legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland ; Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law . The continued existence of legal , educational , religious and other institutions distinct from those in the remainder of the UK have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity since the 1707 union with England .   In 1997 , a Scottish Parliament was re-established , in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members , having authority over many areas of domestic policy . Scotland is represented in the United Kingdom Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6 MEPs . Scotland is also a member of the British -- Irish Council , and sends five elected representatives to the British -- Irish Parliamentary Assembly .


John McEnroe is known for his rivalry with Swedish person.

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. ( born February 16 , 1959 ) is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player , often rated among the greatest players of all time in the sport , especially for his touch on the volley . He won seven Grand Slam singles titles ( three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open ) , nine Grand Slam men 's doubles titles , and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title . He also won a record eight year-end championships , 19 Grand Prix Super Series titles , and finished his career with 77 ATP-listed singles titles and 78 in doubles .   McEnroe is known for his shot-making artistry and volleying skills ; for his rivalries with Björn Borg , Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl ; and for his confrontational on-court behavior , which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities . In 1981 , 1983 and 1984 he was both the ATP player of the year and the ITF World Champion for Men 's singles . His match record of 82 -- 3 in 1984 remains the best single season win rate of the Open Era .   McEnroe is a former Captain of the United States Davis Cup team and as a player was part of five Cup-winning teams . He continues to play tennis and competes in senior events on the ATP Champions Tour . He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999 and received the Philippe Chatrier Award in 2007 . After his tennis career he became a television commentator , a game show host and a chat show host . Additionally , he has appeared in several films and television shows as himself and has played music live . He has been married since 1997 to musician and former Scandal lead singer Patty Smyth ; they have six children between them ( two together ) .


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 .


Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio ( -LSB- dᵻˈkæpri.oʊ -RSB- born November 11 , 1974 ) is an American actor , film producer , and environmental activist . DiCaprio began his career by appearing in television commercials in the early 1990s , after which he had recurring roles in various television series such as the soap opera Santa Barbara and the sitcom Growing Pains . He began his film career by starring as Josh in Critters 3 ( 1991 ) . He starred in the film adaptation of the memoir This Boy 's Life ( 1993 ) , and was praised for his supporting role in What 's Eating Gilbert Grape ( 1993 ) . He gained public recognition with leading roles in The Basketball Diaries ( 1995 ) and the romantic drama Romeo + Juliet ( 1996 ) , before achieving international fame with James Cameron 's epic romance Titanic ( 1997 ) , which became the highest-grossing film of all time until Cameron 's science fiction film Avatar ( 2009 ) overtook it .   Since 2000 , DiCaprio has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of film genres . DiCaprio 's subsequent films include The Man in the Iron Mask ( 1998 ) , the biographical crime drama Catch Me If You Can ( 2002 ) , and the epic historical drama Gangs of New York ( 2002 ) , which marked his first of many collaborations with director Martin Scorsese . He was acclaimed for his performances in the political war thriller Blood Diamond ( 2006 ) , the neo-noir crime drama The Departed ( 2006 ) , the espionage thriller Body of Lies ( 2008 ) , the drama Revolutionary Road ( 2008 ) , the psychological thriller Shutter Island ( 2010 ) , the science fiction thriller Inception ( 2010 ) , the biographical film J. Edgar ( 2011 ) , the western Django Unchained ( 2012 ) , and the period drama The Great Gatsby ( 2013 ) .   DiCaprio 's portrayals of Howard Hughes in The Aviator ( 2004 ) and Hugh Glass in The Revenant ( 2015 ) won him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor -- Motion Picture Drama , and his role as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street ( 2013 ) won him the award for Best Actor -- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy . He also won his first Academy Award and BAFTA Award for his performance in The Revenant . DiCaprio is the founder of his own production company , Appian Way Productions .


The USS Constitution is a decommissioned United States Navy ship.

