Randy Orton formed the group The Legacy by himself.

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton ( born April 1 , 1980 ) is an American professional wrestler and actor . He is currently signed to WWE , where he performs on the SmackDown brand .   Orton is a 13-time world champion . Orton has held the WWE Championship nine times ( eighth reign was as WWE World Heavyweight Champion ) and WWE 's World Heavyweight Championship four times , and was the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship , which he unified with the WWE Championship to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion . Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler ; his grandfather Bob Orton , Sr. , his father `` Cowboy '' Bob Orton , and his uncle Barry Orton all competed in the professional wrestling business . Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation ( WWF , now WWE ) roster , Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month . He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) , where he held the OVW Hardcore Championship twice .   Orton became a member of the stable Evolution shortly after his WWE debut , which quickly led to an Intercontinental Championship reign , his first title with the company . He also acquired the moniker `` The Legend Killer '' during a storyline where he began disrespecting and then physically attacking WWE Hall of Famers and wrestling veterans . At age 24 , he became the youngest world champion in WWE history after he won the World Heavyweight Championship . With this win , he departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began . In 2006 , Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO . Together , they held the World Tag Team Championship . After Rated-RKO disbanded in mid-2007 , Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night , when at 27 he became the youngest two-time WWE Champion . He formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in 2008 . It disbanded in 2010 and Orton returned to singles competition . From 2013 to 2015 , Orton was aligned with The Authority , who named him the `` face of the WWE '' . In late 2016 he joined The Wyatt Family , winning the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship with stablemates Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper before turning on Wyatt in February 2017 .   Overall , Orton has won 16 total championships in WWE . He is the winner of the 2013 Money in the Bank ladder match , both the 2009 and 2017 Royal Rumble matches , and has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for WWE , including WrestleMania XXV and WrestleMania XXX .


Joe Carnahan directed the pilot episode of Blacklist.

The Blacklist (TV series) The Blacklist is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23 , 2013 . Raymond `` Red '' Reddington ( James Spader ) , a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal , voluntarily surrenders to the FBI after eluding capture for decades . He tells the FBI that he has a list of the most dangerous criminals in the world that he has compiled over the years and is willing to inform on their operations in exchange for immunity from prosecution . However , he insists on working exclusively with a rookie FBI profiler by the name of Elizabeth Keen ( Megan Boone ) . The series also stars Diego Klattenhoff , Ryan Eggold , and Harry Lennix . The pilot episode was written by Jon Bokenkamp and directed by Joe Carnahan . Executive producers for the series include Bokenkamp , John Eisendrath , and John Davis for Sony Pictures Television , Universal Television , and Davis Entertainment .   On October 4 , 2013 , NBC ordered nine additional episodes , filling out the series ' first season . On December 3 , 2013 , NBC renewed the series for a 22-episode second season . On May 11 , 2014 , owing to the series ' breakout success , NBC decided to air an episode in the coveted post-Super Bowl timeslot in 2015 . On December 5 , 2015 , the series was renewed for a fourth season , which premiered on September 22 , 2016 .  A spin-off series , The Blacklist : Redemption , premiered on February 23 , 2017 . On May 11 , 2017 , the series was renewed for a fifth season , while the spin-off was canceled the following day .   The series has received positive reviews , with many critics praising Spader 's performance in particular .


The cast of The Playboy Club includes Laura Benanti.

The Playboy Club The Playboy Club is an American historical crime drama television series that aired on NBC from September 19 to October 3 , 2011 . Set in 1961 , the series centers on the employees ( known as Bunnies ) of the original Playboy Club operating in Chicago . The Playboy Club stars Eddie Cibrian , Laura Benanti , Amber Heard , Jenna Dewan Tatum , Naturi Naughton , Leah Renee , Wes Ramsey , Jenifer Lewis , and David Krumholtz .   The Playboy Club was canceled on October 4 , 2011 , after three episodes aired , due to its low ratings . It was the first cancellation of the 2011 -- 12 television season . NBC continued to film the series until October 10 , 2011 , hoping to sell the series to another network . Both Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner and show creator Chad Hodge have expressed hope that the series will be picked up by Bravo .   When production wrapped on October 10 , 2011 , Hodge and Laura Benanti both confirmed that they had finished seven episodes , including the pilot . Benanti further stated that the seventh episode has two endings , one of which is more final to the series .


On December 13th, 1957, Steven Buscemi was born.

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


Brad Pitt produced two Best Picture Oscar winners.

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt ( born December 18 , 1963 ) is an American actor and producer . He has received multiple awards and nominations including an Academy Award as producer under his own company Plan B Entertainment .   Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma & Louise ( 1991 ) . His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with the dramas A River Runs Through It ( 1992 ) and Legends of the Fall ( 1994 ) , and Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) . He gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller Seven and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys ( both 1995 ) , the latter earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination . Pitt starred in the cult film Fight Club ( 1999 ) and the heist film Ocean 's Eleven ( 2001 ) and its sequels , Ocean 's Twelve ( 2004 ) and Ocean 's Thirteen ( 2007 ) . His greatest commercial successes have been Troy ( 2004 ) , Mr. & Mrs. Smith ( 2005 ) , and World War Z ( 2013 ) . Pitt received his second and third Academy Award nominations for his leading performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ( 2008 ) and Moneyball ( 2011 ) . He produced The Departed ( 2006 ) and 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) , both of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture , and also The Tree of Life , Moneyball , and The Big Short ( 2015 ) , all of which garnered Best Picture nominations .   As a public figure , Pitt has been cited as one of the most influential and powerful people in the American entertainment industry , as well as the world 's most attractive man , by various media outlets . His personal life is also the subject of wide publicity . Divorced from actress Jennifer Aniston , to whom he was married for five years , he has been married to actress Angelina Jolie since 2014 . They have six children together , three of whom were adopted internationally . In September 2016 , Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt .


Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun , orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days . It has the longest rotation period ( 243 days ) of any planet in the Solar System and rotates in the opposite direction to most other planets . It has no natural satellites . It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty . It is the second-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon , reaching an apparent magnitude of − 4.6 , bright enough to cast shadows at night and , though rare , occasionally be visible in broad daylight . Because Venus orbits within Earth 's orbit it is an inferior planet and never appears to venture far from the Sun ; its maximum angular distance from the Sun ( elongation ) is 47.8 ° .   Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth 's `` sister planet '' because of their similar size , mass , proximity to the Sun , and bulk composition . It is radically different from Earth in other respects . It has the densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets , consisting of more than 96 % carbon dioxide . The atmospheric pressure at the planet 's surface is 92 times that of Earth , or roughly the pressure found 900 m underwater on Earth . Venus is by far the hottest planet in the Solar System , with a mean surface temperature of 735 K , even though Mercury is closer to the Sun . Venus is shrouded by an opaque layer of highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid , preventing its surface from being seen from space in visible light . It may have had water oceans in the past , but these would have vaporized as the temperature rose due to a runaway greenhouse effect . The water has probably photodissociated , and the free hydrogen has been swept into interplanetary space by the solar wind because of the lack of a planetary magnetic field . Venus 's surface is a dry desertscape interspersed with slab-like rocks and is periodically resurfaced by volcanism .   As one of the brightest objects in the sky , Venus has been a major fixture in human culture for as long as records have existed . It has been made sacred to gods of many cultures , and has been a prime inspiration for writers and poets as the `` morning star '' and `` evening star '' . Venus was the first planet to have its motions plotted across the sky , as early as the second millennium BC .   As the closest planet to Earth , Venus has been a prime target for early interplanetary exploration . It was the first planet beyond Earth visited by a spacecraft ( Mariner 2 in 1962 ) , and the first to be successfully landed on ( by Venera 7 in 1970 ) . Venus 's thick clouds render observation of its surface impossible in visible light , and the first detailed maps did not emerge until the arrival of the Magellan orbiter in 1991 . Plans have been proposed for rovers or more complex missions , but they are hindered by Venus 's hostile surface conditions .


Syrian Desert The Syrian Desert ( بادية الشام , bādiyat ash-shām ) also known as the Hamad , is a combination of steppe and true desert covering 500000 km2 the Middle East , covering parts of south-eastern Syria , northeastern Jordan , northern Saudi Arabia , and western Iraq . To the south it borders and merges into the Arabian Desert .  The land is open , gravely desert pavement , cut with occasional wadis .


The Howard Stern Show is hosted by Howard Stern.

