The Los Angeles Lakers won 33 straight games in 1971-72.

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


Thor: The Dark World Thor : The Dark World is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Thor , produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures . It is the sequel to 2011 's Thor and the eighth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe . The film was directed by Alan Taylor , with a screenplay by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely . It stars Chris Hemsworth , Natalie Portman , Tom Hiddleston , Anthony Hopkins , Stellan Skarsgård , Idris Elba , Christopher Eccleston , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje , Kat Dennings , Ray Stevenson , Zachary Levi , Tadanobu Asano , Jaimie Alexander , and Rene Russo . In Thor : The Dark World , Thor teams up with Loki to save the Nine Realms from the Dark Elves led by the vengeful Malekith , who intends to plunge the universe into darkness .   Development of Thor : The Dark World began in April 2011 , when producer Kevin Feige announced plans for a sequel to follow the crossover film The Avengers . In July 2011 , Kenneth Branagh , the director of Thor , withdrew from the project . Brian Kirk and Patty Jenkins were considered to direct the film before Taylor was hired in January 2012 . The supporting cast filled out in August 2012 , with the hiring of Eccleston , Dennings , and Akinnuoye-Agbaje . Principal photography began in September 2012 in Surrey , England with filming continuing in Iceland and London , before wrapping up in December 2012 . Thor : The Dark World was converted to 3D in post-production .   Thor : The Dark World premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on October 22 , 2013 . It was released internationally on October 30 , 2013 , and on November 8 , 2013 , in the United States . The film received mixed reviews , but was a commercial success , grossing over $ 644 million worldwide . A third film , Thor : Ragnarok , is set for release on November 3 , 2017 .


Pitch Perfect 3 Pitch Perfect 3 is an upcoming American musical comedy film directed by Trish Sie and written by Kay Cannon , Mike White , and Dana Fox . A sequel to 2015 's Pitch Perfect 2 and the third installment in the Pitch Perfect series , the film will star Anna Kendrick , Anna Camp , Rebel Wilson , Brittany Snow , Hailee Steinfeld , Alexis Knapp , Ester Dean , Hana Mae Lee , Chrissie Fit , Kelley Jakle , and Shelley Regner as the Bellas and Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins . The film is scheduled to be released on December 22 , 2017 .


Alex Sharp worked exclusively in Germany.

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


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (play) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a play by Simon Stephens based on the novel of the same name by Mark Haddon . During its premiere run , the play tied the record for winning the most Olivier Awards ( seven ) , including Best New Play at the 2013 ceremony ( this record was surpassed by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2017 with 9 wins ) .   The play premiered on 2 August 2012 in the Cottesloe Theatre at the Royal National Theatre in London before transferring to the Apollo Theatre in the West End on 12 March 2013 . The production won 7 Olivier Awards in 2013 ( including Best New Play ) , at the time equaling the record with Matilda the Musical in 2012 , before both were surpassed by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2017 with 9 awards . During a performance on 19 December 2013 , the ceiling of the Apollo Theatre collapsed causing the production to close . It reopened on 9 July 2014 at the Gielgud Theatre . The play will close at the Gielgud on 3 June 2017 .   The Broadway production debuted at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 5 October 2014 and closed on 4 September 2016 . It won the 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play , 2015 Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Broadway Play , the 2015 Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play , and the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play .   The story concerns a mystery surrounding the death of a neighbour 's dog that is investigated by young Christopher Boone , who has an autism spectrum condition , and his relationships with his parents and school mentor . The play reworked the source material by changing its voice and presenting the story as a play-within-a-play . The play has received a generally warm reception , with most critics impressed by its ability to convey the point of view of the young protagonist and the compassion of his school mentor . Critics also generally spoke highly of the visual effects employed during the show .


Collision Course has Jay-Z featured on multiple tracks.

Collision Course (album) Collision Course is a collaborative EP from American rapper Jay-Z and nu metal band Linkin Park , released on November 30 , 2004 by Roc-A-Fella , Machine Shop , Warner Bros. and Def Jam records . Before the album , Jay-Z had released collaborations with The Roots and R. Kelly , and Linkin Park had collaborated with various artists on their remix album Reanimation . The album was inspired by The Grey Album by Danger Mouse , which was a mash-up album between Jay-Z and The Beatles . MTV had originally planned on mashing up only one or two songs , but the project was eventually expanded to a six song EP . The album was mostly produced by Mike Shinoda and Jay-Z , and was recorded between July 16 and July 19 .   Upon release , Collision Course reached # 1 on the Billboard 200 . As of June 2014 , it has sold 2 million copies in the United States alone . The album spawned one single , Numb/Encore which eventually won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2006 Grammy Awards .


Keanu Reeves played bass guitar for the band Becky.

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( -LSB- kiːˈɑːnuː -RSB- ; born September 2 , 1964 ) is a Canadian actor , director , producer , and musician .   Reeves is best known for his acting career , beginning in 1985 and spanning more than three decades . He gained fame for his starring role performances in several blockbuster films including comedies from the Bill and Ted franchise ( 1989 -- 1991 ) ; action thrillers Point Break ( 1991 ) , Speed ( 1994 ) , and the John Wick franchise ; psychological thriller The Devil 's Advocate ( 1997 ) ; supernatural thriller Constantine ( 2005 ) ; and science fiction/action series The Matrix ( 1999 -- 2003 ) . He has also appeared in dramatic films such as Dangerous Liaisons ( 1988 ) , My Own Private Idaho ( 1991 ) , and Little Buddha ( 1993 ) , as well as the romantic horror Bram Stoker 's Dracula ( 1992 ) .   Since becoming active in the film industry , Reeves has earned critical acclaim . One New York Times critic praised Reeves ' versatility , saying that he `` displays considerable discipline and range ... he moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanor that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles '' . However , Reeves has spent much of his later career being typecast . A recurring character arc in many roles he has portrayed is one of saving the world , as can be seen in the characters of Ted Logan , Buddha , Neo , Johnny Mnemonic , John Constantine , and Klaatu . His acting has garnered several awards , including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .   During his film career , Reeves has engaged in several forms of artistic expression . Active as a musician for over a decade , he played bass guitar for the bands Dogstar and Becky . Acting onstage , he performed as Prince Hamlet for the Manitoba Theatre Centre 's production of Hamlet . He wrote the text for a picture book , Ode to Happiness , illustrated by Alexandra Grant . He has also produced a documentary , Side by Side , and directed the martial arts film Man of Tai Chi .


Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong ( August 5 , 1930 -- August 25 , 2012 ) was an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon . He was also an aerospace engineer , naval aviator , test pilot , and university professor . Before becoming an astronaut , Armstrong was an officer in the U.S. Navy and served in the Korean War . After the war , he earned his bachelor 's degree at Purdue University and served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics ( NACA ) High-Speed Flight Station , where he logged over 900 flights . He later completed graduate studies at the University of Southern California .   A participant in the U.S. Air Force 's Man in Space Soonest and X-20 Dyna-Soar human spaceflight programs , Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962 . He made his first space flight as command pilot of Gemini 8 in March 1966 , becoming NASA 's first civilian astronaut to fly in space . He performed the first docking of two spacecraft , with pilot David Scott . This mission was aborted after Armstrong used some of his reentry control fuel to prevent a dangerous spin caused by a stuck thruster , in the first in-flight space emergency .   Armstrong 's second and last spaceflight was as commander of Apollo 11 , the first manned Moon landing mission in July 1969 . Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent two and a half hours outside the spacecraft , while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the Command/Service Module . Along with Collins and Aldrin , Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon . President Jimmy Carter presented Armstrong the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978 . Armstrong and his former crewmates received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009 .   Armstrong died in Cincinnati , Ohio on August 25 , 2012 , at the age of 82 , after complications from coronary artery bypass surgery .


Jesus is a minor figure of Christianity.