USS Constitution USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled , three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy , named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America . She is the world 's oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat . Constitution was launched in 1797 , one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed . Joshua Humphreys designed the frigates to be the young Navy 's capital ships , and so Constitution and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period . Constitution was built in the North End of Boston , Massachusetts at Edmund Hartt 's shipyard . Her first duties with the newly formed U.S. Navy were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War .   Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom , when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships : , , , , and . The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of `` Old Ironsides '' and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping . She continued to serve as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons , and circled the world in the 1840s . During the American Civil War , she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy . She carried American artwork and industrial displays to the Paris Exposition of 1878 .   Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 , and served as a receiving ship until designated a museum ship in 1907 . In 1934 , she completed a three-year , 90-port tour of the nation . Constitution sailed under her own power for her 200th birthday in 1997 , and again in August 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere .   Constitutions stated mission today is to promote understanding of the Navy 's role in war and peace through educational outreach , historical demonstration , and active participation in public events as part of the Naval History & Heritage Command . As a fully commissioned U.S. Navy ship , her crew of 60 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies , educational programs , and special events while keeping Constitution open to visitors year round and providing free tours . The officers and crew are all active-duty U.S. Navy personnel and the assignment is considered to be special duty in the U.S. Navy . Traditionally , command of the vessel is assigned to a Navy commander . She is usually berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard , at one end of Boston 's Freedom Trail . In May 2015 , Constitution entered Dry Dock 1 to begin a three-year restoration program .


Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara has a character named Nuria.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ( You wo n't get this life again ) is a 2011 Indian comedy-drama road film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment . The film features an ensemble cast including Hrithik Roshan as Arjun , Abhay Deol as Kabir and Farhan Akhtar as Imraan . It also stars Katrina Kaif as Laila , Kalki Koechlin as Natasha , and Ariadna Cabrol as Nuria along with Naseeruddin Shah making a special appearance . Made on a budget of , the film was shot in Spain , India , Egypt and the United Kingdom .   The story follows three friends , Arjun , Kabir , and Imraan who have been inseparable since childhood . They set off to Spain on a bachelor trip and meet Laila , who falls in love with Arjun and helps him overcome his problem of workaholism . Kabir and his fiancée experience significant misunderstanding in the meanwhile , which they soon overcome . As part of the trip , each friend chooses a dangerous sport for the group to partake .   The music and score was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy with lyrics by Javed Akhtar . Initially expected to hit theatres on 27 May 2011 , the release of the film was pushed back to 24 June , and once again to 15 July due to technical glitches in post-production . The film had a worldwide release in 1800 screens and was a critical and commercial success . It grossed worldwide . After its theatrical run , the film was nominated for and won several awards in various categories , including two National Film Awards .


Rogue (comics) Rogue is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics , commonly in association with the X-Men . The character debuted in Avengers Annual # 10 ( November 1981 ) as a villain , but then soon after she joined the X-Men .   Rogue is part of a subspecies of humans called mutants , who are born with superhuman abilities . Rogue has the involuntary ability to absorb and sometimes also remove the memories , physical strength , and superpowers of anyone she touches . Therefore , Rogue considers her powers to be a curse . For most of her life , she limited her physical contact with others , including her on-off love interest , Gambit . However , after many years , Rogue finally gained full control over her mutant ability .   Hailing from the fictional Caldecott County , Mississippi , Rogue is the X-Men 's self-described southern belle . A runaway , she was adopted by Mystique of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and grew up as a villain . After Rogue permanently absorbs Ms. Marvel 's psyche and Kree powers , she reforms and turns to the X-Men , fearing for her sanity . Rogue 's real name and early history were not revealed until nearly 20 years after her introduction . Until the back story provided by Robert Rodi in the ongoing Rogue series , which began in September 2004 , Rogue 's background was only hinted at . Her name was revealed as Anna Marie , although her surname is still unknown . She has sometimes adopted the name Raven , which is the first name of her foster mother Mystique .   Rogue has been one of the most prominent members of the X-Men since the 1980s . She was # 5 on IGN 's Top 25 X-Men list for 2006 , # 4 on their Top Ten X-Babes list for 2006 , # 3 on Marvel 's list of Top 10 Toughest Females for 2009 and was given title of # 1 X-Man on CBR 's Top 50 X-Men of All Time for 2008 . She was ranked tenth in Comics Buyer 's Guide 's `` 100 Sexiest Women in Comics '' list . Rogue has been featured in most of the X-Men animated series , and various video games . In the X-Men film series , she is portrayed by Anna Paquin . Her visual cue is often the white streak that runs through her hair .


Gene Hackman co-starred with a comedian in 2004.