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern ( born January 12 , 1954 ) is an American radio and television personality , producer , author , actor , and photographer . He is best known for his radio show The Howard Stern Show , which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from 1986 to 2005 . Stern has broadcast on Sirius XM Radio since 2006 . Stern first wished to be on the radio at five years of age . He landed his first radio jobs while at Boston University . From 1976 to 1982 , Stern developed his on-air personality through morning positions at WRNW in Briarcliff Manor , New York , WCCC in Hartford , Connecticut , WWWW in Detroit , Michigan , and WWDC in Washington , D.C. Stern worked afternoons at WNBC in New York City from 1982 until his firing in 1985 .   In 1985 , Stern began a 20-year run at WXRK in New York City ; his morning show entered syndication in 1986 and aired in 60 markets and attracted 20 million listeners at its peak . Stern won numerous industry awards , including Billboard 's Nationally Syndicated Air Personality of the Year eight consecutive times , and is the first to have the number one morning show in New York City and Los Angeles simultaneously . He became the most fined radio host when the Federal Communications Commission issued fines totaling $ 2.5 million to station owners for content it deemed indecent . Stern became one of the highest paid radio figures after signing a five-year deal with Sirius in 2004 worth $ 500 million . In recent years , Stern 's photography has been featured in Hamptons and WHIRL magazines . From 2012 to 2015 , he served as a judge on America 's Got Talent .   Stern has described himself as `` King of All Media '' since 1992 for his successes outside radio . He hosted and produced numerous late night television shows , pay-per-view events and home videos . His two books , Private Parts ( 1993 ) and Miss America ( 1995 ) , entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number one and sold over one million copies . The former was made into a biographical comedy film in 1997 that had Stern and his radio show staff star as themselves . It topped the US box office in its opening week and grossed $ 41.2 million domestically . Stern performs on its soundtrack which charted the Billboard 200 at number one and was certified platinum for one million copies sold . In 2012 , Stern was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame .


The Bourne Supremacy has a character called Pamela Landy.

The Bourne Supremacy (film) The Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 American-German action spy thriller film starring Robert Ludlum 's Jason Bourne character . Though it takes the name of the second Bourne novel , its plot is entirely different . The film was directed by Paul Greengrass from a screenplay by Tony Gilroy . Universal Pictures released the film to theaters in the United States on July 23 , 2004 . It is the second in the Jason Bourne film series . It is preceded by The Bourne Identity ( 2002 ) and followed by The Bourne Ultimatum ( 2007 ) , The Bourne Legacy ( 2012 ) , and Jason Bourne ( 2016 ) .   The Bourne Supremacy continues the story of Jason Bourne , a former CIA assassin suffering from psychogenic amnesia . Bourne is portrayed by Matt Damon . The film focuses on his attempt to learn more of his past as he is once more enveloped in a conspiracy involving the CIA and Operation Treadstone . The film also stars Brian Cox as Ward Abbott , Joan Allen as Pamela Landy and Julia Stiles as Nicky Parsons .


Tom Felton Thomas Andrew `` Tom '' Felton ( born 22 September 1987 ) is an English actor . Felton began appearing in commercials when he was eight years old for companies such as Commercial Union and Barclaycard . He made his screen debut in the role of Peagreen Clock in The Borrowers ( 1997 ) and he portrayed Louis T. Leonowens in Anna and the King ( 1999 ) . He rose to prominence for his role as Draco Malfoy in the film adaptions of the best-selling Harry Potter fantasy novels by J.K. Rowling . His performances in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1 won him two consecutive MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain in 2010 and 2011 .   Following the conclusion of the series in 2011 , Felton appeared in the 2011 film Rise of the Planet of the Apes , a reboot of the Planet of the Apes series . He had roles in the minor films From the Rough ( 2011 ) and The Apparition ( 2012 ) , starred as James Ashford in the critically acclaimed period drama film Belle ( 2013 ) , followed by roles in In Secret ( 2014 ) and Against the Sun ( 2014 ) . Felton 's 2016 films include the epic biblical drama Risen , alongside Joseph Fiennes , and the period biopic A United Kingdom , alongside David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike . He portrays Julian Albert / Doctor Alchemy on The Flash .


The Sopranos only had one executive producer.

The Sopranos The Sopranos is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase . The story revolves around the fictional character , New Jersey-based Italian American mobster Tony Soprano ( James Gandolfini ) . The series portrays the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and his criminal organization . These are often highlighted during his therapy sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi ( Lorraine Bracco ) . The series features Tony 's family members , mafia colleagues and rivals , in prominent roles and story arcs , most notably his wife Carmela ( Edie Falco ) and protégé Christopher Moltisanti ( Michael Imperioli ) .   After the pilot was ordered in 1997 , the show premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on January 10 , 1999 , and ran its six seasons with 86 episodes to June 10 , 2007 . The series then went through syndication and has been broadcast on A&E in the United States and internationally . The Sopranos was produced by HBO , Chase Films , and Brad Grey Television . It was primarily filmed at Silvercup Studios , New York City , and on location in New Jersey . The executive producers throughout the show 's run were David Chase , Brad Grey , Robin Green , Mitchell Burgess , Ilene S. Landress , Terence Winter , and Matthew Weiner .   The Sopranos is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time . The series also won a multitude of awards , including Peabody Awards for its first two seasons , 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards . A staple of 2000s American popular culture , the series has been the subject of critical analysis , controversy , and parody . It has spawned books , a video game , high-charting soundtrack albums , and a large amount of assorted merchandise . Several members of the show 's cast and crew who were previously largely unknown to the public have had successful careers after The Sopranos . In 2013 , the Writers Guild of America named The Sopranos the best-written TV series of all time , while TV Guide ranked it the best television series of all time .


Roman Atwood Roman Bernard Atwood ( born May 28 , 1983 ) is an American YouTube personality , comedian , vlogger and pranker . He is best known for his vlogs , where he posts updates about his life on a daily basis . His vlogging channel , `` RomanAtwoodVlogs '' , has a total of 3.3 billion views and 11.9 million subscribers . He also has another YouTube channel called `` RomanAtwood '' , where he posts pranks . His prank videos have gained over 1.4 billion views and 10.3 million subscribers . Both of these channels are in the top 100 most subscribed on YouTube , and he became the second YouTuber after Germán Garmendia to receive two Diamond Play Buttons for his two channels .


Water covers 96.5% of the habitable planet Earth.

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


Pianist A pianist ( -LSB- ˈpiːənᵻst -RSB- , -LSB- ˈpjænᵻst -RSB- ) is an individual musician who plays the piano . Most forms of Western music can make use of the piano . Consequently , pianists have a wide variety of repertoire and styles to choose from , including traditionally classical music , Jazz , blues and all sorts of popular music , including rock music . Most pianists can , to a certain extent , play other keyboard-related instruments such as the synthesizer , harpsichord , celesta and the organ and keyboard . Perhaps the greatest pianist of all time was Franz Liszt , whose piano mastery was described by Anton Rubinstein : `` In comparison with Liszt , all other pianists are children '' .


Greyson Chance Greyson Michael Chance ( born August 16 , 1997 ) is an American singer , songwriter , and pianist . His April 2010 performance of Lady Gaga 's `` Paparazzi '' at a sixth-grade music festival went viral on YouTube , gaining widespread attention and over 59 million views as of May 2017 , as well as an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show shortly afterward . Two of his original compositions , `` Stars '' and `` Broken Hearts '' , gained over six and eight million views respectively on his YouTube channel . His debut single , `` Waiting Outside the Lines '' , was released in October 2010 . Chance 's debut album , Hold On 'Til the Night , was released on August 2 , 2011 .   Chance released his second EP , Somewhere Over My Head , on May 13 , 2016 . The lead single , `` Afterlife '' , was released in October 2015 , followed by `` Hit and Run '' and `` Back On the Wall '' in February and April 2016 respectively .


William Jennings Bryan served two terms as a member of the United Nations.

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan ( March 19 , 1860 -- July 26 , 1925 ) was an American orator and politician from Nebraska , and a dominant force in the populist wing of the Democratic Party , standing three times as the Party 's nominee for President of the United States ( 1896 , 1900 , and 1908 ) . He served two terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska and was United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson ( 1913 -- 1915 ) . He resigned because of his pacifist position on World War I. Bryan was a devout Presbyterian , a strong advocate of popular democracy , and an enemy of the banks and the gold standard . He demanded `` Free Silver '' because he believed it undermined the evil `` Money Power '' and put more cash in the hands of the common people . He was a peace advocate , a supporter of Prohibition , and an opponent of Darwinism on religious and humanitarian grounds . With his deep , commanding voice and wide travels , he was perhaps the best-known orator and lecturer of the era . Because of his faith in the wisdom of the common people , he was called `` The Great Commoner '' .   In the intensely fought 1896 and 1900 elections , he was defeated by William McKinley but retained control of the Democratic Party . With over 500 speeches in 1896 , Bryan invented the national stumping tour in an era when other presidential candidates stayed home . In his three presidential bids , he promoted Free Silver in 1896 , anti-imperialism in 1900 , and trust-busting in 1908 , calling on Democrats to fight the trusts ( big corporations ) and big banks , and embrace anti-elitist ideals of republicanism . President Wilson appointed him Secretary of State in 1913 . After the Lusitania was torpedoed in 1915 , Wilson made strong demands on Germany that Bryan disagreed with , resigning in protest as a pacifist . After 1920 , he turned to Christian fundamentalism ; he supported Prohibition and attacked Darwinism and evolution , most famously at the Scopes Trial in 1925 in Tennessee . Five days after the conclusion of the Scopes case , Bryan died in his sleep .