Jesus Jesus ( -LSB- ˈdʒiːzəs -RSB- ; c. 4 BC -- c. AD 30/33 ) , also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ , was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who became the central figure of Christianity . Christians believe him to be the Son of God and the awaited Messiah ( Christ ) prophesied in the Old Testament .   Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically , although the quest for the historical Jesus has produced little agreement on the historical reliability of the Gospels and on how closely the biblical Jesus reflects the historical Jesus . Jesus was a Galilean Jew who was baptized by John the Baptist and subsequently began his own ministry , preaching his message orally and often being referred to as `` rabbi '' . He was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities , and was crucified by the order of Pontius Pilate , the Roman prefect . Jesus debated fellow Jews on how to best follow God , performed healings , taught in parables and gathered followers . After his death , his followers believed he rose from the dead , and the community they formed eventually became the Christian Church .   His birth is celebrated annually on December 25 ( or various dates in January for some eastern churches ) as a holiday known as Christmas , his crucifixion is honored on Good Friday , and his resurrection is celebrated on Easter . The widely used calendar era `` AD '' , from the Latin anno Domini ( `` in the year of the Lord '' ) , and the alternative `` CE '' , are based on the approximate birth date of Jesus .   Christian doctrines include the beliefs that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit , was born of a virgin named Mary , performed miracles , founded the Church , died by crucifixion as a sacrifice to achieve atonement , rose from the dead , and ascended into Heaven , whence he will return . Most Christians believe Jesus enables humans to be reconciled to God . The Nicene Creed asserts that Jesus will judge the living and the dead either before or after their bodily resurrection , an event tied to the Second Coming of Jesus in Christian eschatology . The great majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son , the second of three persons of a Divine Trinity . A minority of Christian denominations reject Trinitarianism , wholly or partly , as non-scriptural .   In Islam , Jesus ( commonly transliterated as ) is considered one of God 's important prophets and the Messiah . Muslims believe Jesus was a bringer of scripture and was born of a virgin but was not the Son of God . The Quran states that Jesus himself never claimed divinity . To most Muslims , Jesus was not crucified but was physically raised into Heaven by God .   Judaism rejects the belief that Jesus was the awaited Messiah , arguing that he did not fulfill Messianic prophecies and asserting that his resurrection is a Christian legend .


The A Song of Ice and Fire series features the character Gregor Clegane.

Gregor Clegane Ser Gregor Clegane , nicknamed The Mountain , 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 . He is a retainer to House Lannister . An enormous man , he is well known for his size , prowess in battle and cruelty .   Introduced in 1996 's A Game of Thrones , Gregor is the older brother of Sandor Clegane , from the fictional kingdom of Westeros . He subsequently appeared in Martin 's A Clash of Kings ( 1998 ) , A Storm of Swords ( 2000 ) and in A Dance with Dragons ( 2011 ) as Ser Robert Strong .   Ser Gregor Clegane is a huge knight and the elder brother of Sandor Clegane . Called `` The Mountain That Rides '' , he is known for his incredibly cruel nature and uncontrollable temper . His size and strength make him a fearsome warrior , and he has earned a reputation for cruelty and brutality . He is able to wield a two-handed sword one handed . When they were children , Gregor shoved Sandor 's face into a brazier , gruesomely scarring him .   Gregor Clegane is portrayed by Conan Stevens in season one , by Ian Whyte in season two , and by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson in seasons four , five , and six in the HBO television adaptation .


The practice of humans eating other humans is cannibalism.

Cannibalism Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings . A person who practices cannibalism is called a cannibal . The expression cannibalism has been extended into zoology to mean one individual of a species consuming all or part of another individual of the same species as food , including sexual cannibalism .   The Island Carib people of the Lesser Antilles , from whom the word cannibalism derives , acquired a long-standing reputation as cannibals following the recording of their legends in the 17th century . Some controversy exists over the accuracy of these legends and the prevalence of actual cannibalism in the culture . Cannibalism was widespread in the past among humans in many parts of the world , continuing into the 19th century in some isolated South Pacific cultures , and to the present day in parts of tropical Africa . Cannibalism was practiced in New Guinea and in parts of the Solomon Islands , and flesh markets existed in some parts of Melanesia . Fiji was once known as the `` Cannibal Isles '' . Cannibalism has been well documented around the world , from Fiji to the Amazon Basin to the Congo to Māori New Zealand . Neanderthals are believed to have practiced cannibalism , and Neanderthals may have been eaten by anatomically modern humans .   Cannibalism has recently been both practiced and fiercely condemned in several wars , especially in Liberia and Congo . It is still practiced in Papua New Guinea as of 2012 for cultic reasons and in ritual and in war in various Melanesian tribes . Cannibalism has been said to test the bounds of cultural relativism as it challenges anthropologists `` to define what is or is not beyond the pale of acceptable human behavior . ''   Cannibalism has been occasionally practiced as a last resort by people suffering from famine , including in modern times . Famous examples include the ill-fated Westward expedition of the Donner Party ( 1846-7 ) and , more recently , the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 ( 1972 ) , after which some survivors ate the bodies of dead passengers . Also , some mentally ill people obsess about eating others and actually do so , such as Jeffrey Dahmer and Albert Fish . There is resistance to formally labeling cannibalism as a mental disorder .


Joey Graceffa worked in some capacity with a video-sharing website.

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


YouTube YouTube is an American video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno , California . The service was created by three former PayPal employees -- Chad Hurley , Steve Chen , and Jawed Karim -- in February 2005 . Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$ 1.65 billion ; YouTube now operates as one of Google 's subsidiaries . The site allows users to upload , view , rate , share , add to favorites , report and comment on videos , subscribe to other users , and it makes use of WebM , H. 264/MPEG -4 AVC , and Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media videos . Available content includes video clips , TV show clips , music videos , short and documentary films , audio recordings , movie trailers and other content such as video blogging , short original videos , and educational videos .   Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals , but media corporations including CBS , the BBC , Vevo , and Hulu offer some of their material via YouTube as part of the YouTube partnership program . Unregistered users can only watch videos on the site , while registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos and add comments to videos . Videos deemed potentially offensive are available only to registered users affirming themselves to be at least 18 years old .   YouTube earns advertising revenue from Google AdSense , a program which targets ads according to site content and audience . The vast majority of its videos are free to view , but there are exceptions , including subscription-based premium channels , film rentals , as well as YouTube Red , a subscription service offering ad-free access to the website and access to exclusive content made in partnership with existing users . , there are more than 400 hours of content uploaded to YouTube each minute , and one billion hours of content is watched on YouTube every day . , the website is ranked as the second most popular site in the world by Alexa Internet , a web traffic analysis company .


Bonnie Hunt Bonnie Lynne Hunt ( born September 22 , 1961 ) is an American stand-up comedian , actress , director , producer , writer and host . She has appeared in films , such as Rain Man , Beethoven , Beethoven 's 2nd , Jumanji , Jerry Maguire , The Green Mile , Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 .   Hunt has done voice work in A Bug 's Life , Monsters , Inc. , Cars , Toy Story 3 , Cars 2 , Monsters University , and Zootopia . She starred in Grand and Davis Rules , as well as creating , producing , writing , and starring in The Building , Bonnie , and Life with Bonnie . From 2008 to 2010 , she hosted The Bonnie Hunt Show .


Ontario Ontario ( -LSB- ɒnˈtɛərioʊ -RSB- -LSB- ɔ̃taʁjo -RSB- ) , one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada , is located in east-central Canada . It is Canada 's most populous province by a large margin , accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians , and is the second-largest province in total area . Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included . It is home to the nation 's capital city , Ottawa , and the nation 's most populous city , Toronto .   Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west , Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north , and Quebec to the east and northeast , and to the south by the U.S. states of ( from west to east ) Minnesota , Michigan , Ohio , Pennsylvania and New York . Almost all of Ontario 's 2700 km border with the United States follows inland waterways : from the west at Lake of the Woods , eastward along the major rivers and lakes of the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence River drainage system . These are the Rainy River , the Pigeon River , Lake Superior , the St. Marys River , Lake Huron , the St. Clair River , Lake St. Clair , the Detroit River , Lake Erie , the Niagara River , Lake Ontario and along the St. Lawrence River from Kingston , Ontario , to the Quebec boundary just east of Cornwall , Ontario . There is only about 1 km of land border made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border .   Ontario is sometimes conceptually divided into two regions , Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario . The great majority of Ontario 's population and arable land is located in the south . In contrast , the larger , northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and is heavily forested .


Saint Lawrence River The Saint Lawrence River ( Fleuve Saint-Laurent Tuscarora : Kahnawáʼkye ; Mohawk : Kaniatarowanenneh , meaning `` big waterway '' ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America . The Saint Lawrence River flows in a roughly north-easterly direction , connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean and forming the primary drainage outflow of the Great Lakes Basin . It traverses the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario , and is part of the international boundary between Ontario , Canada , and the U.S. state of New York . This river also provides the basis of the commercial Saint Lawrence Seaway .


Sex, Lies, and Videotape Sex , Lies , and Videotape ( styled as sex , lies , and videotape ) is a 1989 American independent drama film that brought director Steven Soderbergh to prominence . It tells the story of a man who films women discussing their sexuality , and his impact on the relationships of a troubled married couple and the wife 's younger sister .   The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival , and was influential in revolutionizing the independent film movement in the early 1990s . In 2006 , Sex , Lies , and Videotape was added to the United States Library of Congress ' National Film Registry as being deemed `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .


Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( -LSB- ˈsoʊdərbɜrɡ -RSB- born January 14 , 1963 ) is an American film producer , director , screenwriter , cinematographer and editor . His indie drama Sex , Lies , and Videotape ( 1989 ) won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival , and became a worldwide commercial success , making the then-26-year-old Soderbergh the youngest director to win the festival 's top award . Film critic Roger Ebert dubbed Soderbergh the `` poster boy of the Sundance generation '' .   He is best known for directing critically acclaimed commercial Hollywood films including the crime comedy Out of Sight ( 1998 ) , the biographical film Erin Brockovich ( 2000 ) , the crime drama film Traffic ( 2000 ) ( for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director ) , the 2001 remake of the comedy heist film Ocean 's 11 and its two sequels -- known collectively as the Ocean 's Trilogy , the medical thriller Contagion ( 2011 ) and the comedy-drama Magic Mike ( 2012 ) .   He has also directed smaller , less conventional works , such as the mystery thriller Kafka ( 1991 ) ; the experimental comedy film Schizopolis ( 1996 ) , which has a non-linear narrative ; Bubble ( 2005 ) , which uses no script and non-professional actors ; the experimental drama film The Girlfriend Experience ( 2009 ) , which starred the then-active pornographic actress Sasha Grey ; and the biopic about Marxist revolutionary Ernesto `` Che '' Guevara , Che ( 2008 ) .  Soderbergh also directed , photographed and edited all episodes of the television drama The Knick . In addition , he has produced numerous film and television programs , and provided cinematography and editing on various projects .


Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer who served as president.

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( -LSB- ˈeɪbrəhæm_ˈlIŋkən -RSB- February 12 , 1809 -- April 15 , 1865 ) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865 . Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War -- its bloodiest war and perhaps its greatest moral , constitutional , and political crisis . In doing so , he preserved the Union , paved the way to the abolition of slavery , strengthened the federal government , and modernized the economy .   Born in Hodgenville , Kentucky , Lincoln grew up on the western frontier in Kentucky and Indiana . Largely self-educated , he became a lawyer in Illinois , a Whig Party leader , and was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives , in which he served for eight years . Elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1846 , Lincoln promoted rapid modernization of the economy through banks , tariffs , and railroads . Because he had originally agreed not to run for a second term in Congress , and because his opposition to the Mexican -- American War was unpopular among Illinois voters , Lincoln returned to Springfield and resumed his successful law practice . Reentering politics in 1854 , he became a leader in building the new Republican Party , which had a statewide majority in Illinois . In 1858 , while taking part in a series of highly publicized debates with his opponent and rival , Democrat Stephen A. Douglas , Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of slavery , but lost the U.S. Senate race to Douglas .   In 1860 , Lincoln secured the Republican Party presidential nomination as a moderate from a swing state . Though he gained very little support in the slaveholding states of the South , he swept the North and was elected president in 1860 . Lincoln 's victory prompted seven southern slave states to form the Confederate States of America before he moved into the White House -- no compromise or reconciliation was found regarding slavery and secession . Subsequently , on April 12 , 1861 , a Confederate attack on Fort Sumter inspired the North to enthusiastically rally behind the Union . As the leader of the moderate faction of the Republican Party , Lincoln confronted Radical Republicans , who demanded harsher treatment of the South , War Democrats , who called for more compromise , anti-war Democrats ( called Copperheads ) , who despised him , and irreconcilable secessionists , who plotted his assassination . Politically , Lincoln fought back by pitting his opponents against each other , by carefully planned political patronage , and by appealing to the American people with his powers of oratory . His Gettysburg Address became an iconic endorsement of the principles of nationalism , republicanism , equal rights , liberty , and democracy .   Lincoln initially concentrated on the military and political dimensions of the war . His primary goal was to reunite the nation . He suspended habeas corpus , leading to the controversial ex parte Merryman decision , and he averted potential British intervention in the war by defusing the Trent Affair in late 1861 . Lincoln closely supervised the war effort , especially the selection of top generals , including his most successful general , Ulysses S. Grant . He also made major decisions on Union war strategy , including a naval blockade that shut down the South 's normal trade , moves to take control of Kentucky and Tennessee , and using gunboats to gain control of the southern river system . Lincoln tried repeatedly to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond ; each time a general failed , Lincoln substituted another , until finally Grant succeeded . As the war progressed , his complex moves toward ending slavery included the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 ; Lincoln used the U.S. Army to protect escaped slaves , encouraged the border states to outlaw slavery , and pushed through Congress the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , which permanently outlawed slavery .   An exceptionally astute politician deeply involved with power issues in each state , Lincoln reached out to the War Democrats and managed his own re-election campaign in the 1864 presidential election . Anticipating the war 's conclusion , Lincoln pushed a moderate view of Reconstruction , seeking to reunite the nation speedily through a policy of generous reconciliation in the face of lingering and bitter divisiveness . On April 14 , 1865 , five days after the surrender of Confederate commanding general Robert E. Lee , Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth , a Confederate sympathizer .   Lincoln has been consistently ranked both by scholars and the public as among the greatest U.S. presidents .


Stanley Kubrick was the screenwriter who wrote Eyes Wide Shut.

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick ( -LSB- ˈkuːbrɪk -RSB- July 26 , 1928 -- March 7 , 1999 ) was an American film director , screenwriter , producer , cinematographer , editor , and photographer . He is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential directors in cinematic history . His films , which are mostly adaptations of novels or short stories , cover a wide range of genres , and are noted for their realism , dark humor , unique cinematography , extensive set designs , and evocative use of music .   Kubrick was born and raised in the Bronx , New York City , and attended William Howard Taft High School from 1941 to 1945 . Although he only received average grades , Kubrick displayed a keen interest in literature , photography , and film from a young age , and taught himself all aspects of film production and directing after graduating from high school . After working as a photographer for Look magazine in the late 1940s and early 1950s , he began making short films on a shoestring budget , and made his first major Hollywood film , The Killing , for United Artists in 1956 . This was followed by two collaborations with Kirk Douglas , the war picture Paths of Glory ( 1957 ) and the historical epic Spartacus ( 1960 ) . His reputation as a filmmaker in Hollywood grew , and he was approached by Marlon Brando to film what would become One-Eyed Jacks ( 1961 ) , though Brando eventually decided to direct it himself .   Creative differences arising from his work with Douglas and the film studios , a dislike of Hollywood , and a growing concern about crime in America prompted Kubrick to move to the United Kingdom in 1961 , where he spent most of the remainder of his life and career . His home at Childwickbury Manor in Hertfordshire , which he shared with his wife Christiane , became his workplace , where he did his writing , research , editing , and management of production details . This allowed him to have almost complete artistic control over his films , but with the rare advantage of having financial support from major Hollywood studios . His first British productions were two films with Peter Sellers , Lolita ( 1962 ) and Dr. Strangelove ( 1964 ) .   A demanding perfectionist , Kubrick assumed control over most aspects of the filmmaking process , from direction and writing to editing , and took painstaking care with researching his films and staging scenes , working in close coordination with his actors and other collaborators . He often asked for several dozen retakes of the same scene in a movie , which resulted in many conflicts with his casts . Despite the resulting notoriety among actors , many of Kubrick 's films broke new ground in cinematography . The scientific realism and innovative special effects of 2001 : A Space Odyssey ( 1968 ) were without precedent in the history of cinema , and the film earned him his only personal Oscar , for Best Visual Effects . Steven Spielberg has referred to the film as his generation 's `` big bang '' , and it is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made . For the 18th-century period film Barry Lyndon ( 1975 ) , Kubrick obtained lenses developed by Zeiss for NASA , to film scenes under natural candlelight . With The Shining ( 1980 ) , he became one of the first directors to make use of a Steadicam for stabilized and fluid tracking shots . While many of Kubrick 's films were controversial and initially received mixed reviews upon release -- particularly A Clockwork Orange ( 1971 ) , which Kubrick pulled from circulation in the UK following a mass media frenzy -- most were nominated for Oscars , Golden Globes , or BAFTA Awards , and underwent critical reevaluations . His last film , Eyes Wide Shut , was completed shortly before his death in 1999 at the age of 70 .


Eyes Wide Shut Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 erotic drama film directed , produced , and co-written by Stanley Kubrick . Based on Arthur Schnitzler 's 1926 novella Traumnovelle ( Dream Story ) , the story is transferred from early 20th century Vienna to 1990s New York City . The film follows the sexually charged adventures of Dr. Bill Harford , who is shocked when his wife , Alice , reveals that she had contemplated an affair a year earlier . He embarks on a night-long adventure , during which he infiltrates a massive masked orgy of an unnamed secret society .   Kubrick obtained the filming rights for Dream Story in the 1960s , considering it a perfect text for a film adaptation about sexual relations . The project was only revived in the 1990s , when the director hired writer Frederic Raphael to help him with the adaptation . The film was mostly shot in the United Kingdom ( aside from some exterior establishing shots ) , and included a detailed recreation of some exterior Greenwich Village street scenes at Pinewood Studios . The film spent a long time in production , and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous film shoot at 400 days .   Eyes Wide Shut was Kubrick 's last film , as he died four days after showing his final cut to Warner Bros. . To ensure a theatrical R rating in the United States , Warner Bros. digitally altered several sexually explicit scenes during post-production . This version was released on July 16 , 1999 to moderately positive reactions from critics ; worldwide takings at the box office amounted to $ 162 million . The uncut version has since been released in DVD , HD DVD , and Blu-ray Disc formats .   As with many of Kubrick 's works , reception to Eyes Wide Shut has become more favorable in the years since the film 's initial release .


