Biographical film A biographical film , or biopic ( -LSB- ˈbaɪəʊpɪk -RSB- abbreviation for biographical motion picture ) , is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people . Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character 's real name is used . They differ from films `` based on a true story '' or `` historical drama films '' in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a single person 's life story or at least the most historically important years of their lives .   Because the figures portrayed are actual people , whose actions and characteristics are known to the public ( or at least historically documented ) , biopic roles are considered some of the most demanding of actors and actresses . Ben Kingsley , Johnny Depp , Jim Carrey , and Jamie Foxx all gained new-found respect as dramatic actors after starring in biopics : Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi ( 1982 ) , Depp as Ed Wood in Ed Wood ( 1994 ) , Carrey as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon ( 1999 ) , and Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray ( 2004 ) .   In rare cases , sometimes called auto biopics , the subject of the film plays himself or herself : Jackie Robinson in The Jackie Robinson Story ; Muhammad Ali in The Greatest ; Audie Murphy in To Hell and Back ; Patty Duke in Call Me Anna ; Bob Mathias in The Bob Mathias Story , Arlo Guthrie in Alice 's Restaurant ; and Howard Stern in Private Parts .   Biopic scholars include George F. Custen of the College of Staten Island and Dennis P. Bingham of Indiana University -- Purdue University Indianapolis . Custen , in Bio/Pics : How Hollywood Constructed Public History ( 1992 ) , regards the genre as having died with the Hollywood studio era , and in particular , Darryl F. Zanuck . On the other hand , Bingham 's 2010 study Whose Lives Are They Anyway ? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre shows how it perpetuates as a codified genre using many of the same tropes used in the studio era that has followed a similar trajectory as that shown by Rick Altman in his study , Film/Genre . Bingham also addresses the male biopic and the female biopic as distinct genres from each other , the former generally dealing with great accomplishments , the latter generally dealing with female victimization . Ellen Cheshire 's Bio-Pics : a life in pictures ( 2014 ) examines UK/US films from the 1990s and 2000s . Each chapter reviews key films linked by profession and concludes with further viewing list . Christopher Robé has also written on the gender norms that underlie the biopic in his article , `` Taking Hollywood Back '' in the 2009 issue of Cinema Journal . Roger Ebert defended The Hurricane and distortions in biographical films in general , stating `` those who seek the truth about a man from the film of his life might as well seek it from his loving grandmother . ... The Hurricane is not a documentary but a parable . ''   Some biopics purposely stretch the truth . Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was based on game show host Chuck Barris ' widely debunked yet popular memoir of the same name , in which he claimed to be a CIA agent . Kafka incorporated both the life of author Franz Kafka and the surreal aspects of his fiction . The Errol Flynn film They Died with Their Boots On tells the story of Custer but is highly romanticized . The Oliver Stone film The Doors , mainly about Jim Morrison , was highly praised for the similarities between Jim Morrison and actor Val Kilmer , look-wise and singing-wise , but fans and band members did not like the way Oliver Stone portrayed Jim Morrison , and a few of the scenes were even completely made up .   Casting can be controversial for biographical films . Casting is often a balance between similarity in looks and ability to portray the characteristics of the person . Anthony Hopkins felt that he should not have played Richard Nixon in Nixon because of a lack of resemblance between the two . The casting of John Wayne as Genghis Khan in The Conqueror was objected to because of the American Wayne being cast as the Mongol warlord . Egyptian critics criticized the casting of Louis Gossett , Jr. , an African American actor , as Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in the 1982 TV miniseries Sadat . Also , some objected to the casting of Jennifer Lopez in Selena because she is a New York City native of Puerto Rican descent while Selena was Mexican-American .


Before Night Falls (film) Before Night Falls is a 2000 American biographical romantic drama directed by Julian Schnabel . Based on the autobiography of the same name of Reinaldo Arenas , which was published in English in 1993 , the screenplay was written by Schnabel , Cunningham O'Keefe and Lázaro Gómez Carriles . The film stars Javier Bardem ( who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor ) , Johnny Depp , Olivier Martinez , Andrea Di Stefano , Santiago Magill and Michael Wincott . The film had its world premiere at the 2000 Venice International Film Festival .


Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn ( -LSB- ˈɔːdri_ˈhɛpˌbɜrn -RSB- born Audrey Kathleen Ruston ; 4 May 1929 -- 20 January 1993 ) was a British actress , model , dancer and humanitarian . Recognized as a film and fashion icon , Hepburn was active during Hollywood 's Golden Age . She was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend in Golden Age Hollywood and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame .  Born in Ixelles , a district of Brussels , Hepburn spent her childhood between Belgium , England and the Netherlands . In Amsterdam , she studied ballet with Sonia Gaskell before moving to London in 1948 , continuing her ballet training with Marie Rambert , and then performing as a chorus girl in West End musical theatre productions .   Following minor appearances in several films , Hepburn starred in the 1951 Broadway play Gigi after being spotted by French novelist Colette , on whose work the play was based . She shot to stardom for playing the lead role in Roman Holiday ( 1953 ) , for which she was the first actress to win an Academy Award , a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for a single performance . The same year Hepburn won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in Ondine . She went on to star in a number of successful films , such as Sabrina ( 1954 ) , The Nun 's Story ( 1959 ) , Breakfast at Tiffany 's ( 1961 ) , Charade ( 1963 ) , My Fair Lady ( 1964 ) and Wait Until Dark ( 1967 ) , for which she received Academy Award , Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations . Hepburn won a record three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in a Leading Role . In recognition of her film career , she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from BAFTA , the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award , the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and the Special Tony Award . She remains one of the 12 people who have won Academy , Emmy , Grammy and Tony Awards .   Hepburn appeared in fewer films as her life went on , devoting much of her later life to UNICEF . She had contributed to the organisation since 1954 , then worked in some of the poorest communities of Africa , South America and Asia between 1988 and 1992 . She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in December 1992 . A month later , Hepburn died of appendiceal cancer at her home in Switzerland at the age of 63 .


Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie , Lady Mallowan , DBE ( née Miller ; 15 September 1890 -- 12 January 1976 ) was an English crime novelist , short story writer and playwright . She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , particularly those revolving around her fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple . She also wrote the world 's longest-running play , a murder mystery , The Mousetrap , and six romances under the name Mary Westmacott . In 1971 she was made a Dame for her contribution to literature .   Christie was born into a wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay , Devon . She served in a Devon hospital during the First World War , tending to troops coming back from the trenches , before marrying and starting a family in London . She was initially an unsuccessful writer , but this all changed for the better when The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920 featuring Hercule Poirot . During the Second World War she worked as a pharmacy assistant at University College Hospital , London during the Blitz and acquired a good knowledge of poisons which featured in many of her novels .   Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling novelist of all time . Her novels have sold roughly 2 billion copies , and her estate claims that her works come third in the rankings of the world 's most-widely published books , behind only Shakespeare 's works and the Bible . According to Index Translationum , she remains the most-translated individual author -- having been translated into at least 103 languages . And Then There Were None is Christie 's best-selling novel , with 100 million sales to date , making it the world 's best-selling mystery ever , and one of the best-selling books of all time .  Christie 's stage play The Mousetrap holds the world record for longest initial run . It opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End on 25 November 1952 and is still running after more than 25,000 performances .   In 1955 , Christie was the first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America 's highest honour , the Grand Master Award . Later the same year , Witness for the Prosecution received an Edgar Award by the MWA for Best Play .  In 2013 , The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was voted the best crime novel ever by 600 fellow writers of the Crime Writers ' Association . On 15 September 2015 , coinciding with her 125th birthday , And Then There Were None was named the `` World 's Favourite Christie '' in a vote sponsored by the author 's estate . Most of her books and short stories have been adapted for television , radio , video games and comics , and more than thirty feature films have been based on her work .


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 .


LGBT is an acronym for the gay community containing the word bisexual.