United Nations The United Nations ( UN ) is an intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation and to create and maintain international order . A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations , the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict . At its founding , the UN had 51 member states ; there are now 193 . The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan , New York City , and experiences extraterritoriality . Further main offices are situated in Geneva , Nairobi , and Vienna . The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states . Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security , promoting human rights , fostering social and economic development , protecting the environment , and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine , natural disaster , and armed conflict . The UN is the largest , most familiar , most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organisation in the world .   The UN Charter was drafted at a conference between April -- June 1945 in San Francisco , and was signed on 26 June 1945 at the conclusion of the conference ; this charter took effect 24 October 1945 , and the UN began operation . The UN 's mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its early decades by the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union and their respective allies . The organization participated in major actions in Korea and the Congo , as well as approving the creation of the state of Israel in 1947 . The organization 's membership grew significantly following widespread decolonization in the 1960s , and by the 1970s its budget for economic and social development programmes far outstripped its spending on peacekeeping . After the end of the Cold War , the UN took on major military and peacekeeping missions across the world with varying degrees of success .   The UN has six principal organs : the General Assembly ( the main deliberative assembly ) ; the Security Council ( for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security ) ; the Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC ; for promoting international economic and social co-operation and development ) ; the Secretariat ( for providing studies , information , and facilities needed by the UN ) ; the International Court of Justice ( the primary judicial organ ) ; and the UN Trusteeship Council ( inactive since 1994 ) . UN System agencies include the World Bank Group , the World Health Organization , the World Food Programme , UNESCO , and UNICEF . The UN 's most prominent officer is the Secretary-General , an office held by Portuguese António Guterres since 2017 . Non-governmental organizations may be granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UN 's work .   The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 , and a number of its officers and agencies have also been awarded the prize . Other evaluations of the UN 's effectiveness have been mixed . Some commentators believe the organization to be an important force for peace and human development , while others have called the organization ineffective , corrupt , or biased .


The "Universe" columns for Natural History were contributed to by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ( -LSB- ˈniːl_dəˈɡræs_ˈtaɪsən -RSB- born October 5 , 1958 ) is an American astrophysicist , author , and science communicator . Since 1996 , he has been the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City . The center is part of the American Museum of Natural History , where Tyson founded the Department of Astrophysics in 1997 and has been a research associate in the department since 2003 .   Born and raised in New York City , Tyson became interested in astronomy at the age of nine after a visit to the Hayden Planetarium . After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science , where he was editor-in-chief of the Physical Science Journal , he completed a bachelor 's degree in physics at Harvard University in 1980 . After receiving a master 's degree in astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin in 1983 , he earned his master 's ( 1989 ) and doctorate ( 1991 ) in astrophysics at Columbia University . For the next three years , he was a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University . In 1994 , he joined the Hayden Planetarium as a staff scientist and the Princeton faculty as a visiting research scientist and lecturer . In 1996 , he became director of the planetarium and oversaw its $ 210-million reconstruction project , which was completed in 2000 .   From 1995 to 2005 , Tyson wrote monthly essays in the `` Universe '' column for Natural History magazine , some of which were published in his books Death by Black Hole ( 2007 ) and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry ( 2017 ) . During the same period , he wrote a monthly column in Star Date magazine , answering questions about the universe under the pen name `` Merlin '' . Material from the column appeared in his books Merlin 's Tour of the Universe ( 1998 ) and Just Visiting This Planet ( 1998 ) . Tyson served on a 2001 government commission on the future of the U.S. aerospace industry , and on the 2004 Moon , Mars and Beyond commission . He was awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal in the same year . From 2006 to 2011 , he hosted the television show NOVA ScienceNow on PBS . Since 2009 , Tyson hosted the weekly podcast StarTalk . A spin-off , also called StarTalk , began airing on National Geographic in 2015 . In 2014 , he hosted the television series Cosmos : A Spacetime Odyssey , a successor to Carl Sagan 's 1980 series Cosmos : A Personal Voyage . The U.S. National Academy of Sciences awarded Tyson the Public Welfare Medal in 2015 for his `` extraordinary role in exciting the public about the wonders of science '' .


Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ 69 -- August 12 , 30 BC ) , known to history simply as Cleopatra , was the last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt , briefly survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion . After her reign , Egypt became a province of the recently established Roman Empire .   Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty , a Greek family of Macedonian origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great 's death during the Hellenistic period . The Ptolemies spoke Greek throughout their dynasty , and refused to speak Egyptian , which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone . By contrast , Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis .   Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII Auletes , and later with her brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV , whom she married as per Egyptian custom , but eventually she became sole ruler . As queen , she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne . She later elevated Caesarion , her son with Caesar , to co-ruler in name .   After Caesar 's assassination in 44 BC , she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar 's legal heir Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ( later known as Augustus ) . With Antony , she bore the twins Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander Helios , and son Ptolemy Philadelphus ( her unions with her brothers had produced no children ) . Antony committed suicide after losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian 's forces , and Cleopatra followed suit . According to a popular belief , she killed herself by means of an asp bite on August 12 , 30 BC . She was outlived by Caesarion , who was declared pharaoh by his supporters , but he was soon killed on Octavian 's orders . Egypt then became the Roman province of Aegyptus .   Her legacy survives in numerous works of art and many dramatizations of incidents from her life in literature and other media , such as William Shakespeare 's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra , George Frideric Handel 's opera Giulio Cesare , George Bernard Shaw 's play Caesar and Cleopatra , Jules Massenet 's opera Cléopâtre , and the films Cleopatra ( 1934 ) and Cleopatra ( 1963 ) .


Lahore Lahore ( -LSB- lə ` hɔər -RSB- ) ( -LSB- , -LSB- ) is the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab . It is the second most populous city in Pakistan and the 32nd most populous city in the world . The city is located in the north-eastern end of Pakistan 's Punjab province , near the border with the Indian state of Punjab . Lahore is ranked as a beta - world city , and is one of Pakistan 's wealthiest cities with an estimated GDP of $ 58.14 billion ( PPP ) as of 2014 .   Lahore is the historic cultural centre of the Punjab region , and is the largest Punjabi city in the world . The city has a long history , and was once under the rule of the Hindu Shahis , Ghaznavids , Ghurids , and the Delhi Sultanate . Lahore reached the height of its splendour under the Mughal Empire , serving as its capital city for a number of years . The city was captured by the forces of Persian Safavid Emperor Nader Shah during his invasion of the Mughal Empire . The city was then contested between different powers before it became capital of the Sikh Empire , and then the capital of the Punjab under British rule . Lahore was central to the independence movements of both India and Pakistan , with the city being the site of both the declaration of Indian Independence , and the resolution calling for the establishment of Pakistan . Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947 , Lahore became the capital of Pakistan 's Punjab province .   Lahore is one of Pakistan 's most liberal and cosmopolitan cities . It exerts a strong cultural influence over Pakistan . Lahore is a major centre for Pakistan 's publishing industry , and remains the foremost centre of Pakistan 's literary scene . The city is also a major centre of education in Pakistan , with some of Pakistan 's leading universities based in the city . Lahore is also home to Pakistan 's film industry , Lollywood , and is a major centre of Qawwali music . The city also hosts much of Pakistan 's tourist industry , with major attractions including the old Walled City , and the Badshahi and Wazir Khan mosques . Lahore is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens .


Kirk Douglas's birth name was Issur Danielovitch.