Queen Latifah is the first stage name of Dana Elaine Owens.

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


Love & Mercy (film) features a portrayal of Brian Wilson.

Love & Mercy (film) Love & Mercy ( stylized as love & mercy ) is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed and co-produced by Bill Pohlad , co-produced by Claire Rudnick-Polstein and John Wells and written by Michael Alan Lerner and Oren Moverman . The film , deriving its title from the 1988 song by Wilson , focuses on musician-songwriter Brian Wilson , co-founder of the Beach Boys , during the 1960s and 1980s , presenting the film in a nonlinear narrative . Paul Dano and John Cusack star as the young and middle-aged Wilson , respectively , with Elizabeth Banks as Wilson 's second wife Melinda Ledbetter , and Paul Giamatti as Wilson 's psychotherapist Dr. Eugene Landy .   The film premiered in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7 , 2014 and was released by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions on June 5 , 2015 . It grossed $ 28.6 million over a $ 10 million budget , a moderate commercial success , and received critical acclaim from reviewers , lauded for its unorthodox style , original score by Atticus Ross , Dano 's performance as Wilson in the 1960s , and scenes that closely recreated Wilson 's advanced studio recording methods during the making of Pet Sounds ( 1966 ) . Wilson -- who had little involvement during development -- praised the film for being `` very factual . '' It was nominated for two Golden Globes : Best Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture ( Paul Dano ) and Best Original Song ( `` One Kind of Love '' ) .


Planet of the Apes garnered success commercially.

Planet of the Apes (1968 film) Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner . It stars Charlton Heston , Roddy McDowall , Kim Hunter , Maurice Evans , James Whitmore , James Daly and Linda Harrison . The screenplay by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling was loosely based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle . Jerry Goldsmith composed the groundbreaking avant-garde score . It was the first in a series of five films made between 1968 and 1973 , all produced by Arthur P. Jacobs and released by 20th Century Fox .   The film tells the story of an astronaut crew who crash-land on a strange planet in the distant future . Although the planet appears desolate at first , the surviving crew members stumble upon a society in which apes have evolved into creatures with human-like intelligence and speech . The apes have assumed the role of the dominant species and humans are mute creatures wearing animal skins .   The script was originally written by Rod Serling , but underwent many rewrites before filming eventually began . Directors J. Lee Thompson and Blake Edwards were approached , but the film 's producer Arthur P. Jacobs , upon the recommendation of Charlton Heston , chose Franklin J. Schaffner to direct the film . Schaffner 's changes included an ape society less advanced -- and therefore less expensive to depict -- than that of the original novel . Filming took place between May 21 and August 10 , 1967 , in California , Utah and Arizona , with desert sequences shot in and around Lake Powell , Glen Canyon National Recreation Area . The film 's final `` closed '' cost was $ 5.8 million .   The film was released on February 8 , 1968 , in the United States and was a commercial success , earning a lifetime domestic gross of $ 32.6 million . The film was groundbreaking for its prosthetic makeup techniques by artist John Chambers and was well received by critics and audiences , launching a film franchise , including four sequels , as well as a short-lived television show , animated series , comic books , and various merchandising . In particular , Roddy McDowall had a long-running relationship with the Apes series , appearing in four of the original five films ( absent , apart from a brief voiceover , from the second film of the series , Beneath the Planet of the Apes , in which he was replaced by David Watson in the role of Cornelius ) , and also in the television series .   The original series was followed by Tim Burton 's remake Planet of the Apes in 2001 and the reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011 . Also in 2001 , Planet of the Apes was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .


Levi Miller was the director of the 2015 film Pan.

Levi Miller Levi Zane Miller ( born 30 September 2002 ) is an Australian actor and model . Levi was the leading actor in his major film debut the 2015 film Pan , starring as the well known Peter Pan . Previously , he appeared in the film A Heartbeat Away ( 2012 ) and in short films such as Akiva ( 2010 ) and Great Adventures ( 2012 ) . One of Levi 's more recent roles was in the movie Red Dog : True Blue where he played Mick . In 2015 , he was named ambassador for Polo , the Ralph Lauren kids ' fall campaign . Levi plays Charlie Bucktin in the film adaptation of Australian novel Jasper Jones ( 2017 ) . Levi is confirmed to be playing Calvin O'Keefe in the American fantasy adventure A Wrinkle in Time ( 2018 ) , which is scheduled to premiere on April 6 , 2018 .


Matt Smith (actor) Matthew Robert `` Matt '' Smith ( born 28 October 1982 ) is an English actor . He is best known for his role as the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who , for which he received a BAFTA Award nomination in 2011 .   Smith initially aspired to be a professional footballer , but spondylolysis forced him out of the sport . After joining the National Youth Theatre and studying Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia , he became an actor in 2003 , performing in plays like Murder in the Cathedral , Fresh Kills , The History Boys , and On the Shore of the Wide World in London theatres . Extending his repertoire into West End theatre , he has since performed in the stage adaptation of Swimming with Sharks with Christian Slater , followed a year later by a critically acclaimed performance as Henry in That Face .   Smith 's first television role came in 2006 as Jim Taylor in the BBC adaptations of Philip Pullman 's The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North , while his first major role in television came as Danny in the 2007 BBC series Party Animals . Smith , who was announced as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in January 2009 , is the youngest person to play the character in the British television series . He left the series at the end of the 2013 Christmas Day special , `` The Time of the Doctor '' . He portrayed both the physical embodiment and a holographic version of Skynet in Terminator Genisys ( 2015 ) . Since 2016 , he portrays Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh in Peter Morgan 's Netflix biographical drama series The Crown , opposite Claire Foy as Elizabeth II .


Michael Keaton plays a Marvel Comic super villain character in a 2017 movie.

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas ( born September 5 , 1951 ) , known professionally as Michael Keaton , is an American actor , producer and director . He first rose to fame for his comedic film roles in Night Shift ( 1982 ) , Mr. Mom ( 1983 ) , Johnny Dangerously ( 1984 ) and Beetlejuice ( 1988 ) , and he earned further acclaim for his dramatic portrayal of the title character in Tim Burton 's Batman ( 1989 ) and Batman Returns ( 1992 ) .   Since then , he has appeared in a variety of films ranging from dramas and romantic comedies to thriller and action films ; such as Clean and Sober ( 1988 ) , The Dream Team ( 1989 ) , Pacific Heights ( 1990 ) , Much Ado About Nothing ( 1993 ) , My Life ( 1993 ) , The Paper ( 1994 ) , Multiplicity ( 1996 ) , Jackie Brown ( 1997 ) , Herbie : Fully Loaded ( 2005 ) , The Other Guys ( 2010 ) , Need for Speed ( 2014 ) , RoboCop ( 2014 ) , Spotlight ( 2015 ) and The Founder ( 2016 ) , and he has also provided voices for characters in animated films such as Cars ( 2006 ) , Toy Story 3 ( 2010 ) and Minions ( 2015 ) . In 2017 , Keaton will play the role of Marvel Comics supervillain the Vulture in Spider-Man : Homecoming .   Keaton 's lead performance in Birdman or ( The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance ) ( 2014 ) earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy , the Critics ' Choice Award for Best Actor and Best Actor in a Comedy , and nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award , British Academy Film Award , and Academy Award for Best Actor . He previously received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in Live from Baghdad ( 2002 ) and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for The Company ( 2007 ) . Keaton was awarded a Career Achievement Award from both the Hollywood Film Festival and Zurich Film Festivals .   On January 18 , 2016 , he was named Officer of Order of Arts and Letters in France . He is also a visiting scholar at Carnegie Mellon University . </span>