LGBT LGBT , or GLBT , is an initialism that stands for lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender . In use since the 1990s , the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB , which was used to replace the term gay in reference to the LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s . Activists believed that the term gay community did not accurately represent all those to whom it referred .   The initialism has become mainstream as a self-designation ; it has been adopted by the majority of sexuality and gender identity-based community centers and media in the United States , as well as some other English-speaking countries . The term is used also in some other countries , particularly those which languages use the initialism , such as Argentina , France , and Turkey .   The initialism , LGBT , is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures . It may be used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender , instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian , gay , bisexual , or transgender . To recognize this inclusion , a popular variant adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual identity ; LGBTQ has been recorded since 1996 . Those who add intersex people to LGBT groups or organizing use an extended initialism LGBTI . Some people combine the two acronyms and use the term LGBTIQ . Others use LGBT + to encompass a spectrum of gender and sexuality .


God in Islam's theology is the maintainer of everything in existence.

God in Islam In Islamic theology , God ( -LSB- الله , translit = Allah , Allāh -RSB- ) is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator , sustainer , ordainer and judge of everything in existence .   Islam emphasizes that God is strictly singular : unique , inherently One , also all-merciful and omnipotent . According to Islamic teachings , beyond the Throne and according to the Quran , `` No vision can grasp him , but His grasp is over all vision : He is above all comprehension , yet is acquainted with all things . ''   The Surat 112 Al - ` Ikhlāş ( The Sincerity ) says :  `` He is God , -LSB- who is -RSB- One .  God , the Eternal Refuge .  He neither begets nor is born ,  Nor is there to Him any equivalent . ''   In Islam , there are 99 known names of God ( lit . meaning : `` The best names '' ) , each of which evokes a distinct attribute of God . All these names refer to Allah , the supreme and all-comprehensive god . Among the 99 names of God , the most familiar and frequent are `` the Compassionate '' and `` the Merciful '' . Creation and ordering of the universe is seen as an act of prime mercy for which all creatures sing God 's attributes and bear witness to God 's unity .


Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont `` Tiger '' Woods ( born December 30 , 1975 ) is an American professional golfer who is among the most successful golfers of all time . He has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years .   Following an outstanding junior , college , and amateur career , Woods turned professional at the age of 20 , at the end of the summer in 1996 . By April 1997 he had already won his first major , the 1997 Masters . Woods won this tournament in a record-breaking performance , winning by 12 strokes while pocketing $ 486,000 . He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997 , after less than a year as a professional . Throughout the 2000s , Woods was the dominant force in golf ; from August 1999 to September 2004 ( 264 weeks ) and from June 2005 to October 2010 ( 281 weeks ) , Woods was the top-ranked men 's golfer in the world .   From December 2009 to early April 2010 , Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his personal life after he admitted infidelity . Despite attempts at reconciliation , he and his wife Elin Nordegren eventually divorced . His many alleged extramarital indiscretions were revealed by several women , through many worldwide media sources . This was followed by a loss of golf form , and his ranking gradually fell to a low of No. 58 in November 2011 . He ended a career-high winless streak of 107 weeks when he triumphed in the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011 . After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 25 , 2013 , he ascended to the No. 1 ranking once again , holding the top spot until May 2014 . Woods had back surgery in April 2014 and September 2015 and has struggled since to regain his dominant form . By March 29 , 2015 , Woods had fallen to # 104 , outside of the top 100 for the first time since 1996 . In May 2016 , Woods dropped out of the world top 500 for the first time in his professional career .   Woods has broken numerous golf records . He has been World Number One for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks of any golfer . He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record eleven times , the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times , and has the record of leading the money list in ten different seasons .  He has won 14 professional major golf championships , the second-highest of any player ( Jack Nicklaus leads with 18 ) , and 79 PGA Tour events , second all time behind Sam Snead , who had 82 wins . He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer . He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam , and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour . Additionally , Woods is only the second golfer ( after Nicklaus ) to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times . Woods has won 18 World Golf Championships , and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999 . Woods and Rory McIlroy are the only golfers to win both The Silver Medal and The Gold Medal at The Open Championship .


Sunrise created a co-production with a design studio formed by Naoyuki Kato and it is Japanese.

Sunrise (company) is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise . It is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings . Its former name was Nippon Sunrise , and prior to that , Sunrise Studios . Its headquarters is located in Suginami , Tokyo .   Among Japan 's largest and most famous studios , Sunrise is renowned for several critically lauded and popular original anime series , such as Gundam , Cowboy Bebop , Space Runaway Ideon , Armored Trooper Votoms , Yoroiden Samurai Troopers , Future GPX Cyber Formula , Crush Gear Turbo , The Vision of Escaflowne , Love Live School Idol Project , Witch Hunter Robin , My-HiME , My-Otome , Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion , Tiger & Bunny , Cross Ange : Rondo of Angel and Dragon , as well as its numerous adaptations of acclaimed light novels including Dirty Pair , Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere and Accel World , and manga such as City Hunter , InuYasha , Outlaw Star , Yakitate !! Japan , Planetes , Keroro Gunso , Gin Tama , Kekkaishi and several others .   Many of Sunrise 's original anime include similar themes , including mecha and masked identities accompanied with fluid animation . Because of the fluidity and high degree of details on much of their works , fans refer to their animation works as `` Sunrise Smooth '' .   Most of their works are mostly original titles created in-house by their creative staffs that went into a collective pseudonym called Hajime Yatate . They also previously operated a now defunct video game studio of their own named Sunrise Interactive . Sunrise also launched their own light novel publication titled Yatate Bunko Imprint on September 30 , 2016 aimed to publish new original titles and also to supplemment their already existing franchises with new materials .   Anime created by Sunrise that have won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize are Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979 and the first half of 1980 , Space Runaway Ideon in the second half of 1980 , Crusher Joe ( co-production with Studio Nue ) in 1983 , Dirty Pair in 1985 , Future GPX Cyber Formula in 1991 , Gundam SEED in 2002 , Gundam SEED Destiny in 2004 and 2005 , Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion in 2006 and 2007 and Code Geass R2 in 2008 , thus making Sunrise as the studio that won the most number of Animage Awards .


Studio Nue Studio Nue is a Japanese design studio formed in 1972 ( as Crystal Art Studio ) by Naoyuki Kato , Kenichi Matsuzaki , Kazutaka Miyatake , and Haruka Takachiho . Crystal Art Studio would change their name to Studio Nue in 1974 .   They were known as the co-creators of the Macross franchise ( along with Artland ( co-production of the first series ) and Big West Advertising ( financial funding ) ) .   Shōji Kawamori is a notable member of Studio Nue .


An Academy Award was won by Christian Bale.

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale ( born 30 January 1974 ) is an English actor . He has starred both in blockbuster films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses .   Bale first caught the public eye at the age of 13 , when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg 's Empire of the Sun ( 1987 ) . Based on the original story by J. G. Ballard , Bale played an English boy who is separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself lost in a Japanese internment camp during World War II . In 2000 , he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho . He is known for going to great lengths to portray characters in films , notably for the psychological thriller The Machinist ( 2004 ) , where he lost 63 pounds ( 28.5 kg ) to play the role of Trevor Reznik .   Bale went on to receive greater commercial recognition for his starring role as Batman in Christopher Nolan 's Batman Begins ( 2005 ) , The Dark Knight ( 2008 ) and The Dark Knight Rises ( 2012 ) . His portrayal of Dicky Eklund in the David O. Russell-directed biographical film The Fighter ( 2010 ) , earned him critical acclaim and a number of awards , including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . He has since gained further acclaim as well as subsequent Academy Award , Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe nominations for his roles in Russell 's American Hustle ( 2013 ) and Adam McKay 's The Big Short ( 2015 ) .


Aishwarya Rai played the character Binodini.

Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai ( born 1 November 1973 ) , also known by her married name Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , is an Indian actress , model and the winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant . Through her successful acting career , she has established herself as one of the most popular and influential celebrities in India . Rai has received numerous awards and accolades , including two Filmfare Awards from eleven nominations , and she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 . She has often been called `` the most beautiful woman in the world '' .   While in college , Rai did a few modelling jobs . Following appearances in several television commercials , she entered the Miss India pageant , in which she placed second . She was then crowned Miss World 1994 , after which she began receiving offers to act in film . She made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam 's 1997 Tamil film Iruvar and had her first Hindi film release in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya that same year . Her first commercial success was the Tamil romantic drama Jeans ( 1998 ) , following which she achieved wider success and won two Best Actress awards at Filmfare for her performances in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam ( 1999 ) and Devdas ( 2002 ) .   Rai garnered critical appreciation for portraying a passionate artist in the Tamil romance Kandukondain Kandukondain ( 2000 ) , Tagore 's heroine , Binodini , in the Bengali film Chokher Bali ( 2003 ) , a depressed woman in the drama Raincoat ( 2004 ) , Kiranjit Ahluwalia in the British drama film Provoked ( 2006 ) , as a nurse in the drama Guzaarish ( 2010 ) and as a justise-seeking sister in the biographical drama Sarbjit ( 2015 ) . Rai 's greatest commercial successes have been the romance Mohabbatein ( 2000 ) , the adventure film Dhoom 2 ( 2006 ) , the historical romance Jodhaa Akbar ( 2008 ) , the science fiction film Enthiran ( 2010 ) , and the romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil ( 2016 ) .   Rai married actor Abhishek Bachchan in 2007 with whom she has one daughter . Her off-screen roles include duties as a brand ambassador for several charity organisations and campaigns . She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS ( UNAIDS ) . In 2003 , she was the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival .


Machu Picchu Machu Picchu ( -LSB- ˈmatʃu ˈpitʃu -RSB- ) ( Machu Pikchu -LSB- ˈmɑtʃu ˈpixtʃu -RSB- ) is a 15th-century Inca citadel situated on a mountain ridge 2430 m above sea level . It is located in the Cusco Region , Urubamba Province , Machupicchu District in Peru , above the Sacred Valley , which is 80 km northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows .   Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti ( 1438 -- 1472 ) . Often mistakenly referred to as the `` Lost City of the Incas '' ( a title more accurately applied to Vilcabamba ) , it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization . The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest . Although known locally , it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period and remained unknown to the outside world until American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911 .   Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style , with polished dry-stone walls . Its three primary structures are the Inti Watana , the Temple of the Sun , and the Room of the Three Windows . Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared . By 1976 , thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored and restoration continues .   Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 . In 2007 , Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll .


Kim Basinger is formerly a fashion model.

Kim Basinger Kimila Ann Basinger ( -LSB- ˈbeɪsɪŋər -RSB- ; born December 8 , 1953 ) is an American actress , singer and former fashion model . Following a successful modeling career in New York during the 1970s , Basinger moved to Los Angeles where she began her acting career on television in 1976 . She starred in several made-for-TV films , including a remake of From Here to Eternity ( 1979 ) , before making her feature debut in the 1981 drama Hard Country . She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Lynn Bracken in the 1997 film L.A. Confidential .   Basinger came to prominence playing Bond girl Domino Petachi in the 1983 film Never Say Never Again , opposite Sean Connery , and went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Memo Paris in The Natural ( 1984 ) . She starred as Elizabeth in the controversial erotic romantic drama 9 1/2 Weeks ( 1986 ) with Mickey Rourke , and as Vicki Vale in Tim Burton 's blockbuster Batman ( 1989 ) , which remains the highest-grossing film of her career . For her role in L.A. Confidential , she also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and the SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress . Her other films include I Dreamed of Africa ( 2000 ) , 8 Mile ( 2002 ) , The Door in the Floor ( 2004 ) , Cellular ( 2004 ) , The Nice Guys ( 2016 ) , and Fifty Shades Darker ( 2017 ) .


The Black Eyed Peas performed the single "Pump It".

The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas ( originally simply Black Eyed Peas ) is an American group , consisting of rappers will.i.am , apl.de.ap , Taboo , and singer Fergie . Originally an alternative hip hop group , they subsequently changed their musical sound to pop and dance-pop music . Although the group was founded in Los Angeles in 1995 , it was not until the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003 that they achieved high record sales . Since that time , the group has sold an estimated 76 million records ( 35 million albums and 41 million singles ) , making them one of the world 's best-selling groups of all time . According to Nielsen SoundScan , the Black Eyed Peas were the second-best-selling artist/group of all time for downloaded tracks , with over 42 million sales as of the end of 2011 .   Their first major hit was the 2003 single `` Where Is the Love ? '' from Elephunk , which topped the charts in 13 countries , including the United Kingdom , where it spent seven weeks at number one and went on to become Britain 's biggest selling single of 2003 . Another European hit single from the album was `` Shut Up '' . Their fourth album , Monkey Business , was an even bigger worldwide success , certified 4 × Platinum in the U.S. , and spawning four singles , `` Do n't Phunk with My Heart '' , `` Do n't Lie '' , `` My Humps '' and `` Pump It '' . In 2009 , the group became one of only 11 artists to have simultaneously held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 , with their singles `` Boom Boom Pow '' and `` I Got ta Feeling '' , which topped the chart for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks . This album The E.N.D later produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with `` Imma Be '' , making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album , before being followed with `` Rock That Body '' and `` Meet Me Halfway '' , which peaked in the Top 10 of the Hot 100 . `` I Got ta Feeling '' became the first single to sell more than one million downloads in the United Kingdom .   The Black Eyed Peas were ranked 12th on Billboards Decade-End Chart Artist of the Decade , and 7th in the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade . At the 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony , held in January 2010 , they won three awards out of six nominations . In November 2010 , they released the album The Beginning . In February 2011 , the group performed at the Super Bowl XLV halftime show . Long-standing member , Fergie left the group in 2017 .


Gwen Stefani is in a rock band from America.

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani ( -LSB- gwɛn_ˈstəˈfɑːni -RSB- born October 3 , 1969 ) is an American singer , songwriter , fashion designer , actress , and television personality . She is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the band No Doubt that experienced major success after their breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom ( 1995 ) along with various successful singles , including `` Just a Girl '' , `` Do n't Speak '' , `` Hey Baby '' , and `` It 's My Life '' . During the band 's hiatus , Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love . Angel . Music . Baby . Inspired by pop music from the 1980s , the album was met with both critical and commercial success . It spawned three commercially successful singles : `` What You Waiting For ? '' , `` Rich Girl '' , and `` Hollaback Girl '' , the latter reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies . In 2006 Stefani released her second studio album The Sweet Escape . The album produced two successful singles : `` Wind It Up '' and the album 's title track `` The Sweet Escape '' . Her third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released in March 2016 and became her first solo number-one album on the Billboard 200 .   Stefani has won three Grammy Awards . As a solo artist she has received various accolades , including an American Music Award , Brit Award , World Music Award and two Billboard Music Awards . In 2003 , she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line , drawing inspiration from Japanese culture and fashion . Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls . She was married to British musician Gavin Rossdale from 2002 to 2015 and they have three sons . Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000 -- 09 decade . VH1 ranked her 13th on their `` 100 Greatest Women in Music '' list in 2012 . Including her work with No Doubt , Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide .


No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim , California , that formed in 1986 . Since 1994 , the group has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani , bassist and keyboardist Tony Kanal , guitarist and keyboardist Tom Dumont , and drummer Adrian Young . Since the mid-1990s in live performances and the studio , they have been supported by keyboardist and trombonist Gabrial McNair and keyboardist and trumpeter Stephen Bradley .   The ska sound of their song `` Trapped in a Box '' ( 1992 ) that was featured on their first album No Doubt ( 1992 ) failed to make an impact . The Beacon Street Collection ( 1993 ) is a raw expression of their sound , inspired by ska punk and released independently by the band under their own record label . The album sold over 100,000 copies in 1995 , over three times as many as their first album . The band 's diamond-certified album Tragic Kingdom ( 1995 ) helped launch the third-wave ska revival of the 1990s , and `` Do n't Speak '' , the third single from the album , set a record when it spent 16 weeks at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart .   The group 's next album , Return of Saturn ( 2000 ) , despite its Top 40 hit single `` Simple Kind of Life '' , did not match the success of their previous album but received critical praise and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 43rd Grammy Awards . Fifteen months later , the band reappeared with Rock Steady ( 2001 ) , which incorporated reggae and dancehall music into their work . The album was primarily recorded in Jamaica and featured collaborations with Jamaican artists Bounty Killer , Sly and Robbie , and Lady Saw . The album produced two Grammy-winning singles , `` Hey Baby '' and `` Underneath It All '' . Hella Good was also nominated for a Grammy award . On 22 November 2002 , No Doubt received the Key to the City of Anaheim , given by the Mayor of Anaheim , Tom Daly , in Disneyland during the band 's appearance on ` Breakfast with Kevin and Bean ' ( KROQ-FM ) where they performed five songs . After a 2004 tour the band embarked on solo projects , with Stefani releasing two successful solo albums Love . Angel . Music . Baby . ( 2004 ) and The Sweet Escape ( 2006 ) while Tom Dumont released his own solo music project , Invincible Overlord . In 2008 , the band resumed working slowly on their sixth effort , titled Push and Shove ( 2012 ) , and released their single `` Settle Down '' . They have sold over 33 million records worldwide .


Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall ( -LSB- duːˈvɔːl -RSB- born January 5 , 1931 ) is an American actor and filmmaker . He has been nominated for seven Academy Awards ( winning for his performance in Tender Mercies ) , seven Golden Globes ( winning four ) , and has multiple nominations and one win each of the BAFTA , Screen Actors Guild Award , and Emmy Award . He received the National Medal of Arts in 2005 . Duvall has starred in numerous films and television series , including To Kill a Mockingbird ( 1962 ) , The Twilight Zone ( 1963 ) , The Outer Limits ( 1964 ) , Bullitt ( 1968 ) , True Grit ( 1969 ) , MASH ( 1970 ) , THX 1138 ( 1971 ) , Joe Kidd ( 1972 ) , The Godfather ( 1972 ) , The Godfather Part II ( 1974 ) , The Conversation ( 1974 ) , Network ( 1976 ) , Apocalypse Now ( 1979 ) , The Great Santini ( 1979 ) , Lonesome Dove ( 1989 ) , The Handmaid 's Tale ( 1990 ) , Rambling Rose ( 1991 ) , and Falling Down ( 1993 ) .   Duvall began appearing in theatre during the late 1950s , moving into television and film roles during the early 1960s , playing Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird ( 1962 ) and appearing in Captain Newman , M.D. ( 1963 ) . He landed many of his most famous roles during the early 1970s , such as Major Frank Burns in the blockbuster comedy MASH ( 1970 ) and the lead role in THX 1138 ( 1971 ) , as well as Horton Foote 's adaptation of William Faulkner 's Tomorrow ( 1972 ) , which was developed at The Actors Studio and is Duvall 's personal favorite . This was followed by a series of critically lauded performances in commercially successful films .   Since then , Duvall has continued to act in both film and television with such productions as Tender Mercies ( 1983 ) , The Natural ( 1984 ) , Colors ( 1988 ) , the television mini-series Lonesome Dove ( 1989 ) , Stalin ( 1992 ) , The Man Who Captured Eichmann ( 1996 ) , A Family Thing ( 1996 ) , The Apostle ( 1997 ) , A Civil Action ( 1998 ) , Deep Impact ( 1998 ) , Gods and Generals ( 2003 ) , Secondhand Lions ( 2003 ) , Broken Trail ( 2006 ) , Get Low ( 2010 ) , Jack Reacher ( 2012 ) , and The Judge ( 2014 ) .


Blue Velvet (film) Blue Velvet is a 1986 American neo-noir mystery film , written and directed by David Lynch . Blending psychological horror with film noir , the film stars Kyle MacLachlan , Isabella Rossellini , Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern . The title is taken from Bobby Vinton 's 1963 song of the same name .   The screenplay of Blue Velvet had been passed around multiple times in the late 1970s and early 1980s , with many major studios declining it because of its strong sexual and violent content . After the commercial and critical failure of Lynch 's Dune ( 1984 ) , the director made attempts at developing a more `` personal story '' , somewhat characteristic of the surrealist style displayed in his debut Eraserhead ( 1977 ) . The independent studio De Laurentiis Entertainment Group , owned at the time by Italian film producer Dino De Laurentiis , agreed to finance and produce the film .   Blue Velvet initially received a divided critical response , with many stating that its objectionable content served little artistic purpose . It nevertheless earned Lynch his second Academy Award nomination for Best Director and came to achieve cult status . As an example of a director casting against the norm , it was credited for re-launching Hopper 's career and for providing Rossellini with a dramatic outlet beyond her previous work as a fashion model and a cosmetics spokeswoman .   In the years since , the film has generated significant academic attention with regard to its thematic symbolism , and is now widely regarded as one of Lynch 's major works and one of the greatest films of the 1980s . Publications including Sight & Sound , Time , Entertainment Weekly and BBC Magazine have ranked it among the greatest American films of all time . In 2008 , Blue Velvet was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest American mystery films ever made .


Cult film A cult film , also commonly referred to as a cult classic , is a film that has acquired a cult following . Cult films are known for their dedicated , passionate fanbase , an elaborate subculture that engage in repeated viewings , quoting dialogue , and audience participation . Inclusive definitions allow for major studio productions , especially box office bombs , while exclusive definitions focus more on obscure , transgressive films shunned by the mainstream . The difficulty in defining the term and subjectivity of what qualifies as a cult film mirror classificatory disputes about art . The term cult film itself was first used in the 1970s to describe the culture that surrounded underground films and midnight movies , though cult was in common use in film analysis for decades prior to that .   Cult films trace their origin back to controversial and suppressed films kept alive by dedicated fans . In some cases , reclaimed or rediscovered films have acquired cult followings decades after their original release , occasionally for their camp value . Other cult films have since become well-respected or reassessed as classics ; there is debate as to whether these popular and accepted films are still cult films . After failing in the cinema , some cult films have become regular fixtures on cable television or profitable sellers on home video . Others have inspired their own film festivals . Cult films can both appeal to specific subcultures and form their own subcultures . Other media that reference cult films can easily identify which demographics they desire to attract and offer savvy fans an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge .   Cult films frequently break cultural taboos , and many feature excessive displays of violence , gore , sexuality , profanity , or combinations thereof . This can lead to controversy , censorship , and outright bans ; less transgressive films may attract similar amounts of controversy when critics call them frivolous or incompetent . Films that fail to attract requisite amounts of controversy may face resistance when labeled as cult films . Mainstream films and big budget blockbusters have attracted cult followings similar to more underground and lesser known films ; fans of these films often emphasize the films ' niche appeal and reject the more popular aspects . Fans who like the films for the wrong reasons , such as perceived elements that represent mainstream appeal and marketing , will often be ostracized or ridiculed . Likewise , fans who stray from accepted subcultural scripts may experience similar rejection .   Since the late 1970s , cult films have become increasingly popular . Films that once would have been limited to obscure cult followings are now capable of breaking into the mainstream , and showings of cult films have proved to be a profitable business venture . Overbroad usage of the term has resulted in controversy , as purists state it has become a meaningless descriptor applied to any film that is the slightest bit weird or unconventional ; others accuse Hollywood studios of trying to artificially create cult films or use the term as a marketing tactic . Films are frequently stated to be an `` instant cult classic '' now , occasionally before they are released . Fickle fans on the Internet have latched on to unreleased films only to abandon them later on release . At the same time , other films have acquired massive , quick cult followings , thanks to spreading virally through social media . Easy access to cult films via video on demand and peer-to-peer file sharing has led some critics to pronounce the death of cult films .


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


Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was an American-Canadian rock band , formed in Los Angeles in 1966 . Their original lineup included Stephen Stills ( guitar , keyboards , vocals ) , Dewey Martin ( drums , vocals ) , Bruce Palmer ( electric bass ) , Richie Furay ( guitar , vocals ) , and Neil Young ( guitar , harmonica , piano , vocals ) . Pioneering the folk rock genre , Buffalo Springfield , along with the Byrds , combined elements of folk and country music with British invasion influences into their early works . Their second studio album , Buffalo Springfield Again , marked their progression to psychedelia and hard rock .   With a name taken from a steamroller , the group signed to Atlantic Records in 1966 and released their debut single `` Nowadays Clancy Ca n't Even Sing '' - a regional hit in Los Angeles . The following January , the group released the protest song they were most prominently known for , `` For What It 's Worth '' . After various drug-related arrests and line-up changes , the group decided to break up in 1968 . Stephen Stills went on to form the folk rock supergroup Crosby , Stills & Nash with David Crosby of the Byrds and Graham Nash of the Hollies . Neil Young had launched his successful solo career and reunited with Stills in Crosby , Stills , Nash & Young in 1969 . Furay , along with Jim Messina , went on to form the influential country-rock band Poco . The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 .