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas ( born Issur Danielovitch , December 9 , 1916 ) is an American actor , producer , director , and author . He is one of the last living people of the film industry 's Golden Age . After an impoverished childhood with immigrant parents and six sisters , he had his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers ( 1946 ) with Barbara Stanwyck . Douglas soon developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1950s and 1960s , known for serious dramas , including westerns and war movies . During his career he appeared in more than 90 movies .   Douglas became an international star through positive reception for his leading role as an unscrupulous boxing hero in Champion ( 1949 ) , which brought him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor . Other early films include Young Man with a Horn ( 1950 ) , playing opposite Lauren Bacall and Doris Day ; Ace in the Hole opposite Jan Sterling ( 1951 ) ; and Detective Story ( 1951 ) . He received a second Oscar nomination for his dramatic role in The Bad and the Beautiful ( 1952 ) , opposite Lana Turner , and his third nomination for portraying Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life ( 1956 ) .   In 1955 , he established Bryna Productions , which began producing films as varied as Paths of Glory ( 1957 ) and Spartacus ( 1960 ) . In those two films , he starred and collaborated with the then relatively unknown director , Stanley Kubrick . Douglas helped break the Hollywood blacklist by having Dalton Trumbo write Spartacus with an official on-screen credit , although Trumbo 's family claims he overstated his role . He produced and starred in Lonely Are the Brave ( 1962 ) , considered a cult classic , and Seven Days in May ( 1964 ) , opposite Burt Lancaster , with whom he made seven films . In 1963 , he starred in the Broadway play One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest , a story he purchased , which he later gave to his son Michael Douglas , who turned it into an Oscar-winning film .   As an actor and philanthropist , Douglas has received three Academy Award nominations , an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement , and the Presidential Medal of Freedom . As an author , he has written ten novels and memoirs . Currently , he is No. 17 on the American Film Institute 's list of the greatest male screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema , and the highest-ranked living person on the list . After barely surviving a helicopter crash in 1991 and then suffering a stroke in 1996 , he has focused on renewing his spiritual and religious life . He lives with his second wife ( of 63 years ) , Anne , a producer . He turned 100 on December 9 , 2016 .


The 19th G7 summit included politicians.

President of the European Commission The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ( the civil service of the executive branch of the : European Union , the function of which is to apply and enforce the Treaties ) . The President of the Commission is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed . They determine the Commission 's policy agenda and all the legislative proposals it produces ( the Commission is the only body that can propose EU laws ) .   The President of the Commission also represents the EU abroad , together with the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy .   The post was established in 1958 . Each new President is nominated by the European Council and formally elected by the European Parliament , for a five-year term . Once appointed , he or she , along with the Commission , is responsible to Parliament . , the current President is Jean-Claude Juncker , who took office on 1 November 2014 . He is a member of the European People 's Party ( EPP ) and is the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Juncker is the twelfth President and his First Vice-President is Frans Timmermans .


19th G7 summit The 19th G7 Summit was held in Tokyo , Japan , on July 7 -- 9 , 1993 . The venue for the summit meetings was the State Guesthouse in Tokyo , Japan .   The Group of Seven ( G7 ) was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries : France , Germany , Italy , Japan , the United Kingdom , the United States , Canada ( since 1976 ) and the President of the European Commission ( starting officially in 1981 ) . The summits were not meant to be linked formally with wider international institutions ; and in fact , a mild rebellion against the stiff formality of other international meetings was a part of the genesis of cooperation between France 's President Giscard d'Estaing and West Germany 's Chancellor Helmut Schmidt as they conceived the first Group of Six ( G6 ) summit in 1975 .


Billy Ray Cyrus William Ray Cyrus ( born August 25 , 1961 ) is an American singer , songwriter and actor .   Having released 12 studio albums and 44 singles since 1992 , he is best known for his number one single `` Achy Breaky Heart '' , which became the first single ever to achieve triple Platinum status in Australia . It was also the best-selling single in the same country in 1992 and was translated into more than 100 languages . Thanks to the video of this hit , the line dance catapulted into the mainstream , becoming a worldwide craze .   Cyrus , a multi-platinum selling recording artist , has scored a total of eight top-ten singles on the Billboard Country Songs chart . His most successful album to date is his debut Some Gave All , which has been certified 9 × Multi-Platinum in the United States and is the longest time spent by a debut artist at number one on the Billboard 200 ( 17 consecutive weeks ) and most consecutive chart-topping weeks in the SoundScan era . It is the only album ( from any genre ) in the SoundScan era to log 17 consecutive weeks at number one and is also the top-ranking debut album by a male country artist . It ranked 43 weeks in the top 10 , a total topped by only one country album in history , Ropin ' the Wind by Garth Brooks . Some Gave All was also the first debut album to enter at number one on the Billboard Country Albums chart . The album has also sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling debut album of all time for a solo male artist . Some Gave All was also the best-selling album of 1992 in the US with 4,832,000 copies . In his career , he has released 35 charted singles , of which 16 charted in the top 40 .   From 2001 to 2004 , Cyrus starred in the television show Doc . The show was about a country doctor who moved from Montana to New York City . From 2006 to 2011 , he co-starred in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana with his daughter Miley Cyrus . As of 2016 , he stars as Vernon Brownmule on the CMT series Still the King .


LL Cool J James Todd Smith ( born January 14 , 1968 ) , known professionally as LL Cool J ( short for Ladies Love Cool James ) , is an American rapper , actor , author , and entrepreneur from Queens , New York . He is known for such hip hop hits as `` I Ca n't Live Without My Radio '' , `` I 'm Bad '' , `` The Boomin ' System '' , `` Rock The Bells '' and `` Mama Said Knock You Out '' , as well as romantic ballads such as `` Doin ' It '' , `` I Need Love '' , `` Around the Way Girl '' and `` Hey Lover '' .   LL Cool J is also known as one of the forefathers of pop rap . He has released 13 studio albums and two greatest hits compilations . His twelfth album Exit 13 ( 2008 ) , was his last for his long-tenured deal with Def Jam Recordings . His latest album , Authentic , was released in April 2013 . In 2010 , VH1 considered him to be on their `` 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time '' list .   LL Cool J has also appeared in numerous films , including In Too Deep , Any Given Sunday , S.W.A.T. , Mindhunters , and Edison . He currently stars in an action role as NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna , on the CBS crime drama television series NCIS : Los Angeles . LL Cool J is also the host of Lip Sync Battle on Spike .


Melisandre appears in the television adaptation Game of Thrones.

Melisandre Melisandre of Asshai is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin , and its television adaptation Game of Thrones . She is a priestess of the god R'hllor and a close advisor to King Stannis Baratheon in his campaign to take the Iron Throne . She is often nicknamed The Red Woman due to the color of her hair and clothes .   Introduced in 1998 's A Clash of Kings , Melisandre originates from the continent Essos and has come to Westeros to propagate her faith in the Red God . She subsequently appeared in Martin 's A Storm of Swords ( 2000 ) and A Dance with Dragons ( 2011 ) .   Melisandre is portrayed by Dutch actress Carice van Houten in the HBO television adaptation .


Carice van Houten Carice Anouk van Houten ( -LSB- kaːˈris ɑˈnuk vɑn ˈɦʌu̯tə ( n ) -RSB- ; born 5 September 1976 ) is a Dutch actress and singer . Born in Leiderdorp , a town in the western Netherlands , she was brought up by writer and theatre-radio producer Theodore van Houten . Her younger sister Jelka is also an actress . She was exposed to the performing arts at an early age and studied at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Kleinkunstacademie Theaterschool in Amsterdam . Her first leading role as the eponymous protagonist in the television film Suzy Q ( 1999 ) won her the Golden Calf for Best Acting in a Television Drama ; two years later , she won her second Golden Calf for Best Actress for Undercover Kitty ( 2001 ) .   She gained widespread recognition for her performance in Black Book ( 2006 ) , the most commercially successful Dutch film to date , for which she won her second Golden Calf for Best Actress , in addition to nominations from the Chicago Film Critics Association , the European Film Academy , and the Online Film Critics Society . She was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for Valkyrie ( 2008 ) , and won her fourth and fifth Golden Calf Awards for Best Actress for The Happy Housewife ( 2010 ) and Black Butterflies ( 2011 ) . Her other notable English-language performances include Repo Men ( 2010 ) , Black Death ( 2010 ) , and Brimstone ( 2016 ) .   Since 2012 , Van Houten has received international recognition for her role as Melisandre on the HBO fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones ( 2012 -- present ) , for which she has been nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series . After meeting Australian actor and musician Guy Pearce on the set of Brimstone in 2015 , she gave birth to their first child the following year .


James and the Giant Peach includes David Thewlis.

James and the Giant Peach (film) James and the Giant Peach is a 1996 British-American musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick , based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl . It was produced by Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi , directed by Henry Selick , and starred Paul Terry as James . The film is a combination of live action and stop-motion animation . Co-stars Joanna Lumley and Miriam Margolyes played James 's aunts in the live-action segments , and Simon Callow , Richard Dreyfuss , Susan Sarandon , Jane Leeves , David Thewlis , and Margoyles voiced his insect friends in the animation sequences .