Maggie Smith Dame Margaret Natalie Smith , ( born 28 December 1934 ) , known as Maggie Smith , is an English actress . She has had an extensive , varied career in stage , film and television spanning over sixty-five years . Smith has appeared in over 50 films and is one of Britain 's most recognisable actresses . A prominent figure in British culture for six decades , she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for services to the performing arts , and received the Companion of Honour from the Queen in 2014 for services to drama .   Smith began her career on stage at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952 and made her Broadway debut in New Faces of ' 56 . For her work on the London stage , she has won a record five Best Actress Evening Standard Awards ; for The Private Ear and The Public Eye ( 1962 ) , Hedda Gabler ( 1970 ) , Virginia ( 1981 ) , The Way of the World ( 1984 ) and Three Tall Women ( 1994 ) . She received Tony Award nominations for Private Lives ( 1975 ) and Night and Day ( 1979 ) , before winning the 1990 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Lettice and Lovage . Other stage roles include Stratford Shakespeare Festival productions of Antony and Cleopatra ( 1976 ) and Macbeth ( 1978 ) , and West End productions of A Delicate Balance ( 1997 ) and The Breath of Life ( 2002 ) .   On screen , Smith first drew praise for the crime film Nowhere to Go ( 1958 ) , for which she received her first BAFTA Award nomination . She has won two Academy Awards , winning Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie ( 1969 ) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite ( 1978 ) . She is one of only six actresses to have won in both categories . She has won a record four BAFTA Awards for Best Actress , including for A Private Function ( 1984 ) and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne ( 1988 ) , a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for Tea With Mussolini ( 1999 ) , and three Golden Globe Awards . A six-time Oscar nominee , her other nominations were for Othello ( 1965 ) , Travels with My Aunt ( 1972 ) , A Room with a View ( 1986 ) , and Gosford Park ( 2001 ) .   Smith played Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series ( 2001 -- 11 ) . Other notable films include Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing ( 1973 ) , Death on the Nile ( 1978 ) , Clash of the Titans ( 1981 ) , Evil Under the Sun ( 1982 ) , Hook ( 1991 ) , Sister Act ( 1992 ) , The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ( 2012 ) and The Lady in the Van ( 2015 ) . She won an Emmy Award in 2003 for My House in Umbria , to become one of the few actresses to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting , and starred as Lady Violet Crawley , Dowager Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey ( 2010 -- 15 ) , for which she won three Emmys , her first non-ensemble Screen Actors Guild Award and her third Golden Globe . Her honorary awards include the BAFTA Special Award ( 1993 ) , the BAFTA Fellowship ( 1996 ) , and the Special Olivier Award ( 2011 ) . She received the Stratford Shakespeare Festival 's Legacy Award in 2012 , and the Evening Standard Icon Award in 2013 .


Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song) `` Beautiful '' is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her fourth studio album , Stripped ( 2002 ) . It was released as the album 's second single on November 16 , 2002 . A pop and R&B ballad , `` Beautiful '' was written and produced by Linda Perry . Lyrically , it discusses inner beauty , as well as self-esteem and insecurity issues . Aguilera commented that she put `` her heart and her soul '' into the track , which she felt represented the theme of Stripped . The song was later re-recorded in an electronic style for her first greatest hits album Keeps Gettin ' Better : A Decade of Hits ( 2008 ) .   Upon its release , `` Beautiful '' received universal acclaim from music critics , who have ranked it among Aguilera 's strongest material . It won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2004 ceremony . `` Beautiful '' was also a commercial success , topping the charts in Australia , Belgium , Canada , Ireland , New Zealand and the United Kingdom . The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States , where it was certified Gold for 500,000 units shipped . It was kept from the number one spot by `` Bump , Bump , Bump '' by B2K featuring P. Diddy .   `` Beautiful '' has been widely embraced as an anthem by the LGBT community for its message of self-empowerment and inner beauty . An accompanying music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund , and earned Aguilera a GLAAD Media Award for its positive portrayal of gay and transgender people . In 2011 , UK LGBT rights organization Stonewall named `` Beautiful '' the most empowering song of the previous decade for gay , lesbian , and bisexual people . In 2009 , Rolling Stone and VH1 listed it as one of the best songs of the 2000s ( decade ) . The song is widely recognized as one of Aguilera 's signature songs and has been covered on numerous occasions and featured on several television shows .


The United States battled in the Vietnam War to prevent the spread of communism.

Vietnam War The Vietnam War ( Chiến tranh Việt Nam ) , also known as the Second Indochina War , and known in Vietnam as Resistance War Against America ( Kháng chiến chống Mỹ ) or simply the American War , was a war that occurred in Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 . It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam . The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Soviet Union , China and other communist allies and the South Vietnamese army was supported by the United States , South Korea , Australia , Thailand and other anti-communist allies . The war is therefore considered a Cold War-era proxy war .   The Viet Cong ( also known as the National Liberation Front , or NLF ) , a South Vietnamese communist common front aided by the North , fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region , while the People 's Army of Vietnam , also known as the North Vietnamese Army ( NVA ) , engaged in more conventional warfare , at times committing large units to battle . As the war continued , the military actions of the Viet Cong decreased as the role and engagement of the NVA grew . U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations , involving ground forces , artillery , and airstrikes . In the course of the war , the U.S. conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam .   The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam . They viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States . The U.S. government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam . This was part of the domino theory of a wider containment policy , with the stated aim of stopping the spread of communism worldwide .   Beginning in 1950 , American military advisors arrived in what was then French Indochina.The Military Assistance Advisory Group , Indochina ( with an authorized strength of 128 men ) was set up in September 1950 with a mission to oversee the use and distribution of US military equipment by the French and their allies . U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s , with troop levels tripling in 1961 and again in 1962 . U.S. involvement escalated further following the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident , in which a U.S. destroyer clashed with North Vietnamese fast attack craft , which was followed by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution , which gave the U.S. president authorization to increase U.S. military presence . Regular U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965 . Operations crossed international borders : bordering areas of Laos and Cambodia were heavily bombed by U.S. forces as American involvement in the war peaked in 1968 , the same year that the communist side launched the Tet Offensive . The Tet Offensive failed in its goal of overthrowing the South Vietnamese government , but became the turning point in the war , as it persuaded a large segment of the U.S. population that its government 's claims of progress toward winning the war were illusory despite many years of massive U.S. military aid to South Vietnam .   Gradual withdrawal of U.S. ground forces began as part of `` Vietnamization '' , which aimed to end American involvement in the war while transferring the task of fighting the communists to the South Vietnamese themselves . Despite the Paris Peace Accord , which was signed by all parties in January 1973 , the fighting continued . In the U.S. and the Western world , a large anti-Vietnam War movement developed as part of a larger counterculture . The war changed the dynamics between the Eastern and Western Blocs , and altered North -- South relations .   Direct U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973 . The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war , and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year . The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities ( see Vietnam War casualties ) . Estimates of the number of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed vary from 966,000 to 3.8 million . Some 240,000 -- 300,000 Cambodians , 20,000 -- 62,000 Laotians , and 58,220 U.S. service members also died in the conflict , and a further 1,626 remain missing in action .


Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( born Destiny Hope Cyrus ; November 23 , 1992 ) is an American singer , songwriter , and actress . After playing minor roles in the television series Doc and the film Big Fish in her childhood , she became a teen idol starring as the character Miley Stewart in the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana in 2006 . Her father Billy Ray Cyrus also starred in the show . She subsequently signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records , and her debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus ( 2007 ) was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) having shipped over three million units . She released her second album Breakout and launched her film career as a voice actress in the animated film Bolt in 2008 .   Cyrus starred in the feature film Hannah Montana : The Movie , and began cultivating a more mature image with her EP The Time of Our Lives in 2009 . In 2010 , she released her third album Ca n't Be Tamed , which stands as the lowest-selling record of her career , and starred in the coming-of-age film The Last Song . Cyrus focused on her acting career with several television and film appearances in 2011 and 2012 . Her sexually explicit behavior generated widespread controversy while promoting her fourth album Bangerz ( 2013 ) , her first under her recording contract with RCA Records . Cyrus ' independently-released fifth studio album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz ( 2015 ) deviated from her traditional pop style for more psychedelic experimentation . In 2016 , she was a coach for the eleventh season of the singing competition series The Voice .   With Bangerz , Cyrus achieved her third number-one album on the U.S. Billboard 200 , and fifth overall including Hannah Montana soundtrack albums . She has logged eight top 10 entries on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with : `` See You Again '' , `` 7 Things '' , `` The Climb '' , `` Party in the U.S.A. '' , `` Ca n't Be Tamed '' , `` We Ca n't Stop '' , `` Malibu '' and the chart-topping `` Wrecking Ball '' . Cyrus has earned numerous awards and nominations , as Billboard ranked her as the fourth best-selling female artist of 2009 . She was ranked number thirteen on Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2010 , and in 2013 was declared `` Artist of the Year '' by MTV . She has been included on the Time 100 list of most influential people in 2008 and 2014 .


The United States Congress meets in Seattle.

United States Congress The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States consisting of two chambers : the Senate and the House of Representatives . The Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington , D.C. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election , though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a gubernatorial appointment . Members are usually affiliated to the Republican Party or to the Democratic Party , and only rarely to a third party or as independents . Congress has 535 voting members : 435 Representatives and 100 Senators . The House of Representatives has six non-voting members in addition to its 435 voting members . These members can , however , sit on congressional committees and introduce legislation . These members represent Washington , D.C. , Puerto Rico , American Samoa , Guam , the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands .   The members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms representing the people of a single constituency , known as a `` district '' . Congressional districts are apportioned to states by population using the United States Census results , provided that each state has at least one congressional representative . Each state , regardless of population or size , has two senators . Currently , there are 100 senators representing the 50 states . Each senator is elected at-large in their state for a six-year term , with terms staggered , so every two years approximately one-third of the Senate is up for election .


DJ Khaled assisted in the hip-hop albums.