Gennady Golovkin is ranked best middleweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and Box Rec.

Gennady Golovkin Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin ( Геннадий Геннадьевич Головкин born 8 April 1982 ) is a Kazakhstani professional boxer who currently holds the unified WBA ( Super ) , WBC , IBF , and IBO middleweight titles . As of May 2017 , he is ranked as the world 's best middleweight by BoxRec and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board , and second best by The Ring . He is also ranked as the world 's third best boxer , pound for pound , by The Ring , fifth by BoxRec , and seventh by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board .   Golovkin won his first major world championship , the WBA interim middleweight title , by defeating Milton Núñez in 2010 . He was elevated to WBA ( Regular ) champion in the same year , and in 2011 would win the vacant IBO middleweight title by defeating Lajuan Simon . In 2014 , Golovkin was elevated to his current status of WBA ( Super ) champion and successfully defended both his titles against Daniel Geale . Later that year he defeated Marco Antonio Rubio to add the WBC interim middleweight title to his collection , and defeated David Lemieux in 2015 to win the IBF middleweight title . After Canelo Álvarez vacated his WBC middleweight title in 2016 , Golovkin was elevated to full champion and now holds world titles by three of the four major boxing sanctioning bodies .   A calculating pressure fighter , Golovkin is known for his powerful and precise punching , balance , and methodical movement . With a streak of 23 knockouts that spanned from 22 November 2008 to 18 March 2017 , he holds the highest knockout percentage -- 89.8 % -- in middleweight championship history . In 2016 , he achieved his 17th title defense by knockout , which equalled the record set by Wilfredo Gómez in 1982 . Golovkin is also said to have one of the best chins in modern boxing , having never been knocked down or knocked out in a total of 387 fights , neither as a professional nor amateur .   In his amateur career , Golovkin won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 2003 World Championships . He went on to represent Kazakhstan at the 2004 Summer Olympics , winning a middleweight silver medal .


The blue-ringed octopus hunt crustaceans.

Blue-ringed octopus The blue-ringed octopodes ( genus Hapalochlaena ) are three octopus species that live in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans , from Japan to Australia . Their primary habitat is around southern New South Wales , South Australia , and northern Western Australia . They are recognized as one of the world 's most venomous marine animals . Despite their small size , 12 to , and relatively docile nature , they are dangerous to humans if provoked and handled , because their venom contains tetrodotoxin , a neurotoxin powerful enough to kill humans .   They can be identified by their characteristic blue and black rings , and yellowish skin . When the octopus is agitated , the brown patches darken dramatically , iridescent blue rings , or clumps of rings , appear and pulsate within the maculae . Typically , 50 -- 60 blue rings cover the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the mantle .   They hunt small crabs , hermit crabs , shrimp , and other small crustaceans .


Nas Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones ( -LSB- nɑːˈsɪər -RSB- born September 14 , 1973 ) , better known by his stage name Nas -LSB- ˈnɑːz -RSB- , is an American rapper , record producer , actor , and entrepreneur . The son of jazz musician Olu Dara , Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums and has sold over 25,000,000 records worldwide . He is also an entrepreneur through his own record label ; he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and is the owner of a Fila sneaker store . He is currently signed to Mass Appeal Records .   His musical career began in 1991 , as a featured artist on Main Source 's `` Live at the Barbeque '' . His debut album Illmatic ( 1994 ) received universal acclaim from both critics and the hip-hop community and is frequently ranked as the greatest hip hop album of all time . Nas 's follow-up It Was Written debuted at # 1 on the Billboard 200 , stayed on top for four consecutive weeks , went double platinum in two months , and made Nas internationally known . From 2001-05 , Nas was involved in a highly publicised feud with fellow New York rapper Jay Z. Nas signed to Def Jam in 2006 . In 2010 , he released Distant Relatives , a collaboration album with reggae musician Damian Marley , donating all royalties to charities active in Africa . His eleventh studio album , Life Is Good ( 2012 ) was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards .   Nas is often named as one of the greatest hip-hop artists . MTV ranked him at number 5 on their list of `` The Greatest MCs of All Time '' . In 2012 , The Source ranked him number two on their list of the `` Top 50 Lyricists of All Time '' . In 2013 , Nas was ranked fourth on MTV 's `` Hottest MCs in the Game '' list . About.com ranked him first on their list of the `` 50 Greatest MCs of All Time '' in 2014 , and a year later , Nas was featured on `` The 10 Best Rappers of All Time '' list by Billboard .   In 2016 , Nas began narrating The Get Down and rapping as Adult Ezekiel of 1996 .


Leighton Meester Leighton Marissa Meester ( born April 9 , 1986 ) is an American actress , singer-songwriter and model . She is mostly known for her starring role as Blair Waldorf in the drama series Gossip Girl ( 2007 -- 2012 ) . She has also appeared in the films Killer Movie ( 2008 ) , Country Strong ( 2010 ) , The Roommate ( 2011 ) , Monte Carlo ( 2011 ) , The Oranges ( 2011 ) , and The Judge ( 2014 ) . Meester made her Broadway debut in Of Mice and Men ( 2014 ) .   In addition to acting , Meester has also ventured into music . In 2009 , she featured on Cobra Starship 's `` Good Girls Go Bad '' which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 , and released her first single `` Somebody to Love '' under Universal Republic . Her second single `` Your Love 's a Drug '' was released in 2011 . Meester has also recorded songs for various soundtracks . Her debut album , Heartstrings , was independently released in 2014 . She has also modeled , having been the face of brands such as Jimmy Choo , Herbal Essences , and Vera Wang .


Country Strong Country Strong ( originally titled Love Do n't Let Me Down ) is a 2010 drama film starring Gwyneth Paltrow , Tim McGraw , Garrett Hedlund , and Leighton Meester . The film , about an emotionally unstable country music star who attempts to resurrect her career , was directed and written by American filmmaker Shana Feste . It premiered in Nashville , Tennessee on November 8 , 2010 , and had a wide release in the United States on January 7 , 2011 . This is the second film in which McGraw and Hedlund have worked together , the first being Friday Night Lights in 2004 .


Emily Browning acted in The Echo of Thunder.

Emily Browning Emily Jane Browning ( born 7 December 1988 ) is an Australian actress and singer .   Browning made her film debut in the Australian television film The Echo of Thunder , subsequently , she played recurring roles in the Australian television shows Blue Heelers and Something in the Air . Her breakthrough role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship , which introduced her to a wider audience . In 2005 , Browning won the Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Violet Baudelaire in the film Lemony Snicket 's A Series of Unfortunate Events ( 2004 ) .   Browning is also known for her roles in the horror film The Uninvited ( 2009 ) , the action film Sucker Punch ( 2011 ) , and the independent drama Sleeping Beauty ( 2011 ) . She was named the Breakthrough Performer of The Year by Hamptons International Film Festival in 2011 for her role in Sleeping Beauty . Her other films include The Host ( 2013 ) , Pompeii ( 2014 ) and Legend ( 2015 ) .


Sage Stallone Sage Moonblood Stallone ( May 5 , 1976 -- July 13 , 2012 ) was an American actor , film director , film producer , and film distributor . He was the son of Sylvester Stallone .


In & Out (film) In & Out is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring Kevin Kline , Tom Selleck , Joan Cusack , Matt Dillon , Debbie Reynolds , and Wilford Brimley . It is an original story by screenwriter Paul Rudnick . Joan Cusack was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance .   The film was inspired by Tom Hanks 's tearful speech when he accepted his 1994 Oscar ( for his role in Philadelphia ) , in which he mentioned his high-school drama coach Rawley Farnsworth , and his former classmate John Gilkerson , `` two of the finest gay Americans , two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with . '' The film became one of mainstream Hollywood 's few attempts at a comedic `` gay movie '' of its era , and was widely noted at the time for a 12-second kiss between Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck .


Tyra Banks presented America's Got Talent.

Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks ( born December 4 , 1973 ) is an American television personality , producer , businesswoman , actress , author , former model and occasional singer . Born in Inglewood , California , she began her career as a model at age 15 , and was the first African American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue , on which she appeared twice . She was a Victoria 's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005 . By the early 2000s , Banks was one of the world 's top-earning models .   Banks began acting on television in 1993 on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , and made her film debut in Higher Learning in 1995 . She had major roles such as Eve in Disney Channel 's Life-Size and Zoe in the box office hit Coyote Ugly . She had small roles in the romantic film Love & Basketball and horror film Halloween : Resurrection , and appeared in television series Gossip Girl and Glee .   In 2003 , Banks created and began presenting the long-running reality television series America 's Next Top Model , which she executive produced and presented for the first twenty-two seasons until the series ' cancellation in October 2015 . She remained executive producer for the revival of the series , and enlisted Rita Ora as host for the twenty-third cycle before reassuming the duties herself for the upcoming twenty-fourth cycle . Banks was the co-creator of True Beauty , and had her own talk show , The Tyra Banks Show , which aired on The CW for five seasons and won two Daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative . She co-hosted the talk show FABLife for two months . In 2017 , Banks will replace Nick Cannon as host of America 's Got Talent for its 12th season .   In 2010 , she published a young adult novel titled Modelland , based on her life as a model which topped The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011 . Banks is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly ranked among the world 's most influential people by TIME magazine .


Britney Spears has refused to be a dancer her entire life.

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears ( born December 2 , 1981 ) is an American singer , dancer , and actress . Born in McComb , Mississippi , and raised in Kentwood , Louisiana , she performed acting roles in stage productions and television shows as a child before signing with Jive Records in 1997 . Spears 's first and second studio albums , ... Baby One More Time ( 1999 ) and Oops ! ... I Did It Again ( 2000 ) , became international successes , with the former becoming the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist . Title tracks '' ... Baby One More Time '' and `` Oops ! ... I Did It Again '' broke international sales records . In 2001 , Spears released her self-titled third studio album , Britney , and played the starring role in the film Crossroads ( 2002 ) . She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album , In the Zone ( 2003 ) , which yielded the worldwide success of the single `` Toxic '' .   In 2007 , Spears 's much-publicized personal issues sent her career into hiatus . Her fifth studio album , Blackout , was released later that year , and spawned singles such as `` Gim me More '' and `` Piece of Me '' . Her erratic behavior and hospitalizations continued through the following year , at which point she was placed under a still ongoing conservatorship . Spears 's sixth studio album , Circus ( 2008 ) , included the international chart-topping single `` Womanizer '' . Her seventh studio album , Femme Fatale ( 2011 ) , became her first to yield three top-ten singles in the United States . She released her eighth studio album Britney Jean in 2013 . Later that year , Spears began the four-year residency show , Britney : Piece of Me , at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas . In 2016 , Spears released her ninth studio album , Glory . In 2017 , she announced that her residency show would develop into a world tour , Britney : Live in Concert .   Spears is regarded as a pop icon and credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s . She became the best-selling teenage artist of all time and garnered honorific titles including the `` Princess of Pop '' . Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades , including a Grammy Award , six MTV Video Music Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award , seven Billboard Music Awards including the Millennium Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . In 2009 , Billboard ranked her as the 8th overall Artist of the Decade , and also recognized her as the best-selling female artist of the 2000s , as well as the fifth overall . The Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) lists Spears as the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States , with 34 million certified albums . She has sold over 100 million records worldwide making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time . According to Billboard Spears has sold about 22.38 million singles in digital downloads in US and is the fourth best-selling female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began .   Rolling Stone recognized her instant success as one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time , while VH1 ranked her eleventh on their `` 100 Greatest Women in Music '' list in 2012 , and Billboard named her the sexiest woman in music . Forbes reported that Spears was the highest paid female musician of 2012 , with earnings of $ 58 million , having last topped the list in 2002 .


Alex Sharp Alexander Ian `` Alex '' Sharp ( born 2 February 1989 ) is a Tony Award-winning English actor best known for originating the role of Christopher Boone in the Broadway Production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time .   After graduating from the Juilliard School in the summer of 2014 , he made his Broadway and acting debut in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the autumn . For his role as the autistic teenager Christopher Boone , he was awarded the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play , Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play , and the Outer Critics Circle Award . , he is the youngest winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play .


Deadpool (film) Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero film directed by Tim Miller and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick , based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name . It is the eighth installment and a spin-off in the X-Men film series , and stars Ryan Reynolds as the titular character , as well as Morena Baccarin , Ed Skrein , T. J. Miller , Gina Carano , Leslie Uggams , Brianna Hildebrand , and Stefan Kapičić . In the film , antihero Deadpool hunts the man who nearly destroyed his life while also trying to reunite with his lost love .   Development began in February 2004 with New Line Cinema , but moved in March 2005 to 20th Century Fox who bought the film rights . In May 2009 , after Reynolds portrayed the character in X-Men Origins : Wolverine , to the general disappointment of fans , Fox lent the film to writers , and Miller was hired for his directorial debut in April 2011 . Enthusiastic acclaim for leaked CGI test footage by Miller in July 2014 led to Fox greenlighting the film in September . Additional casting began in early 2015 , and principal photography commenced in Vancouver from March to May .   Deadpool premiered in Paris on February 8 , 2016 , and was released on February 12 in the United States in IMAX , DLP , D-Box , and premium large format . Critics praised Reynolds ' performance as well as the film 's style , faithful depiction of the titular character , and action sequences , but criticized its plot as formulaic . It received various awards and nominations , including two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy and Best Actor -- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy , and a Producers Guild of America Award nomination for Best Theatrical Motion Picture . It also won two Critics ' Choice Movie Awards for Best Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy .   The film was also a significant commercial success , grossing over $ 783million worldwide and breaking numerous box-office records , becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of 2016 , the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time when unadjusted for inflation , and the highest-grossing X-Men film . Shortly after the film 's success , Fox ordered development of a sequel scheduled to be released on June 1 , 2018 .


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


Psychosis is a side effect from the drug Adderall.

Adderall Adderall is a combination drug containing salts of the two enantiomers of amphetamine , a central nervous system ( CNS ) stimulant of the phenethylamine class . Adderall is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) and narcolepsy . It is also used as an athletic performance enhancer and cognitive enhancer , and recreationally as an aphrodisiac and euphoriant . By salt content , the active ingredients of Adderall are 25 % levoamphetamine salts ( the levorotary or ` left-handed ' enantiomer ) and 75 % dextroamphetamine salts ( the dextrorotary or ` right-handed ' enantiomer ) .   Adderall is generally well-tolerated and effective in treating the symptoms of ADHD and narcolepsy . At therapeutic doses , Adderall causes emotional and cognitive effects such as euphoria , change in desire for sex , increased wakefulness , and improved cognitive control . At these doses , it induces physical effects such as decreased reaction time , fatigue resistance , and increased muscle strength . In contrast , much larger doses of Adderall can impair cognitive control , cause rapid muscle breakdown , or induce a psychosis ( e.g. , delusions and paranoia ) . The side effects of Adderall vary widely among individuals , but most commonly include insomnia , dry mouth , and loss of appetite . The risk of developing an addiction is insignificant when Adderall is used as prescribed at fairly low daily doses , such as those used for treating ADHD ; however , the routine use of Adderall in larger daily doses poses a significant risk of addiction due to the pronounced reinforcing effects that are present at higher doses . Recreational doses of Adderall are generally much larger than prescribed therapeutic doses , and carry a far greater risk of serious adverse effects .   The two amphetamine enantiomers that compose Adderall ( i.e. , levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine ) alleviate the symptoms of ADHD and narcolepsy by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain , which results from their interactions with trace amine associated receptor 1 ( TAAR1 ) and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 ( VMAT2 ) in neurons . Dextroamphetamine is a more potent stimulant than levoamphetamine , but levoamphetamine has slightly stronger cardiovascular and peripheral effects and a longer elimination half-life ( i.e. , it remains in the body longer ) than dextroamphetamine . The levoamphetamine component of Adderall has been reported to improve the treatment response in some individuals relative to dextroamphetamine alone . Adderall 's active ingredient , amphetamine , shares many chemical and pharmacological properties with the human trace amines , particularly phenethylamine and , the latter of which is a positional isomer of amphetamine .


Cristiano Ronaldo reached 100 scores in European club competitions in 2017.