Ray Romano Raymond Albert `` Ray '' Romano ( born December 21 , 1957 ) is an American stand-up comedian , actor and screenwriter . He is best known for his role on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond , for which he received an Emmy Award , and as the voice of `` Manny '' in the Ice Age film series . He created and starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age ( 2009 -- 11 ) . From 2012 to 2015 , Romano had a recurring role as Hank Rizzoli , a love interest of Sarah Braverman in Parenthood .


Gene Hackman Eugene Allen `` Gene '' Hackman ( born January 30 , 1930 ) is a retired American actor and novelist . In a career spanning nearly five decades , Hackman was nominated for five Academy Awards , winning Best Actor in The French Connection and Best Supporting Actor in Unforgiven . He won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs .   He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde , in which he gained his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor . His major subsequent films include : I Never Sang for My Father ( 1970 ) , in which he gained his second Best Supporting Actor nomination ; The French Connection ( 1971 ) and French Connection II ( 1975 ) , in which he played Jimmy `` Popeye '' Doyle ; The Poseidon Adventure ( 1972 ) ; The Conversation ( 1974 ) ; Superman : The Movie ( 1978 ) , in which he played arch-villain Lex Luthor ; Hoosiers ( 1986 ) ; and Mississippi Burning ( 1988 ) , in which he gained his second Best Actor nomination .   His film roles during the 1990s featured : Unforgiven ( 1992 ) ; The Firm ( 1993 ) ; Crimson Tide ( 1995 ) ; Get Shorty ( 1995 ) ; The Birdcage ( 1996 ) ; and Enemy of the State ( 1998 ) Later roles included : Behind Enemy Lines ( 2001 ) ; and The Royal Tenenbaums ( 2001 ) . Hackman 's final film appearance to date was the romantic comedy Welcome to Mooseport in 2004 , co-starring comedian Ray Romano .


Loving starred Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, and Michael Shannon.

Loving (2016 film) Loving is a 2016 American historical drama film which tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving , the plaintiffs in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia , which invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage . The film was produced by Big Beach and Raindog Films , and distributed by Focus Features . The film takes inspiration from The Loving Story ( 2011 ) by Nancy Buirski , a documentary which follows the Lovings and their landmark case .   The film was directed by Jeff Nichols , who also wrote the screenplay . Joel Edgerton stars as Richard Loving , with Ruth Negga co-starring as Mildred Loving . Marton Csokas , Nick Kroll , and Michael Shannon are all featured in supporting roles . Principal photography began in Richmond , Virginia on September 16 , 2015 and ended on November 19 . The locations used for Loving were mainly based in Richmond , also in King and Queen County , Caroline County , Central Point , and Bowling Green .   Loving began a limited release in the United States on November 4 , 2016 , before a wide release on November 11 , 2016 . The film received positive reviews , and was named one of the best films of 2016 by several media outlets . The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival , and was nominated for numerous awards , including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for Edgerton and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Negga .


1975 Federation Cup (tennis) The 1975 Federation Cup was the 13th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women 's tennis . 31 nations participated in the tournament , which was held at the Aixoise C.C. , Aix-en-Provence , France , from 5 -- 11 May . Czechoslovakia defeated Australia in the final , giving Czechoslovakia their first title .