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohamed Khaled ( born November 26 , 1975 ) , known professionally as DJ Khaled , is an American record producer , radio personality , DJ , record label executive , and author . He previously went by the name Arab Attack , but changed it after the 9/11 attacks , as he did not want to appear insensitive . He was a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR and the DJ for the hip hop group Terror Squad . From 2004 to 2006 , Khaled assisted in the production of the hip-hop albums Real Talk by Fabolous , True Story by Terror Squad , All or Nothing and Me , Myself , & I by Fat Joe .   In 2006 , Khaled released his debut studio album Listennn ... the Album . He went on to release We the Best ( 2007 ) , We Global ( 2008 ) , Victory ( 2010 ) , We the Best Forever ( 2011 ) , Kiss the Ring ( 2012 ) and Suffering from Success ( 2013 ) . In 2009 , Khaled became the president of record label Def Jam South and he is also the CEO and founder of We the Best Music Group . Khaled released his eighth studio album , I Changed a Lot , on October 23 , 2015 . In July 2016 he released his ninth studio album Major Key .


Gift of the Night Fury stars the voice of an actor from Canada.

Jay Baruchel Jonathan Adam Saunders `` Jay '' Baruchel ( -LSB- ˈbæruːˌʃɛl -RSB- born April 9 , 1982 ) is a Canadian actor , comedian , screenwriter , director , and producer . He plays Josh Greenberg in the FXX comedy television series Man Seeking Woman and played the lead character in Judd Apatow 's comedy series , Undeclared . He is known for his voice role as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise , and for his roles in comedy movies such as Knocked Up , Tropic Thunder , Fanboys , She 's Out of My League , Goon , and This Is the End .


Gift of the Night Fury Gift of the Night Fury is a 2011 computer-animated short film by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Tom Owens . It was released on November 15 , 2011 , on DVD and Blu-ray , along with another original animated short film Book of Dragons .   Based on How to Train Your Dragon , the short takes place in the middle of preparing for the Viking winter holiday . After all dragons inexplicably fly away , the last one of them unwittingly kidnaps Hiccup . The film stars the voices of Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , Craig Ferguson , America Ferrera , Jonah Hill , T.J. Miller , Kristen Wiig , and Christopher Mintz-Plasse .


Matthew McConaughey was in the film Amistad directed by Steven Spielberg.

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( -LSB- məˈkɒnəheɪ -RSB- born November 4 , 1969 ) is an American actor . He first gained notice for his breakout role in the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused ( 1993 ) . He appeared in such films as the slasher Texas Chainsaw Massacre : The Next Generation ( 1994 ) , the legal thriller A Time to Kill ( 1996 ) , Steven Spielberg 's historical drama Amistad ( 1997 ) , the science fiction drama Contact ( 1997 ) , the comedy EDtv ( 1999 ) , and the war film U-571 ( 2000 ) .   In the 2000s , Matthew McConaughey became best known for starring in romantic comedies , including The Wedding Planner ( 2001 ) , How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days ( 2003 ) , Failure to Launch ( 2006 ) , Fool 's Gold ( 2008 ) , and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past ( 2009 ) . Since 2011 he has preferred dramatic roles , in such films as The Lincoln Lawyer ( 2011 ) , Bernie ( 2011 ) , Killer Joe ( 2011 ) , The Paperboy ( 2012 ) , Mud ( 2012 ) , Magic Mike ( 2012 ) , The Wolf of Wall Street ( 2013 ) , Dallas Buyers Club ( 2013 ) , Interstellar ( 2014 ) , The Sea of Trees , and Free State of Jones ( both 2016 ) .   McConaughey achieved much success in 2013 for portraying a cowboy diagnosed with AIDS in the biographical film Dallas Buyers Club , which earned him the Academy Award , Golden Globe Award , and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor , among other awards and nominations . In 2014 , he also starred as Rust Cohle in the first season of HBO 's crime anthology series True Detective , for which he won a Critics ' Choice Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award .


Amistad (film) Amistad is a 1997 American historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg , based on the true story of the 1839 mutiny aboard the slave ship La Amistad , during which Mende tribesmen abducted for the slave trade managed to gain control of their captors ' ship off the coast of Cuba , and the international legal battle that followed their capture by a U.S. revenue cutter . The case was ultimately resolved by the Supreme Court in 1841 .   Morgan Freeman , Nigel Hawthorne , Anthony Hopkins , Djimon Hounsou , and Matthew McConaughey had starring roles . David Franzoni 's screenplay was based on the book Mutiny on the Amistad : The Saga of a Slave Revolt and Its Impact on American Abolition , Law , and Diplomacy ( 1987 ) , by the historian Howard Jones .


Warm Leatherette is by a record producer.

Grace Jones Grace Jones ( born 19 May 1948 ) is a Jamaican born singer , songwriter , lyricist , supermodel , record producer , and actress . Born in Jamaica , at age 13 she moved with her siblings to their parents ' home in Syracuse , New York . Jones began her modelling career in New York state , then in Paris , working for fashion houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo , and appearing on the covers of Elle and Vogue . She worked with photographers such as Helmut Newton , Guy Bourdin , and Hans Feurer , and became known for her distinctive androgynous appearance and bold features .   In 1977 Jones secured a record deal with Island Records , initially becoming a star of New York City 's Studio 54-centered disco scene . In the early 1980s she moved toward a new wave style that drew on reggae , funk , post-punk , and pop music , frequently collaborating with both the graphic designer Jean-Paul Goude and the musical duo Sly & Robbie . Her most popular albums include Warm Leatherette ( 1980 ) , Nightclubbing ( 1981 ) , and Slave to the Rhythm ( 1985 ) . She scored Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart with `` Pull Up to the Bumper '' , `` I 've Seen That Face Before '' , `` Private Life '' , and `` Slave to the Rhythm '' . In 1982 , she released the music video collection A One Man Show , directed by Goude .   Jones appeared in some low-budget films in the US during the 1970s and early 1980s . In 1984 she made her first mainstream appearance as Zula in the fantasy-action film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Douglas , and subsequently appeared in the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill as May Day . In 1986 she played a vampire in Vamp , and acted in and contributed a song to the 1992 Eddie Murphy film Boomerang . She appeared alongside Tim Curry in the 2001 film Wolf Girl . For her work in Conan the Destroyer , A View to a Kill , and Vamp , she was nominated for Saturn Awards for Best Supporting Actress .   In 1999 , Jones ranked 82nd on VH1 's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll , and in 2008 , she was honored with a Q Idol Award . Jones influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s and has been an inspiration for artists including Annie Lennox , Lady Gaga , Rihanna , Lorde , Róisín Murphy , Brazilian Girls , Nile Rodgers , Santigold , Basement Jaxx and Stanka Brljevic . In December 2016 , Billboard magazine ranked her as the 40th most successful dance artist of all time .


Warm Leatherette (album) Warm Leatherette is the fourth studio album by Grace Jones , released on 9 May 1980 by Island Records . The album features contributions from the reggae production duo Sly and Robbie and is a departure from Jones ' earlier disco sound , moving towards a new wave-reggae direction .


Anne Hathaway starred in Rachel Getting Married in 2008.

Rachel Getting Married Rachel Getting Married is a 2008 drama film directed by Jonathan Demme , and starring Anne Hathaway , Rosemarie DeWitt , Bill Irwin and Debra Winger . The film was released in the U.S. to select theaters on October 3 , 2008 . The film opened the 65th Venice International Film Festival . The film also opened in Canada 's Toronto International Film Festival on September 6 , 2008 . Hathaway received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in the film .


Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway ( born November 12 , 1982 ) is an American actress and singer . Born in Brooklyn , New York and brought up in Millburn , New Jersey , Hathaway was inspired to act by her mother and as a high school student was nominated for the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award for Best Performance by a High School Actress for her performance in Once Upon a Mattress . She made her professional screen debut in the short-lived Fox television series Get Real ( 1999 -- 2000 ) , before landing the lead role of Mia Thermopolis in the Disney comedy film The Princess Diaries ( 2001 ) , for which she won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress -- Comedy . Hathaway went on to become a widely praised `` role model for children '' for her roles in Nicholas Nickleby ( 2002 ) , Ella Enchanted ( 2004 ) , The Princess Diaries 2 : Royal Engagement ( 2004 ) , and Hoodwinked ! ( 2005 ) .   Hathaway began to transition to more adult roles in 2005 , winning a DVD Exclusive Award for Best Actress for Havoc ( 2005 ) , receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her role in the critically acclaimed Brokeback Mountain ( 2005 ) , garnering further recognition for appearing alongside Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada ( 2006 ) , and earning a BIFA nomination for Best Performance by an Actress for her portrayal of Jane Austen in Becoming Jane ( 2007 ) . Hathaway received praise for her performance as a recovering drug addict in Rachel Getting Married ( 2008 ) , for which she won the Critics ' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Academy , Golden Globe , Screen Actors Guild , and Indie Spirit Awards for Best Actress / Female Lead . She went on to win her second Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress -- Comedy for starring in Bride Wars ( 2009 ) and in 2010 , appeared in the box office hits Valentine 's Day , Alice in Wonderland and Love & Other Drugs , which earned her the Satellite Award for Best Actress and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Comedy or Musical .   In 2011 , Hathaway voiced Jewel in the animated film Rio and hosted the 83rd Academy Awards with James Franco , which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program . In 2012 , she portrayed Catwoman in Christopher Nolan 's The Dark Knight Rises , for which she won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress . The same year , she starred as Fantine in Tom Hooper 's Les Misérables , which earned her widespread acclaim and she won the Academy , Golden Globe , BAFTA , and SAG Awards for Best Supporting Actress . Hathaway has since gone on to appear in Rio 2 ( 2014 ) , Interstellar ( 2014 ) , The Intern ( 2015 ) , and reprised her role as the White Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass ( 2016 ) .   People magazine named Hathaway one of its breakthrough stars of 2001 , and she appeared on its list of the world 's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2006 . Following a four-year relationship with real estate developer Raffaello Follieri , Hathaway married Adam Shulman in 2012 , with whom she has one son , born in March 2016 .