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro , ( -LSB- kɾiʃ ` tjɐnu ʁuˈnaɫdu -RSB- , born 5 February 1985 ) is a Portuguese professional footballer for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team . He primarily plays as a forward , but has also been deployed as a winger and serves as captain for Portugal . In 2008 , he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards . Ronaldo then won the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2013 and 2014 . In 2016 , he received his fourth Ballon d'Or , the most for a European player in the history of the award , and the inaugural Best FIFA Men 's Player . In 2015 , Ronaldo scored his 500th senior career goal for club and country . Two years later , he surpassed Jimmy Greaves as the all-time top-scorer in the top five European leagues .   Often ranked the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time , Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation , during its 100th anniversary celebrations in 2015 . He was the first player to win four European Golden Shoe awards . One of the most marketable athletes in sport , in 2016 Forbes named Ronaldo the world 's best paid athlete . ESPN ranked him the world 's most famous athlete in 2016 and 2017 .   Ronaldo began his senior club career playing for Sporting CP , before signing with Manchester United at age 18 in 2003 . After winning his first trophy , the FA Cup , during his first season in England , he helped United win three successive Premier League titles , a UEFA Champions League title , and a FIFA Club World Cup . By age 23 , he had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations . He was the subject of the most expensive association football transfer when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 in a transfer worth $ 94 million ( $ 132 million ) . In Spain , he has won two La Liga titles , two Copas del Rey , two Champions League titles , and two Club World Cups . Ronaldo holds the record for most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League season , having scored 17 goals in the 2013 -- 14 season . In 2014 , Ronaldo became the fastest player to score 200 goals in La Liga , which he achieved in his 178th La Liga game . He is the only player in the history of football to score more than 50 goals in a season on six consecutive occasions . In 2015 , Ronaldo became the all-time top goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League , and he also became Real Madrid 's all-time leading goalscorer . In 2017 , he became the first player to reach 100 goals in European club competitions , as well as in the UEFA Champions League . He is the second highest goalscorer in La Liga history behind Lionel Messi , his perceived career rival .   Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in August 2003 , at the age of 18 . He is Portugal 's most capped player of all time with over 130 caps , and has participated in seven major tournaments : four UEFA European Championships ( 2004 , 2008 , 2012 and 2016 ) and three FIFA World Cups ( 2006 , 2010 and 2014 ) . He is the first Portuguese player to reach 50 international goals , making him Portugal 's all-time top goalscorer . He scored his first international goal in Euro 2004 and helped Portugal reach the final . He took over full captaincy in July 2008 , and he led Portugal to the semi-finals at Euro 2012 , finishing the competition as joint-top scorer . In November 2014 , Ronaldo became the all-time top scorer in the UEFA European Championship ( including qualifying ) with 23 goals . At Euro 2016 , he became the most capped player of all-time in the tournament , the first player to score at four consecutive European Championship finals , and also equalled Michel Platini 's all-time record for most goals scored in the competition . Ronaldo lifted the trophy after Portugal defeated France in the final , and he received the Silver Boot as the second-highest goalscorer of the tournament .


Thandie Newtown has won every single award there is.

Thandie Newton Melanie Thandiwe `` Thandie '' Newton ( -LSB- ˈtændi -RSB- born 6 November 1972 ) is an English actress . She has appeared in several British and American films , and is known for roles such as Linda in The Pursuit of Happyness , Nyah Nordoff-Hall in Mission : Impossible 2 and Christine in Crash , for which she received a number of awards , including a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role .   As of 2016 , she plays the sentient android , the madam Maeve Millay in the HBO science fiction-Western television series Westworld , which earned her a Critics ' Choice Award and Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations . She also portrayed DCI Roz Huntley in Series 4 of the BBC One police procedural series Line of Duty .


In the 1990s, Evan Rachel Wood began acting.

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


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


The September 11 attacks caused at least $10 billion in property damage.

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks ( also referred to as 9/11 ) The expression `` 9/11 '' is pronounced `` nine eleven '' . The slash is not part of the pronunciation . The name is frequently used in British English as well as in American English , even though the dating conventions differ . were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States on the morning of Tuesday , September 11 , 2001 . The attacks killed 2,996 people , injured over 6,000 others , and caused at least $ 10 billion in property and infrastructure damage .   Four passenger airliners operated by two major U.S. passenger air carriers ( United Airlines and American Airlines ) -- all of which departed from airports in the northeastern United States bound for California -- were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists . Two of the planes , American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 , were crashed into the North and South towers , respectively , of the World Trade Center complex in New York City . Within an hour and 42 minutes , both 110-story towers collapsed , with debris and the resulting fires causing partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the World Trade Center complex , including the 47-story 7 World Trade Center tower , as well as significant damage to ten other large surrounding structures . A third plane , American Airlines Flight 77 , was crashed into the Pentagon ( the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense ) in Arlington County , Virginia , leading to a partial collapse of the building 's western side . The fourth plane , United Airlines Flight 93 , initially was steered toward Washington , D.C. , but crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville , Pennsylvania , after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers . It was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States , with 343 and 72 killed respectively .   Suspicion for the attack quickly fell on al-Qaeda . The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban , which had harbored al-Qaeda . Many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist attacks . Although al-Qaeda 's leader , Osama bin Laden , initially denied any involvement , in 2004 he claimed responsibility for the attacks . Al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U.S. support of Israel , the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia , and sanctions against Iraq as motives . Having evaded capture for almost a decade , bin Laden was located and killed by SEAL Team Six of the U.S. Navy in May 2011 .   The destruction of the World Trade Center and nearby infrastructure caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan and had a significant effect on global markets , closing Wall Street until September 17 and the civilian airspace in the U.S. and Canada until September 13 . Many closings , evacuations , and cancellations followed , out of respect or fear of further attacks . Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002 , and the Pentagon was repaired within a year . On November 18 , 2006 , construction of One World Trade Center began at the World Trade Center site . The building was officially opened on November 3 , 2014 . Numerous memorials have been constructed , including the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City , the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington County , Virginia , and the Flight 93 National Memorial in a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville , Pennsylvania .


Jim Crow laws Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States . Enacted by white Democratic-dominated state legislatures in the late nineteenth century after the Reconstruction period , these laws continued to be enforced until 1965 . They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities in the states of the former Confederate States of America , starting in 1890 with a `` separate but equal '' status for African Americans in railroad cars . Public education had essentially been segregated since its establishment in most of the South after the Civil War . This principle was extended to public facilities and transportation , including segregated cars on interstate trains and , later , buses . Facilities for African Americans were consistently inferior and underfunded compared to those which were then available to European Americans ; sometimes they did not exist at all . This body of law institutionalized a number of economic , educational , and social disadvantages . De jure segregation existed mainly in the Southern states , while Northern segregation was generally de facto -- patterns of housing segregation enforced by private covenants , bank lending practices , and job discrimination , including discriminatory labor union practices . `` Jim Crow '' was a pejorative expression meaning `` Negro '' .   Jim Crow laws -- sometimes , as in Florida , part of state constitutions -- mandated the segregation of public schools , public places , and public transportation , and the segregation of restrooms , restaurants , and drinking fountains for whites and blacks . The U.S. military was already segregated . President Woodrow Wilson initiated segregation of federal workplaces at the request of southern Cabinet members in 1913 .   These Jim Crow laws revived principles of the 1800 -- 1866 Black Codes , which had previously restricted the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans . Segregation of public ( state-sponsored ) schools was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education . In some states it took years to implement this decision . Generally , the remaining Jim Crow laws were overruled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , but years of action and court challenges have been needed to unravel the many means of institutional discrimination .


Sean Combs Sean John Combs ( born November 4 , 1969 ) , also known by his stage names Puff Daddy , Puffy , P. Diddy and Diddy , is an American rapper , singer , songwriter , actor , record producer and entrepreneur . He was born in Harlem and was raised in Mount Vernon , New York . He worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his label Bad Boy Entertainment in 1993 . His debut album No Way Out ( 1997 ) has been certified seven times platinum and was followed by successful albums such as Forever ( 1999 ) , The Saga Continues ... ( 2001 ) , and Press Play ( 2006 ) . In 2009 Combs formed the musical group Diddy -- Dirty Money and released the critically well-reviewed and commercially successful album Last Train to Paris ( 2010 ) .   Combs has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards , and is the producer of MTV 's Making the Band . He is the Chairman and CEO of Combs Enterprises . In 2017 Forbes estimated his net worth at $ 820 million .