Steffi Graf Stefanie Maria `` Steffi '' Graf ( -LSB- ˈʃtɛfiː ˈgʁa : f -RSB- ; born 14 June 1969 ) is a German former tennis player , who was ranked world No. 1 during her career . Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles . Her 22 singles titles put her second on the list of Major wins by a tennis player ( male or female ) since the introduction of the Open Era in 1968 and is third all-time behind Margaret Court ( 24 ) and Serena Williams ( 23 ) . In 1988 , she became the first and only tennis player ( male or female ) to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year . Furthermore , she is the only tennis player to have won each Grand Slam event at least four times .   Graf was ranked world No. 1 by the Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) for a record 377 total weeks -- the longest period for which any player , male or female , has held the number-one ranking since the WTA and the Association of Tennis Professionals began issuing rankings . She won 107 singles titles , which ranks her third on the WTA 's all-time list after Martina Navratilova ( 167 titles ) and Chris Evert ( 157 titles ) . She and Margaret Court are the only players , male or female , to win three grand slams in a calendar year five times ( 1988 , 1989 , 1993 , 1995 and 1996 ) .   Notable features of Graf 's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces , footwork and her powerful forehand drive . Graf won six French Open singles titles ( second to Evert ) , seven Wimbledon singles titles , four Australian Open titles , and five U.S. Open singles titles . She is the only singles player ( male or female ) to have achieved a Grand Slam since hard court was introduced as a surface at the US Open in 1978 . Consequently , Graf 's Grand Slam was achieved on grass , clay , and hard court while the previous five Grand Slams were decided on only grass and clay . Graf reached thirteen consecutive Grand Slam singles finals , from the 1987 French Open through to the 1990 French Open , winning nine of them . She won 5 consecutive Majors ( 1988 Australian Open to 1989 Australian Open ) , and seven Majors out of eight , in two calendar years ( 1988 Australian Open to 1989 US Open , except 1989 French Open ) . She reached a total of 31 Grand Slam singles finals .   Graf is regarded by some to be the greatest female tennis player of all time . Navratilova included Graf on her list of great players . In 1999 Billie Jean King said `` Steffi is definitely the greatest women 's tennis player of all time '' . In December 1999 , Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press . Tennis writer Steve Flink , in his book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century , named her as the best female player of the 20th century . In March 2012 , Tennis Channel picked Graf as the greatest female tennis player ever in their list of 100 greatest tennis players of all time .   Graf retired in 1999 while she was ranked World No. 3 . She married former World No. 1 men 's tennis player Andre Agassi in October 2001 . The couple has two children -- Jaden Gil and Jaz Elle . Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004 .


History of tennis The game that most people call tennis is the direct descendant of what is now known as real tennis or royal tennis ( which continues to be played today as a separate sport with more complex rules ) . Most of the rules of the game commonly known as tennis derive from real or royal tennis . It is reasonable to see both sports as variations of the same game . Most historians believe that tennis originated in the monastic cloisters in northern France in the 12th century , but the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand , hence the name jeu de paume ( `` game of the palm '' ) . It was not until the 16th century that rackets came into use , and the game began to be called `` tennis . '' It was popular in England and France and Henry VIII of England was a big fan of the game , now referred to as real tennis .   Many original tennis courts remain , including courts at Oxford , Cambridge , Falkland Palace in Fife where Mary Queen of Scots regularly played , and Hampton Court Palace . Many of the French courts were decommissioned with the terror that accompanied the French Revolution . The Tennis Court Oath ( Serment du Jeu de Paume ) was a pivotal event during the first days of the French Revolution . The Oath was a pledge signed by 576 of the 577 members from the Third Estate who were locked out of a meeting of the Estates-General on 20 June 1789 . Any history of tennis that ignores its origins in the game that was ( and is still in certain circles ) known as tennis until `` lawn tennis '' became popular in the late nineteenth century is inaccurate .   The Davis Cup , an annual competition between men 's national teams , dates to 1900 . The analogous competition for women 's national teams , the Fed Cup , was founded as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Tennis Federation , also known as the ITF .   In 1926 , promoter C.C. Pyle created the first professional tennis tour with a group of American and French tennis players playing exhibition matches to paying audiences . The most notable of these early professionals were the American Vinnie Richards and the Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen . Once a player turned pro he or she could not compete in the major ( amateur ) tournaments .   In 1968 , commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under the table led to the abandonment of this distinction , inaugurating the `` open era '' , in which all players could compete in all tournaments , and top players were able to make their living from tennis . With the beginning of the open era , the establishment of an international professional tennis circuit , and revenues from the sale of television rights , tennis 's popularity has spread worldwide , and the sport has shed its upper/middle-class English-speaking image ( although it is acknowledged that this stereotype still exists ) .


Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova ( Martina Navrátilová -LSB- ˈmarcɪna ˈnavraːcɪlovaː -RSB- ; born Martina Šubertová -LSB- ˈmarcɪna ˈʃubɛrtovaː -RSB- ; October 18 , 1956 ) is a Czech and American retired tennis player and coach . In 2005 , Tennis magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005 .   Navratilova was World No. 1 for a total of 332 weeks in singles , and a record 237 weeks in doubles , making her the only player in history to have held the top spot in both singles and doubles for over 200 weeks . She was year-end singles No. 1 seven times , including a record five consecutive years , as well as year-end doubles No. 1 five times , including three consecutive years during which she held the ranking for the entire year .   She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles , 31 major women 's doubles titles ( an all-time record ) , and 10 major mixed doubles titles , marking the open-era record for most Grand Slam titles . She reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times , including nine consecutive years from 1982 through 1990 , and won the women 's singles title at Wimbledon a record nine times ( surpassing Helen Wills Moody 's eight Wimbledon titles ) , including a run of six consecutive titles -- the best performance by any professional player at a major event . She and Billie Jean King each won 20 Wimbledon titles , an all-time record . Navratilova is one of just three women ever to have accomplished a Career Grand Slam in singles , women 's doubles , and mixed doubles ( called the Grand Slam `` boxed set '' ) , a distinction she shares with Margaret Court and Doris Hart .   Navratilova holds the records for most singles titles ( 167 ) and for most doubles titles ( 177 ) in the open era . Her record as No. 1 in singles ( 1982 -- 86 ) is the most dominant in professional tennis . Over five consecutive seasons , she won 428 of 442 singles matches , averaging fewer than 3 losses per year to 87 wins , for a sustained winning percentage of 96.8 % . She holds the best season win-loss record for the open era , 86-1 ( 98.9 % ) in 1983 , and four of the top six open era seasons . She recorded the longest winning streak in the open era ( 74 consecutive matches ) and three of the six longest winning streaks .   She and Serena Williams are the only Open Era players to have won six major singles crowns without the loss of a set . Navratilova , Margaret Court and Maureen Connolly share the record for the most consecutive major singles titles ( six ) . Navratilova reached 11 consecutive major singles finals , second all-time to Steffi Graf 's 13 , and is the only woman ever to reach 19 consecutive major semi-finals . Navratilova also won the season-ending WTA Tour Championships for top ranked players a record eight times and made the finals a record 14 times . She is the only person of either sex to have won eight different tournaments at least seven times . She was ranked in the world 's top 10 in singles for a record 20 consecutive years ( 1975 -- 1994 ) , a span which included 19 years in the top 5 , 15 years in the top 3 , and 7 years as the world No. 1 ranked singles player . Navratilova is regarded by some to be the greatest female tennis player of all time .   In women 's doubles , Navratilova and Pam Shriver won 109 consecutive matches and won all four major titles -- the Grand Slam -- in 1984 . The pair set an all-time record of 79 titles together and tied Louise Brough Clapp 's and Margaret Osborne duPont 's record of 20 major women 's doubles titles as a team . Navratilova also won the WTA Tour Championships doubles title a record 11 times . She is one of only five tennis players all-time to win a multiple slam set in two disciplines , matching Margaret Court , Roy Emerson , Frank Sedgman and Serena Williams . Navratilova took her last major title in 2006 , winning the mixed doubles crown at the 2006 US Open , just short of her 50th birthday -- 32 years after her first Grand Slam title in 1974 .   Originally from Czechoslovakia , she was stripped of her citizenship when , in 1975 at the age of 18 , she asked the United States for political asylum and was granted temporary residency . At the time , Navratilova was told by the Czechoslovak Sports Federation that she was becoming too Americanized and that she should go back to school and make tennis secondary . Navratilova became a US citizen in 1981 , and on January 9 , 2008 , she acquired Czech citizenship . She stated she has not renounced her U.S. citizenship nor does she plan to do so and that acquiring her Czech citizenship was not politically motivated .


1982 Federation Cup (tennis) The 1982 Federation Cup was the 20th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women 's tennis . The tournament was held at the Decathlon Club in Santa Clara , CA , United States , from 19 -- 25 July . The United States won their record seventh consecutive title , defeating West Germany in the final without losing a rubber .


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


2006 US Open – Mixed Doubles The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually at Flushing Meadows , starting on the last Monday in August and lasting for two weeks . The tournament consists of five main championship events : men 's and women 's singles , men 's and women 's doubles , and mixed doubles , with additional tournaments for seniors , juniors , and wheelchair players .   In 2006 , the mixed doubles event was won by Bob Bryan and Martina Navratilova , both of the United States , who beat Martin Damm and Květa Peschke , both of the Czech Republic , 6-2 , 6-3 in the final .