John McCain serves as an Arizona senior U.S. Senator.

John McCain John Sidney McCain III ( born August 29 , 1936 ) is an American politician who currently serves as the senior United States Senator from Arizona . He was the Republican nominee for the 2008 U.S. presidential election .   McCain followed his father and grandfather , both four-star admirals , into the United States Navy , graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958 . He became a naval aviator , flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers . During the Vietnam War , he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire . In October 1967 , while on a bombing mission over Hanoi , he was shot down , seriously injured , and captured by the North Vietnamese . He was a prisoner of war until 1973 . McCain experienced episodes of torture , and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer . His war wounds have left him with lifelong physical limitations .   He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona , where he entered politics . Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 , McCain served two terms . He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 , winning re-election easily five times , most recently in 2016 . While generally adhering to conservative principles , McCain at times has had a media reputation as a `` maverick '' for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues . After being investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the 1980s as a member of the Keating Five , he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns , eventually gaining passage of the McCain -- Feingold Act in 2002 . He is also known for his work in the 1990s to restore diplomatic relations with Vietnam , and for his belief that the Iraq War should have been fought to a successful conclusion . McCain has chaired the Senate Commerce Committee , opposed spending that he considered to be pork barrel , and played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial nominations with the bi-partisan group known as the Gang of 14 .   McCain ran for the Republican nomination in 2000 but lost a heated primary season contest to George W. Bush of Texas . He secured the nomination in 2008 after coming back from early reversals , but was defeated by Democratic candidate Barack Obama in the general election , losing by a 365 -- 173 electoral college margin and by 53 -- 46 % in the popular vote . He subsequently adopted more orthodox conservative stances and attitudes and largely opposed actions of the Obama administration , especially in regard to foreign policy matters . By 2013 , however , he had become a key figure in the Senate for negotiating deals on certain issues in an otherwise partisan environment . In 2015 , McCain became chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee .


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


Get Shorty (film) Get Shorty is a 1995 American crime thriller comedy film based on Elmore Leonard 's novel of the same name . Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring John Travolta , Gene Hackman , Rene Russo , and Danny DeVito , the plot remained true to the book except for a few minor details .   A sequel , titled Be Cool , was released in 2005 .


Red (2010 film) Red is a 2010 American action comedy film inspired by the limited comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage . The film stars Bruce Willis , Morgan Freeman , John Malkovich , Mary-Louise Parker , Helen Mirren and Karl Urban , with German film director Robert Schwentke directing a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber . In the film version , the title is derived from the designation of former CIA Agent Frank Moses ( Bruce Willis ) , meaning `` Retired , Extremely Dangerous '' .   The film was released on October 15 , 2010 . The film grossed $ 199 million worldwide . In 2011 , the film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Musical or Comedy Film . A sequel , Red 2 , was released on July 19 , 2013 . Another sequel , Red 3 , is in development .


Charlie Rubin has written for Saturday Night Live.

Charlie Rubin Charlie Rubin is an American television comedy writer , producer , and humorist .   He has written for National Lampoon , The Carol Burnett Show , In Living Color , The Jon Stewart Show , Saturday Night Live , Seinfeld , and Law & Order : Criminal Intent .   Charlie attended Horace Mann School in Riverdale , New York and then Williams College , from which he graduated in 1972 . While at Williams , Charlie , along with his friend , Mitchell Rapoport , founded The Williams Advocate . He also produced an original musical called `` Sizzle '' with William Finn at the Adams Memorial Theater . It was the first original musical to be mounted at Williams College since Stephen Sondheim attended over 20 years earlier .   Charlie is currently working on a screen adaptation of Veeck -- As In Wreck : The Autobiography of Bill Veeck . He is also a professor at NYU 's Tisch School of the Arts in the Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing , where he teaches writing for television .   He married writer Susan Shapiro on July 27 , 1996 .


Jon Pertwee was in a series from 1979 to 1999.

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee ( 7 July 1919 -- 20 May 1996 ) , known professionally as Jon Pertwee , was an English actor , entertainer and cabaret performer .   Pertwee is most known for starring as the Third Doctor in the science-fiction series Doctor Who between 1970 and 1974 . Pertwee also spent 18 years ( 1959 -- 1977 ) playing Chief petty officer Pertwee in The Navy Lark on BBC Radio . He later played the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge from 1979 to 1981 , and again from 1987 to 1989 .   As an actor , Pertwee appeared in many comedy roles and was once described as having `` rubbery features and ability to affect silly voices '' . Earlier in his career , Pertwee had worked as a vaudeville comedian , performed at the Glasgow Empire Theatre and shared a bill with Max Wall and Jimmy James . Towards the end of his life , he performed to audiences in a one-man show called Who Is Jon Pertwee ? .


Here Comes the Sun was recorded by The Beatles in London.

Here Comes the Sun `` Here Comes the Sun '' is a song written by George Harrison that was first released on the Beatles ' 1969 album Abbey Road . Along with `` Something '' and `` While My Guitar Gently Weeps '' , it is one of Harrison 's best-known compositions from the Beatles era . The song was written at the country house of his friend Eric Clapton , where Harrison had chosen to play truant for the day , to avoid attending a meeting at the Beatles ' Apple Corps organisation . The lyrics reflect the composer 's relief at both the arrival of spring and the temporary respite he was experiencing from the band 's business affairs .   The Beatles recorded `` Here Comes the Sun '' at London 's EMI Studios in the summer of 1969 . Led by Harrison 's acoustic guitar , the recording also features Moog synthesizer , which he had introduced to the Beatles ' sound after acquiring an early model of the instrument in California . Reflecting the continued influence of Indian classical music on Harrison 's writing , the composition includes a series of unusual time changes .   `` Here Comes the Sun '' has received acclaim from music critics . Combined with his other contribution to Abbey Road , `` Something '' , it gained for Harrison the level of recognition as a songwriter that had previously been reserved for his bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney . Harrison played the song during many of his relatively rare live performances as a solo artist , including at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 and , with Paul Simon , during his appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1976 . Richie Havens and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel each had hit singles with `` Here Comes the Sun '' in the 1970s . Nina Simone , George Benson , Booker T. & the M.G. 's , Peter Tosh and Joe Brown are among the many other artists who have covered the song .


Taylor Swift holds a Guinness World break.

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift ( born December 13 , 1989 ) is an American singer-songwriter . One of the most popular contemporary female recording artists , she is known for narrative songs about her personal life , which has received much media attention .   Born and raised in Pennsylvania , Swift moved to Nashville , Tennessee at age 14 to pursue a career in country music . She signed with the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest artist ever signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house . Her eponymous debut album in 2006 peaked at number five on Billboard 200 and spent the most weeks on the chart in the 2000s . The album 's third single , `` Our Song '' , made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Hot Country Songs chart . Swift 's second album , Fearless , was released in 2008 . Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles `` Love Story '' and `` You Belong with Me '' , Fearless became the best-selling album of 2009 in the United States . The album won four Grammy Awards , with Swift becoming the youngest Album of the Year winner .   Swift was the sole writer of her 2010 album , Speak Now . It debuted at number one in the United States and the single `` Mean '' won two Grammy Awards . Her fourth album , Red ( 2012 ) , yielded the successful singles `` We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together '' and `` I Knew You Were Trouble '' . With her fifth album , the pop-focused 1989 ( 2014 ) , she became the first act to have three albums sell a million copies within one week in the United States . Its singles `` Shake It Off '' , `` Blank Space '' , and `` Bad Blood '' reached number one in the US , Australia , and Canada . The album received three Grammy Awards , and Swift became the first woman and fifth act overall to win Album of the Year twice . The 2015 eponymous concert tour for 1989 became one of highest-grossing of the decade .   As a songwriter , Swift has received awards from the Nashville Songwriters Association and the Songwriters Hall of Fame . She is also the recipient of ten Grammy Awards , five Guinness World Records , one Emmy Award , 21 Billboard Music Awards , 11 Country Music Association Awards , eight Academy of Country Music Awards , and one Brit Award . Swift is one of the best-selling artists of all time , having sold more than 40 million albums -- including 27.1 million in the US -- and 130 million single downloads . She has appeared in Time 100 most influential people in the world ( 2010 and 2015 ) , Forbes top-earning women in music ( 2011 -- 2015 ) , Forbes 100 most powerful women ( 2015 ) , and Forbes Celebrity 100 ( 2016 ) . She was the youngest woman to be included in the third of these and ranked first in Celebrity 100 .