Gerard Butler has been in at least one film.

Gerard Butler Gerard James Butler ( born 13 November 1969 ) is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film , stage , and television . After studying law , Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as Mrs Brown ( 1997 ) , the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies ( 1997 ) , and Tale of the Mummy ( 1998 ) . In 2000 , he starred as Dracula in the horror film Dracula 2000 with Christopher Plummer and Jonny Lee Miller .   The following year onward , he played Attila the Hun in the miniseries Attila ( 2001 ) and then appeared in the films Reign of Fire with Christian Bale ( 2002 ) , and Lara Croft Tomb Raider : The Cradle of Life with Angelina Jolie ( 2003 ) , before playing André Marek in the adaptation of Michael Crichton 's science fiction adventure Timeline ( 2003 ) . He then was cast as the role of Erik , The Phantom in Joel Schumacher 's 2004 film adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera alongside Emmy Rossum . That role earned him a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor .   Although Attila and The Phantom of the Opera were important breaks , it was only in 2007 that Butler gained worldwide recognition for his portrayal of King Leonidas in Zack Snyder 's fantasy war film 300 . That role earned him nominations for an Empire Award for Best Actor and a Saturn Award for Best Actor and a win for MTV Movie Award for Best Fight . In the 2010s , he voiced the role of Stoick the Vast in the animated action-fantasy film How to Train Your Dragon , a role he later reprised in Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon ( 2010 ) , Gift of the Night Fury ( 2011 ) and How to Train Your Dragon 2 ( 2014 ) . He played military leader Tullus Aufidius in the 2011 film Coriolanus , the modernized adaptation of Shakespeare 's tragedy of the same name . He also played Sam Childers in the 2011 action biopic Machine Gun Preacher .


In 1970, Armadillo World Headquarters opened.

Armadillo World Headquarters Armadillo World Headquarters ( sometimes called simply The ` Dillo ) was a music venue and nightclub located in Austin , Texas from 1970 to 1980 .


Genghis Khan Genghis Khan ( -LSB- ˈdʒɛŋɡɪs_ˈkɑːn -RSB- , usually pronounced -LSB- ˈɡɛŋɡɪs_ˈkɑːn -RSB- Чингис хаан , Çingis hán -LSB- t͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋ -RSB- , c. 1162 August 18 , 1227 ) , born Temüjin , was the Great Khan and founder of the Mongol Empire , which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death .   He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia . After founding the Empire and being proclaimed `` Genghis Khan '' , he started the Mongol invasions that conquered most of Eurasia . Campaigns initiated in his lifetime include those against the Qara Khitai , Caucasus , and Khwarazmian , Western Xia and Jin dynasties . These campaigns were often accompanied by large-scale massacres of the civilian populations -- especially in the Khwarazmian and Western Xia controlled lands . By the end of his life , the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China .   Before Genghis Khan died he assigned Ögedei Khan as his successor . Later his grandsons split his empire into khanates . He died in 1227 after defeating the Western Xia . He was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Mongolia . His descendants extended the Mongol Empire across most of Eurasia by conquering or creating vassal states in all of modern-day China , Korea , the Caucasus , Central Asia , and substantial portions of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia . Many of these invasions repeated the earlier large-scale slaughters of local populations . As a result , Genghis Khan and his empire have a fearsome reputation in local histories .   Beyond his military accomplishments , Genghis Khan also advanced the Mongol Empire in other ways . He decreed the adoption of the Uyghur script as the Mongol Empire 's writing system . He also practiced meritocracy and encouraged religious tolerance in the Mongol Empire , and unified the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia . Present-day Mongolians regard him as the founding father of Mongolia .   Although known for the brutality of his campaigns and considered by many to have been a genocidal ruler , Genghis Khan is also credited with bringing the Silk Road under one cohesive political environment . This brought communication and trade from Northeast Asia into Muslim Southwest Asia and Christian Europe , thus expanding the horizons of all three cultural areas .


Chess was once recognized as a sport by the IOC.

Chess Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard , a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an 8 × 8 grid . The game is played by millions of people worldwide .   Each player begins with 16 pieces : one king , one queen , two rooks , two knights , two bishops , and eight pawns . Each of the six piece types moves differently , with the most powerful being the queen and the least powerful the pawn . The objective is to checkmate the opponent 's king by placing it under an inescapable threat of capture . To this end , a player 's pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent 's pieces , while supporting each other . In addition to checkmate , the game can be won by of the opponent , which typically occurs when too much material is lost , or checkmate appears unavoidable . A game can also in several ways end in a draw .   Chess is believed to have originated in India sometime before the 7th century , being derived from the Indian game chaturanga , which is also the likely ancestor of the Eastern strategy games xiangqi , janggi , and shogi . ( A minority view holds that chess originated in China . ) The pieces assumed their current powers in Spain in the late 15th century ; the rules were finally standardized in the 19th century . The first generally recognized World Chess Champion , Wilhelm Steinitz , claimed his title in 1886 . Since 1948 , the World Championship has been regulated by FIDE , the game 's international governing body . FIDE also organizes the Women 's World Championship , the World Junior Championship , the World Senior Championship , the Blitz and Rapid World Championships , and the Chess Olympiad , a popular competition among international teams . There is also a Correspondence Chess World Championship and a World Computer Chess Championship . Online chess has opened amateur and professional competition to a wide and varied group of players .   FIDE awards titles to skilled players , the highest of which is grandmaster . Many national chess organizations also have a title system ; however , these are not recognized by FIDE .   Until recently , chess was a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee ; some national sporting bodies such as the Spanish Consejo Superior de Deportes also recognize chess as a sport . Chess was included in the 2006 and 2010 Asian Games .   Since the second half of the 20th century , computers have been programmed to play chess with increasing success , to the point where the strongest home computers play at a higher level than the best human players . Since the 1990s , computer analysis has contributed significantly to chess theory , particularly in the endgame . The IBM computer Deep Blue was the first machine to overcome a reigning World Chess Champion in a match when it defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997 . The rise of strong computer programs ( called `` engines '' ) runnable on hand-held devices has led to increasing concerns about cheating during tournaments .   There are also many chess variants which utilize different rules , pieces , or boards . One of these , Chess960 ( originally `` Fischerandom '' ) , has gained widespread popularity as well as limited FIDE recognition .


Evan Rachel Wood began acting in the 2000s.


Queen Latifah is the daughter of Dana Elaine Owens.

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens ( born March 18 , 1970 ) , known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah , is an American rapper , songwriter , singer , actress , model , television producer , record producer , and talk show host . Born in Newark , New Jersey , she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album All Hail the Queen the same year , featuring the hit single `` Ladies First '' . Her second album , Nature of a Sista ( 1991 ) , was her final album with Tommy Boy Records .   Latifah starred as Khadijah James on the FOX sitcom Living Single , from 1993 to 1998 . Her third album Black Reign ( 1993 ) , spawned the single `` U.N.I.T.Y. '' , which won a Grammy Award and was successful on the Billboard Hot 100 . She then starred in the lead role of Set It Off ( 1996 ) and released her fourth album , Order in the Court , in 1998 , with Motown Records . Latifah gained mainstream success and acclaim with her performance in the film Chicago ( 2002 ) , receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress .   Latifah released her fifth album The Dana Owens Album in 2004 , and has since appeared in a number of films , such as Bringing Down the House ( 2003 ) , Taxi ( 2004 ) , Barbershop 2 : Back in Business ( 2005 ) , Beauty Shop ( 2005 ) , Last Holiday ( 2006 ) , Hairspray ( 2007 ) and Joyful Noise ( 2012 ) . In 2007 and 2009 , she released two more studio albums -- Trav ` lin ' Light and Persona . She created the daytime talk show The Queen Latifah Show , which ran from late 2013 to early 2015 on CBS . Latifah received critical acclaim for her portrayal of blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO film Bessie ( 2015 ) , which she co-produced , winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie .   She has long been considered one of hip-hop 's pioneer feminists . Queen Latifah received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 . Latifah 's work in music , film and television has earned her a Grammy Award , an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , three Screen Actors Guild Awards , two NAACP Image Awards , an Academy Award nomination and sales of over two million records .