The British-American action comedy film Baby Driver starred Ansel Elgort.

Baby Driver Baby Driver is a 2017 British -- American action comedy film written and directed by Edgar Wright , and starring Ansel Elgort , Kevin Spacey , Lily James , Jon Bernthal , Eiza González , Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx . The film follows a young getaway driver ( played by Elgort ) who is reluctantly coerced to work for a veteran kingpin ( played by Spacey ) at `` one last job '' in exchange to start a better life .   The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11 , 2017 and is scheduled to be released theatrically on June 28 , 2017 , by TriStar Pictures .


Robert Duvall did not star in numerous television series.

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 ) .


Conglomerate (company) A conglomerate is the combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate group , usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries . Often , a conglomerate is a multi-industry company . Conglomerates are often large and multinational .   Conglomerates were popular in the 1960s due to a combination of low interest rates and a repeating bear/bull market , which allowed the conglomerates to buy companies in leveraged buyouts , sometimes at temporarily deflated values . Famous examples from the 1960s include Ling-Temco-Vought , ITT Corporation , Litton Industries , Textron , Teledyne . Because of low interest on the loans , the overall return on investment of the conglomerate appeared to grow . Also , the conglomerate had a better ability to borrow in the money market , or capital market , than the smaller firm at their community bank .   For many years this was enough to make the company 's stock price rise , as companies were often valued largely on their return on investment . The aggressive nature of the conglomerators themselves was enough to make many investors , who saw a `` powerful '' and seemingly unstoppable force in business , buy their stock . High stock prices allowed them to raise more loans , based on the value of their stock , and thereby buy even more companies . This led to a chain reaction , which allowed them to grow very rapidly .   However , all of this growth was somewhat illusory and when interest rates rose to offset inflation , conglomerate profits fell . Investors noticed that the companies inside the conglomerate were growing no faster than before they were purchased , whereas the rationale for buying a company was that `` synergies '' would provide efficiency . By the late 1960s they were shunned by the market , and a major sell-off of their shares ensued . To keep the companies going , many conglomerates were forced to shed the industries they had recently purchased , and by the mid-1970s most had been reduced to shells . The conglomerate fad was subsequently replaced by newer ideas like focusing on a company 's core competency .   In other cases , conglomerates are formed for genuine interests of diversification rather than manipulation of paper return on investment . Companies with this orientation would only make acquisitions or start new branches in other sectors when they believed this would increase profitability or stability by sharing risks . Flush with cash during the 1980s , General Electric also moved into financing and financial services , which in 2005 accounted for about 45 % of the company 's net earnings . GE formerly owned a minority interest in NBCUniversal , which owns the NBC television network and several other cable networks . In some ways GE is the opposite of the `` typical '' 1960s conglomerate in that the company was not highly leveraged , and when interest rates went up they were able to turn this to their advantage . It was often less expensive to lease from GE than buy new equipment using loans . United Technologies has also proven to be a successful conglomerate .   With the spread of mutual funds ( especially index funds since 1976 ) , investors could more easily obtain diversification by owning a small slice of many companies in a fund rather than owning shares in a conglomerate . Another example of a successful conglomerate is Warren Buffett 's Berkshire Hathaway , a holding company which used surplus capital from its insurance subsidiaries to invest in a variety of manufacturing and service businesses .


Fortune Global 500 The Fortune Global 500 , also known as Global 500 , is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue . The list is compiled and published annually by Fortune magazine .


Sony ( often referred to simply as Sony ) is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Kōnan , Minato , Tokyo . Its diversified business includes consumer and professional electronics , gaming , entertainment , and financial services . The company is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products for the consumer and professional markets . Sony was ranked 113th on the 2016 list of Fortune Global 500 .   Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the , which is engaged in business through its four operating components : electronics ( AV , IT & communication products , semiconductors , video games , network services and medical business ) , motion pictures ( movies and TV shows ) , music ( record labels and music publishing ) and financial services ( banking and insurance ) . These make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world . The group consists of Sony Corporation , Sony Pictures Entertainment , Sony Interactive Entertainment , Sony Music Entertainment , Sony Financial Holdings and others .   Sony is among the semiconductor sales leaders and as of 2016 , the fifth-largest television manufacturer in the world after Samsung Electronics , LG Electronics , TCL and Hisense .   The company 's current slogan is BE MOVED . Their former slogans were make.believe ( 2009 -- 2014 ) , like.no.other ( 2005 -- 2009 ) and It 's a Sony ( 1980 -- 2002 ) . Sony has a weak tie to the SMFG ( Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group ) keiretsu , the successor to the Mitsui keiretsu .


King Kong was directed by Guillermo del Toro.

King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 epic monster adventure film co-written , produced , and directed by Peter Jackson . A remake of the 1933 film of the same name , the film stars Naomi Watts , Jack Black , Adrien Brody , and , through motion capture , Andy Serkis as the title character . Set in 1933 , King Kong tells the story of an ambitious filmmaker who coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to the mysterious Skull Island . There they encounter Kong , a legendary giant gorilla , whom they capture and take to New York City .   Filming for King Kong took place in New Zealand from September 2004 to March 2005 . The project 's budget climbed from an initial $ 150 million to a then-record-breaking $ 207 million . It was released on December 14 , 2005 in Germany and on December 16 in the United States , and made an opening of $ 50.1 million . While it performed lower than expected , King Kong made domestic and worldwide grosses that eventually added up to $ 550 million , becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film in Universal Pictures history . It also generated $ 100 million in DVD sales upon its home video release . The film garnered positive reviews from critics and appeared on several top ten lists for 2005 . It was praised for its special effects , performances , sense of spectacle and comparison to the 1933 original . It won three Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing , Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects .


One World Trade Center is 1779 feet tall in height.

One World Trade Center One World Trade Center ( also known as 1 World Trade Center , 1 WTC or Freedom Tower ) is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan , New York City . It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere , and the sixth-tallest in the world . The supertall structure has the same name as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center , which was completely destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11 , 2001 . The new skyscraper stands on the northwest corner of the 16 acre World Trade Center site , on the site of the original 6 World Trade Center . The building is bounded by West Street to the west , Vesey Street to the north , Fulton Street to the south , and Washington Street to the east .   The building 's architect was David Childs , whose firm Skidmore , Owings & Merrill ( SOM ) also designed the Burj Khalifa and the Willis Tower . The construction of below-ground utility relocations , footings , and foundations for the new building began on April 27 , 2006 . One World Trade Center became the tallest structure in New York City on April 30 , 2012 , when it surpassed the height of the Empire State Building . The tower 's steel structure was topped out on August 30 , 2012 . On May 10 , 2013 , the final component of the skyscraper 's spire was installed , making the building , including its spire , reach a total height of 1776 ft. Its height in feet is a deliberate reference to the year when the United States Declaration of Independence was signed . The building opened on November 3 , 2014 ; the One World Observatory opened on May 29 , 2015 .   On March 26 , 2009 , the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ( PANYNJ ) confirmed that the building would be officially known by its legal name of `` One World Trade Center '' , rather than its colloquial name of `` Freedom Tower '' . The building is 104 standard floors high , but the tower has only 94 actual stories .   The new World Trade Center complex will eventually include five high-rise office buildings built along Greenwich Street , as well as the National September 11 Memorial & Museum , located just south of One World Trade Center where the original Twin Towers stood . The construction of the new building is part of an effort to memorialize and rebuild following the destruction of the original World Trade Center complex .


Ginger Baker Peter Edward `` Ginger '' Baker ( born 19 August 1939 ) is an English drummer , best known as the founder of the rock band Cream . Baker 's work in the 1960s earned him praise as `` rock 's first superstar drummer '' , although his individual style melded a jazz background with his interest in African rhythms . Baker is an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cream and is widely considered one of the most influential drummers of all time , recognised by his induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2008 , and his induction into the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2016 . Baker is credited as a pioneer of drumming in genres like jazz fusion , heavy metal and world music .   Baker began playing drums at age 15 around 1954 , and later took lessons from Phil Seamen . In the 1960s , he joined Blues Incorporated , where he met bassist Jack Bruce . The two clashed often , but would be rhythm section partners again in the Graham Bond Organisation and Cream , the latter of which Baker co-founded with Eric Clapton in 1966 . Cream achieved worldwide success but only lasted until 1968 , in part due to Baker 's and Bruce 's volatile relationship . After briefly working with Clapton in Blind Faith and leading Ginger Baker 's Air Force , Baker spent several years in the 1970s living and recording in Africa , often with Fela Kuti , in pursuit of his long-time interest in African music . Among Baker 's other collaborations are his work with Gary Moore , Masters of Reality , Public Image Ltd , Atomic Rooster , Bill Laswell , jazz bassist Charlie Haden , jazz guitarist Bill Frisell , and another personally led effort , Ginger Baker 's Energy .   Baker 's drumming attracted attention for his style , showmanship , and use of two bass drums instead of the conventional one . In his early days , he performed lengthy drum solos , most notably in the Cream song `` Toad '' , one of the earliest recorded examples in rock music .