Hawaii is the 6th largest county in Nebraska.

Hawaii Hawaii ( -LSB- langpronaudio = en-us-Hawaii . ogghəˈwaɪ.i , _ - ji , _ - ʔi -RSB- ; Hawai -LSB- - hawhəˈvɐjʔi -RSB- ) is the 50th and most recent state to have joined the United States of America , having received statehood on August 21 , 1959 . Hawaii is the only U.S. state located in Oceania and the only one composed entirely of islands . It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia , occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean . Hawaii is the only U.S. state not located in the Americas .   The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian archipelago , which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1500 mi . At the southeastern end of the archipelago , the eight main islands are -- in order from northwest to southeast : Niihau , Kauai , Oahu , Molokai , Lānai , Kahoolawe , Maui , and the Island of Hawaii . The last is the largest island in the group ; it is often called the `` Big Island '' or `` Hawaii Island '' to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago . The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania .   Hawaii 's diverse natural scenery , warm tropical climate , abundance of public beaches , oceanic surroundings , and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists , surfers , biologists , and volcanologists . Because of its central location in the Pacific and 19th-century labor migration , Hawaii 's culture is strongly influenced by North American and Asian cultures , in addition to its indigenous Hawaiian culture . Hawaii has over a million permanent residents , along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel . Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu .   Hawaii is the 8th-smallest and the 11th-least populous , but the 13th-most densely populated of the fifty U.S. states . It is the only state with an Asian plurality . The state 's coastline is about 750 mi long , the fourth longest in the U.S. after the coastlines of Alaska , Florida , and California .


The Netherlands does note have a city named The Hague.

The Hague The Hague ( -LSB- ðə_ˈheɪɡ -RSB- Den Haag , -LSB- dɛn ˈɦaːx -RSB- or 's - Gravenhage -LSB- ˈsxraːvə ( n ) ˌɦaːɣə -RSB- ) is a city on the western coast of the Netherlands , and the capital city of the province of South Holland .   With a population of 520,704 inhabitants ( as of 1 April 2016 ) and more than one million inhabitants including the suburbs , it is the third-largest city of the Netherlands , after Amsterdam and Rotterdam . The Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Area , with a population of approximately 2.7 million , is the 12th-largest in the European Union and the most populous in the country . Located in the west of the Netherlands , The Hague is in the centre of the Haaglanden conurbation and lies at the southwest corner of the larger Randstad conurbation .   The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government , parliament , the Supreme Court , and the Council of State , but the city is not the capital of the Netherlands , which constitutionally is Amsterdam . Most foreign embassies in the Netherlands and 150 international organisations are located in the city , including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court , which makes The Hague one of the major cities hosting the United Nations along with New York , Geneva , Vienna , Rome , and Nairobi . King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands plans to live at Huis ten Bosch and works at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague , together with Queen Máxima . The Hague is also home to the world headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell and numerous other major Dutch companies .


Netherlands The Netherlands , ( -LSB- ˈnɛðərləndz -RSB- Nederland -LSB- ˈneːdərˌlɑnt -RSB- ; Nederlân ) also known informally as Holland , is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three island territories in the Caribbean.designated Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba within ISO ISO 3166-1 . The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east , Belgium to the south , and the North Sea to the northwest , sharing maritime borders with Belgium , the United Kingdom , and Germany .   The four largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague and Utrecht ( collectively known as G4 ) . Amsterdam is the country 's capital , while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government . The port of Rotterdam is the world 's largest port outside East-Asia , and the largest port in Europe . The name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands.Formally ` Holland ' refers only to two of the country 's twelve provinces : North Holland and South Holland .   `` Netherlands '' literally means `` lower countries '' , influenced by its low land and flat geography , with only about 50 % of its land exceeding one metre above sea level . Most of the areas below sea level are artificial . Since the late 16th century , large areas ( polders ) have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes , amounting to nearly 17 % of the country 's current land mass . With a population density of 412 people per km2 -- 507 ( January 2017 ) if water is excluded -- the Netherlands is classified as a very densely populated country . Only Bangladesh , South Korea , and Taiwan have both a larger population and higher population density . Nevertheless , the Netherlands is the world 's second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products , after the United States . This is partly due to the fertility of the soil and the mild climate . The Netherlands was the third country in the world to have an elected parliament , and since 1848 it has been governed as a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy , organised as a unitary state . The Netherlands has a long history of social tolerance and is generally regarded as a liberal country , having legalised abortion , prostitution and euthanasia , while maintaining a progressive drugs policy . In 2001 , it became the world 's first country to legalise same-sex marriage .   The Netherlands is a founding member of the EU , Eurozone , G-10 , NATO , OECD and WTO ; as well as being a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union . The country is host to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and five international courts : the Permanent Court of Arbitration , the International Court of Justice , the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia , the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon . The first four are situated in The Hague , as is the EU 's criminal intelligence agency Europol and judicial co-operation agency Eurojust . This has led to the city being dubbed `` the world 's legal capital . '' The country also ranks second highest in the world 's 2016 Press Freedom Index , as published by Reporters Without Borders .   The Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy , ranking 17th of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom . It had the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2013 according to the International Monetary Fund . In 2013 , the United Nations World Happiness Report ranked the Netherlands as the seventh-happiest country in the world , reflecting its high quality of life . The Netherlands also ranks joint third highest in the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index , along with Australia .


Beijing Beijing ( formerly romanised as Peking ) is the capital of the People 's Republic of China and the world 's third most populous city proper . It is also one of the world 's most populous capital cities . The city , located in northern China , is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government with 16 urban , suburban , and rural districts . Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighbouring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast ; together the three divisions form the Jingjinji metropolitan region and the national capital region of China .   As a city combining both modern and traditional architecture , Beijing is an ever-changing megacity rich in history but also truly modern , exemplified in its global influence in politics , business & economy , education , history , culture , language , music , sporting , architecture , civilization , fashion , art , entertainment , innovation and technology . Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai and is the nation 's political , cultural , and educational centre . It is home to the headquarters of most of China 's largest state-owned companies , and is a major hub for the national highway , expressway , railway , and high-speed rail networks . The Beijing Capital International Airport has been the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic since 2010 , and , , the city 's subway network is the busiest and second longest in the world , after Shanghai 's subway system .   The city 's history dates back three millennia . As the last of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China , Beijing has been the political centre of the country for much of the past eight centuries . With mountains surrounding the inland city on three sides , in addition to the old inner and outer city walls , Beijing was strategically poised and developed to be the residence of the emperor and thus was the perfect location for the imperial capital . Beijing was the largest city in the world by population for much of the second millennium A.D. . The city is renowned for its opulent palaces , temples , parks , gardens , tombs , walls and gates . Its art treasures and universities have made it centre of culture and art in China . Encyclopædia Britannica notes that `` few cities in the world have served for so long as the political headquarters and cultural centre of an area as immense as China . '' Beijing has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites -- the Forbidden City , Temple of Heaven , Summer Palace , Ming Tombs , Zhoukoudian , as well as parts of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal , all popular locations for tourism . siheyuans , the city 's traditional housing style , and hutongs , the narrow alleys between siheyuans , are major tourist attractions and are common in urban Beijing . The city hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympics , making it the first city to ever host both Winter and Summer Olympics .   Many of Beijing 's 91 universities consistently rank among the best in China , of which Peking University and Tsinghua University are ranked in the top 60 universities of the world . In 2015 , 52 companies of the Fortune Global 500 company headquarters were located in Beijing , more than any other city in the world , including state-owned enterprises State Grid , China National Petroleum , and Sinopec Group , ranked 2nd , 3rd , and 4th , respectively . Beijing CBD is quickly becoming the center for Beijing 's economic expansion , rapid modernization , and radically changing skyline , with the ongoing or recently completed construction of multiple skyscrapers . Beijing 's Zhongguancun area is also known as China 's Silicon Valley and China 's center of innovation and technology entrepreneurship . According to the 2016 InterNations Expat Insider Survey , Beijing ranked first in Asia in the subcategory `` Personal Finance Index , '' a measure of expats ' salaries versus cost of living in the city . Expats live primarily in urban districts such as Dongcheng and Chaoyang in the east , or in suburban districts such as Shunyi .