Rebecca Hall was nominated for a Golden Globe for her part in Vicky Christina Barcelona.

Rebecca Hall Rebecca Maria Hall ( born 3 May 1982 ) is an English-American actress . In 2003 , she won the Ian Charleson Award for her debut stage performance in a production of Mrs. Warren 's Profession . She has appeared in the films The Prestige , Vicky Cristina Barcelona ( for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe ) , The Town , The Awakening , Frost/Nixon , Iron Man 3 , Transcendence , and The Gift . In 2016 , Hall portrayed the troubled news anchor Christine Chubbuck in the critically acclaimed drama Christine .   In June 2010 , Hall won the Supporting Actress BAFTA for her portrayal of Paula Garland in the 2009 Channel 4 production Red Riding : In the Year of Our Lord 1974 . She was also nominated for the Leading Actress Television BAFTA in 2013 for her role as socialite Sylvia Tietjens in BBC Two 's Parade 's End , opposite Benedict Cumberbatch .


Hugh Grant was a figure of 1990s British soup.

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant ( born 9 September 1960 ) is an English actor and film producer . Grant has received a Golden Globe , a BAFTA , and an Honorary César for his work . His films have earned more than US$ 2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide . Grant first received attention after earning the Volpi Cup for his performance in James Ivory 's Maurice ( 1987 ) but achieved international success after appearing in the Richard Curtis-scripted Four Weddings and a Funeral ( 1994 ) . Grant used this breakthrough role as a frequent cinematic persona during the 1990s , delivering comic performances in films such as Mickey Blue Eyes ( 1999 ) and Notting Hill ( 1999 ) . One of the best known figures in 1990s British popular culture , Grant was in a high-profile relationship with Elizabeth Hurley , which was the focus of much attention in the British and international media .   By the turn of the 21st century , Grant had established himself as a leading man , skilled with a satirical comic talent . Grant has expanded his oeuvre with critically acclaimed turns as a cad in Bridget Jones 's Diary ( 2001 ) , About a Boy ( 2002 ) , and American Dreamz ( 2006 ) . Grant later played against type with multiple cameo roles in the epic sci-fi drama film , Cloud Atlas ( 2012 ) . He 's also known for appearing in period pieces such as The Remains of the Day ( 1993 ) , Sense and Sensibility ( 1995 ) and Florence Foster Jenkins ( 2016 ) .   Within the film industry , Grant is cited as an anti-star who approaches his roles like a character actor , and attempts to make his acting appear spontaneous . Hallmarks of his comic skills include a nonchalant touch of irony/sarcasm and studied physical mannerisms , as well as his precisely-timed dialogue delivery and facial expressions . The entertainment media 's coverage of Grant 's life off the big screen has often overshadowed his work as an actor . Grant has been outspoken about his antipathy towards the profession of acting , and in his disdain towards the culture of celebrity and hostility towards the media . In a career spanning 30 years , Grant has repeatedly claimed that acting was not his true calling , but rather a career that unintentionally developed by happenstance .


Semitic languages are spoken by more than 330 million dogs.

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family originating in the Middle East . Semitic languages are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of Western Asia , North Africa and the Horn of Africa , as well as in often large expatriate communities in North America and Europe , with smaller communities in the Caucasus and Central Asia . The terminology was first used in the 1780s by members of the Göttingen School of History , who derived the name from Shem , one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis .   The most widely spoken Semitic languages today are ( numbers given are for native speakers only ) Arabic ( 300 million ) , Amharic ( 22 million ) , Tigrinya ( 7 million ) , Hebrew ( unknown ; 5 million native and non-native L1 speakers ) , Tigre ( 1.05 million in 2006 ) , Aramaic ( 575,000 to 1 million largely Assyrian fluent speakers ) and Maltese ( 520,000 speakers ) .   Semitic languages occur in written form from a very early historical date , with East Semitic Akkadian and Eblaite texts ( written in a script adapted from Sumerian cuneiform ) appearing from the 29th century BCE and the 25th century BCE in Mesopotamia and the northern Levant respectively . The only earlier attested written languages are Sumerian , Elamite ( both language isolates ) and Egyptian . However , most scripts used to write Semitic languages are abjadsa type of alphabetic script that omits some or all of the vowels , which is feasible for these languages because the consonants in the Semitic languages are the primary carriers of meaning .   Among them are the Ugaritic , Phoenician , Aramaic , Hebrew , Syriac , Arabic , and South Arabian alphabets . The Ge'ez script , used initially in Yemen , and later also for writing the Semitic languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea , is technically an abugida a modified abjad in which vowels are notated using diacritic marks added to the consonants at all times , in contrast with other Semitic languages which indicate diacritics based on need or for introductory purposes . Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin script and the only Semitic language to be an official language of the European Union .   The Semitic languages are notable for their nonconcatenative morphology . That is , word roots are not themselves syllables or words , but instead are isolated sets of consonants ( usually three , making a so-called triliteral root ) . Words are composed out of roots not so much by adding prefixes or suffixes , but rather by filling in the vowels between the root consonants ( although prefixes and suffixes are often added as well ) . For example , in Arabic , the root meaning `` write '' has the form k-t-b . From this root , words are formed by filling in the vowels and sometimes adding additional consonants , e.g. كتاب kitāb `` book '' , كتب kutub `` books '' , كاتب kātib `` writer '' , كتّاب kuttāb `` writers '' , كتب kataba `` he wrote '' , يكتب yaktubu `` he writes '' , etc. .


Death Proof Death Proof is a 2007 American exploitation film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino . It stars Kurt Russell as a stuntman who murders young women in staged car accidents using his `` death-proof '' stunt car . It co-stars Rosario Dawson , Vanessa Ferlito , Jordan Ladd , Rose McGowan , Sydney Tamiia Poitier , Tracie Thoms and Mary Elizabeth Winstead , with stuntwoman Zoë Bell as herself . The film pays homage to the slasher , exploitation and muscle car films of the 1970s .   Death Proof was released theatrically in the United States as part of a double feature with Robert Rodriguez 's Planet Terror under the collective title Grindhouse , to recreate the experience of viewing exploitation film double features in a `` grindhouse '' theater . The films were released separately outside the United States and on DVD , with Death Proof going on sale in the U.S. on September 18 , 2007 . The film was in the main competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival .


Django Unchained Django Unchained is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino , starring Jamie Foxx , Christoph Waltz , Leonardo DiCaprio , Kerry Washington , and Samuel L. Jackson , with Walton Goggins , Dennis Christopher , James Remar , Michael Parks , and Don Johnson in supporting roles . Set in the Old West and Antebellum South , it is a highly stylized tribute to Spaghetti Westerns , in particular the 1966 Italian film Django by Sergio Corbucci , whose star Franco Nero has a cameo appearance .   Development of Django Unchained began in 2007 when Tarantino was writing a book on Sergio Corbucci . By April 2011 , Tarantino sent his final draft of the script to The Weinstein Company . Casting began in the summer of 2011 , with Michael K. Williams and Will Smith being considered for the role of the title character before Foxx was cast . Principal photography took place from November 2011 to March 2012 in California , Wyoming and Louisiana .   Django Unchained premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 11 , 2012 , and was released on December 25 , 2012 in the United States . The film was nominated for several film industry awards , including five Academy Awards . Waltz won several awards for his performance , among them Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes , BAFTAs , and Academy Awards . Tarantino won an Academy Award , a Golden Globe , and a BAFTA award for writing the film 's original screenplay . The film grossed over $ 425 million worldwide in theaters against its $ 100 million budget , making it Tarantino 's highest-grossing theatrical release .


Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino ( -LSB- ˌtærənˈtiːnoʊ -RSB- born March 27 , 1963 ) is an American director , writer , and actor . His films are characterized by nonlinear storylines , satirical subject matter , an aestheticization of violence , extended scenes of dialogue , ensemble casts consisting of established and lesser-known performers , references to popular culture , soundtracks primarily containing songs and score pieces from the 1960s to the 1980s , and features of neo-noir film . He is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation .   His career began in the late 1980s , when he wrote and directed My Best Friend 's Birthday , the screenplay of which formed the basis for True Romance . In the early 1990s , he began his career as an independent filmmaker with the release of Reservoir Dogs in 1992 ; regarded as a classic and cult hit , it was called the `` Greatest Independent Film of All Time '' by Empire . Its popularity was boosted by his second film , Pulp Fiction ( 1994 ) , a black comedy crime film that was a major success both among critics and audiences . Judged the greatest film from 1983 -- 2008 by Entertainment Weekly , many critics and scholars have named it one of the most significant works of modern cinema . For his next effort , Tarantino paid homage to the blaxploitation films of the 1970s with Jackie Brown ( 1997 ) , an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch .   Kill Bill , a highly stylized `` revenge flick '' in the cinematic traditions of Kung fu films , Japanese martial arts , Spaghetti Westerns and Italian horror , followed six years later , and was released as two films : Volume 1 in 2003 and Volume 2 in 2004 . Tarantino directed Death Proof ( 2007 ) as part of a double feature with friend Robert Rodriguez , under the collective title Grindhouse . His long-postponed Inglourious Basterds , which tells the fictional alternate history story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany 's political leadership , was released in 2009 to positive reviews . After that came 2012 's critically acclaimed Django Unchained , a Western film set in the antebellum era of the Deep South . It became the highest-grossing film of his career so far , making over $ 425 million at the box office . His eighth film , the mystery Western The Hateful Eight , was released in its roadshow version December 25 , 2015 , in 70 mm film format , complete with opening `` overture '' and halfway-point intermission , after the fashion of big-budget films of the 1960s and early 1970s .   Tarantino 's films have garnered both critical and commercial success . He has received many industry awards , including two Academy Awards , two Golden Globe Awards , two BAFTA Awards and the Palme d'Or , and has been nominated for an Emmy and a Grammy . He was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time in 2005 . Filmmaker and historian Peter Bogdanovich has called him `` the single most influential director of his generation '' . In December 2015 , Tarantino received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry .


Academy Awards The Academy Awards , now known officially as the Oscars , is a set of twenty-four awards for artistic and technical merit in the American film industry , given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) , to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy 's voting membership . The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette , officially called the `` Academy Award of Merit '' , which has become commonly known by its nickname `` Oscar '' . The awards , first presented in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel , are overseen by AMPAS .   The awards ceremony was first broadcast on radio in 1930 and televised for the first time in 1953 . It is now seen live in more than 200 countries and can be streamed live online . The Academy Awards ceremony is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony . Its equivalents -- the Emmy Awards for television , the Tony Awards for theater , and the Grammy Awards for music and recording -- are modeled after the Academy Awards .   The 89th Academy Awards ceremony , honoring the best films of 2016 , were held on February 26 , 2017 , at the Dolby Theatre , in Los Angeles , California . The ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and was broadcast on ABC . A total of 3,048 Oscars have been awarded from the inception of the award through the 88th .


Inglourious Basterds Inglourious Basterds is a 2009 uchronic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino starring Brad Pitt , Christoph Waltz , Michael Fassbender , Eli Roth , Diane Kruger , Til Schweiger , and Mélanie Laurent . The film tells the fictional alternate history story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany 's political leadership , one planned by Shosanna Dreyfus ( Laurent ) , a young French Jewish cinema proprietor , and the other by a team of Jewish American soldiers led by First Lieutenant Aldo Raine ( Pitt ) . Christoph Waltz co-stars as Hans Landa , an SS colonel tracking down Raine 's group and who has a connection to Shosanna 's past . The film 's title was inspired by Italian director Enzo G. Castellari 's macaroni combat film , The Inglorious Bastards ( 1978 ) .   Tarantino wrote the script in 1998 but struggled with the ending and chose to hold off filming and instead direct the two-part film Kill Bill . After directing Death Proof in 2007 ( as part of the double feature Grindhouse ) , Tarantino returned to work on Inglourious Basterds . A co-production of the United States and Germany , the film began principal photography in October 2008 and was filmed in Germany and France with a $ 70 million production budget . Inglourious Basterds premiered on May 20 , 2009 , at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival . It was widely released in theaters in the United States and Europe in August 2009 by The Weinstein Company and Universal Pictures .   The film was commercially successful , grossing over $ 321 million in theaters worldwide , making it Tarantino 's highest-grossing film at that point , and second-highest to date , after Django Unchained ( 2012 ) . It received multiple awards and nominations , among them eight Academy Award nominations , including Best Picture , Best Director and Best Original Screenplay . For his role as Landa , Waltz won the Cannes Film Festival 's Best Actor Award , as well as the BAFTA , Screen Actors Guild , Golden Globe , and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor .


Jackie Brown Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino . The film is an adaptation of Elmore Leonard 's 1992 novel Rum Punch . It is the first ( and to date , only ) film that Tarantino has adapted from a previous work , and stars Pam Grier in the title role . The film pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films , particularly the films Coffy ( 1973 ) and Foxy Brown ( 1974 ) , both of which also starred Grier in the title roles .   The film 's supporting cast includes Robert Forster , Robert De Niro , Samuel L. Jackson , Bridget Fonda , and Michael Keaton . It was Tarantino 's third film following Reservoir Dogs ( 1992 ) and Pulp Fiction ( 1994 ) .   Grier and Forster were both veteran actors but neither had performed a leading role in many years . Jackie Brown revitalized both actors ' careers . The film garnered Forster an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and Golden Globe Award nominations for Jackson and Grier .


My Best Friend's Birthday My Best Friend 's Birthday is a partially lost black-and-white amateur short film written by Craig Hamann and Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tarantino .


Bruce Lee was only a professional martial artist and unable to act.

Bruce Lee Lee Jun-fan ( ; November 27 , 1940 -- July 20 , 1973 ) , known professionally as Bruce Lee , was a Hong Kong and American martial artist , actor , philosopher , filmmaker , and founder of the martial art Jeet Kune Do . Lee was the son of Cantonese opera star Lee Hoi-chuen . He is widely considered by commentators , critics , media , and other martial artists to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time , and a pop culture icon of the 20th century . He is often credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films .   Lee was born in Chinatown , San Francisco , on November 27 , 1940 , to parents from Hong Kong and was raised in Kowloon , Hong Kong , with his family until his late teens . He was introduced to the film industry by his father and appeared in several films as a child actor . Lee moved to the United States at the age of 18 to receive his higher education , at the University of Washington , at Seattle and it was during this time that he began teaching martial arts . His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim , sparking a surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s . The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in the US , Hong Kong and the rest of the world .   He is noted for his roles in five feature-length films : Lo Wei 's The Big Boss ( 1971 ) and Fist of Fury ( 1972 ) ; Golden Harvest 's Way of the Dragon ( 1972 ) , directed and written by Lee ; Golden Harvest and Warner Brothers ' Enter the Dragon ( 1973 ) and The Game of Death ( 1978 ) , both directed by Robert Clouse . Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world , particularly among the Chinese , as he portrayed Chinese nationalism in his films . He trained in the art of Wing Chun and later combined his other influences from various sources , in the spirit of his personal martial arts philosophy , which he dubbed Jeet Kune Do ( The Way of the Intercepting Fist ) .  Lee held dual nationality of Hong Kong and the US . He died in Kowloon Tong on July 20 , 1973 at the age of 32 .


None of Jurassic World's writers is Rick Jaffa.

Jurassic World Jurassic World is a 2015 American science-fiction adventure film and the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park series . The film was directed and co-written by Colin Trevorrow , produced by Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley , and stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard . The production companies were Steven Spielberg 's Amblin Entertainment , also responsible for the rest of the Jurassic Park franchise , and Thomas Tull 's Legendary Pictures . Set 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park , Jurassic World takes place on the same fictional island of Isla Nublar , off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica , where a theme park populated with cloned dinosaurs has operated for ten years . The park plunges into chaos when a genetically created dinosaur breaks loose and goes on a rampage across the island .   Universal Pictures intended to begin production on a fourth Jurassic Park film in 2004 for a summer 2005 release , but the film entered over a decade of development hell while the script went through revisions . Following a suggestion from Spielberg , writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver explored the idea of a functional dinosaur park . Once Trevorrow was hired as director in 2013 , he followed the same idea while developing a whole new script with Derek Connolly . Principal photography rolled from April to August 2014 , primarily in Louisiana while also using the original Jurassic Park filming locations in Hawaii . Again the dinosaurs were created through computer-generated imagery by Industrial Light & Magic and life-sized animatronics by Legacy Effects , a company created by the alumni of Jurassic Park veteran Stan Winston .   Jurassic World was completed on May 10 , 2015 , and was released in over 60 countries beginning on June 10 , 2015 . After a record-breaking opening weekend during which it grossed $ 500 million worldwide , Jurassic World generated a total of $ 1.6 billion in box office revenue , standing as the fourth highest-grossing film of all time without inflation adjustment , as well as the second highest-grossing film of 2015 and the highest-grossing film in the franchise . A sequel is scheduled for release on June 22 , 2018 .


Floyd Mayweather Jr. won an award in 2015.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. ( born Floyd Joy Sinclair ; February 24 , 1977 ) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2015 , and currently works as a boxing promoter . Widely considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time , undefeated as a professional , and a five-division world champion , Mayweather won fifteen world titles and the lineal championship in four different weight classes ( twice at welterweight ) . As an amateur , he won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics . Mayweather is a two-time winner of The Ring magazine 's Fighter of the Year award ( 1998 and 2007 ) , a three-time winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America ( BWAA ) Fighter of the Year award ( 2007 , 2013 , and 2015 ) , and a six-time winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award ( 2007 -- 2010 , 2012 -- 2014 ) .   In 2016 , Mayweather was ranked by ESPN as the greatest boxer , pound for pound , of the last 25 years . In the same year , he peaked as BoxRec 's number one fighter of all time , pound for pound , as well as the greatest welterweight of all time . Many sporting news and boxing websites ranked Mayweather as the best boxer in the world , pound for pound , twice in a span of ten years ; including The Ring , Sports Illustrated , ESPN , BoxRec , Fox Sports , and Yahoo! Sports . He is also regarded as the best defensive boxer in the sport , as well as being the most accurate puncher since the existence of CompuBox , having the highest plus -- minus ratio in recorded boxing history . He finished his career with a record of 26 wins without a loss or draw in world title fights ( 10 by KO ) ; 23 wins ( 9 KOs ) in lineal title fights ; 24 wins ( 7 KOs ) against former or current world titlists ; 12 wins ( 3 KOs ) against former or current lineal champions ; and 2 wins ( 1 KO ) against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees .   In addition to his accomplishments in the ring , Mayweather is well known for being one of the most lucrative pay-per-view ( PPV ) attractions of all time , in any sport . He topped the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013 respectively , and the Forbes list again in both 2014 and 2015 , listing him as the highest paid athlete in the world . In 2007 , he founded Mayweather Promotions , his own boxing promotional firm after defecting from Bob Arum 's Top Rank . Mayweather has generated approximately 19.5 million in PPV buys and $ 1.3 billion in revenue throughout his career , surpassing the likes of former top PPV attractions including Mike Tyson , Evander Holyfield , Lennox Lewis , Oscar De La Hoya , and Manny Pacquiao .


Point Place is rarely where a television sitcom takes place.

Point Place Point Place is the fictional town in Wisconsin in which the television sitcom That '70s Show takes place . It is depicted as a typical suburban community , largely white and middle class . According to the episode `` Hey Hey What Can I Do , '' Point Place 's economy seems to be largely built around slaughtering ( in fact , a later episode `` Leaving Home Ai n't Easy '' reveals a roadway named `` Slaughterhouse Way '' because it leads to a slaughterhouse ) .


The Caspian Sea is bounded by the Republic of Turkmenistan to the southeast.

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( -LSB- tɜːrkmɛnᵻˈstɑːn -RSB- Türkmenistan / Түркменистан / توركمنستان , -LSB- tyɾkmeniˈθtɑn -RSB- ) , formerly known as Turkmenia , is a country in Central Asia , bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest , Uzbekistan to the north and east , Afghanistan to the southeast , Iran to the south and southwest , and the Caspian Sea to the west .   Turkmenistan has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries . In medieval times , Merv was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road , a caravan route used for trade with China until the mid-15th century . Annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881 , Turkmenistan later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia . In 1925 , Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union , Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic ( Turkmen SSR ) ; it became independent upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 .   Turkmenistan possesses the world 's fourth largest reserves of natural gas resources . Most of the country is covered by the Karakum ( Black Sand ) Desert . Since 1993 , citizens have received government-provided electricity , water and natural gas free of charge .   Turkmenistan was ruled by President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov until his death in 2006 . Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was elected president in 2007 . According to Human Rights Watch , `` Turkmenistan remains one of the world 's most repressive countries . The country is virtually closed to independent scrutiny , media and religious freedoms are subject to draconian restrictions , and human rights defenders and other activists face the constant threat of government reprisal . '' After suspending the death penalty , the use of capital punishment was formally abolished in the 2008 constitution .


Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth by area , variously classed as the world 's largest lake or a full-fledged sea . It is in an endorheic basin ( a basin without outflows ) located between Europe and Asia . It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast , Russia to the northwest , Azerbaijan to the west , Iran to the south , and Turkmenistan to the southeast .   The Caspian Sea presently lies about 28 m below sea level in the Caspian Depression , to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the vast steppe of Central Asia . The sea bed in the southern part reaches as low as 1023 m below sea level , which is the second lowest natural depression on earth after Lake Baikal ( -1180 m ) . The ancient inhabitants of its coast perceived the Caspian Sea as an ocean , probably because of its saltiness and large size .   The sea has a surface area of 371000 km2 ( not including the detached lagoon of Garabogazköl ) and a volume of 78200 km3 . It has a salinity of approximately 1.2 % ( 12 g/l ) , about a third of the salinity of most seawater .


G.I. Jane was distributed by Richard Branson.

G.I. Jane G.I. Jane is a 1997 American action film directed by Ridley Scott , produced by Largo Entertainment , Scott Free Productions and Caravan Pictures , distributed by Hollywood Pictures and starring Demi Moore , Viggo Mortensen and Anne Bancroft . The film tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo training in U.S. Navy Special Warfare Group .


Mole (architecture) A mole is a massive structure , usually of stone , used as a pier , breakwater , or a causeway between places separated by water . The word comes from Middle French mole , ultimately from Latin mōlēs , meaning a large mass , especially of rock , and it has the same root as molecule . A mole may have a wooden structure built on top of it that resembles a wooden pier . The defining feature of a mole , however , is that water can not freely flow underneath it , unlike a true pier . The oldest known mole is at Wadi al-Jarf , an ancient Egyptian harbor complex on the Red Sea .


John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon , ( born John Winston Lennon ; 9 October 19408 December 1980 ) was an English guitarist , singer , and songwriter who co-founded the Beatles , the most commercially successful and musically influential band in the history of popular music . He and fellow member Paul McCartney formed a much-celebrated songwriting partnership .   Born and raised in Liverpool , Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager ; his first band , the Quarrymen , first became the Silver Beatles , and finally , evolved into the Beatles in 1960 . When the group disbanded in 1970 , Lennon embarked on a sporadic solo career that produced albums including John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine , and songs such as `` Give Peace a Chance '' , `` Working Class Hero '' , and `` Imagine '' . After his marriage to Yoko Ono in 1969 , he added `` Ono '' as one of his middle names . Lennon disengaged himself from the music business in 1975 to raise his infant son Sean , but re-emerged with Ono in 1980 with the new album Double Fantasy . He was murdered three weeks after its release .   Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music , writing , drawings , on film and in interviews . Controversial through his political and peace activism , he moved to Manhattan in 1971 , where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by Richard Nixon 's administration to deport him , while some of his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture .   By 2012 , Lennon 's solo album sales in the United States exceeded 14 million and , as writer , co-writer , or performer , he is responsible for 25 number-one singles on the US Hot 100 chart . In 2002 , a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted him eighth and , in 2008 , Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer of all time . He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 , and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice , in 1988 as a member of the Beatles and in 1994 as a solo artist .


Kapil Sharma is an acting professional and producer.

Kapil Sharma (comedian) Kapil Sharma ( real name Kapil Punj Singh ) ( born 2 April 1981 ) is an Indian stand-up comedian , television presenter , actor and producer . He hosted a television comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil from June 2013 to January 2016 . Currently , he is hosting another comedy show on Sony Entertainment Television named The Kapil Sharma Show . He first appeared in the Forbes India Celebrity list in 2012 , ranked 96th .   Ormax Media rated Sharma the most popular Indian television personality in April 2016 . Forbes India ranked him 27th on their Celebrity-100 list in 2015 .  Forbes India ranked him at 7th position in terms of fame and at 11th position in terms of income on their Celebrity - 100 list in 2016 .  He was awarded the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2013 , in the Entertainment category and was ranked third in the Most Admired Indian Personality List by The Economic Times in 2015 . Sharma was nominated for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was invited to the Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Pranab Mukherjee in September 2015 to acknowledge his contribution for the same .