Svitavy Svitavy ( -LSB- ˈsvɪtavɪ -RSB- ; Zwittau ) is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic . The town has a population of 18,000 and is also the district administrative centre . It is the birthplace of Oskar Schindler and an important center of the Czech Esperanto movement , with an Esperanto museum that is part of the city museum .


Melisandre was in a novel in a series by an American author.

George R. R. Martin -RCB- -RCB-   George Raymond Richard Martin ( born George Raymond Martin ; September 20 , 1948 ) , often referred to as GRRM , is an American novelist and short-story writer in the fantasy , horror , and science fiction genres , screenwriter , and television producer . He is best known for his international bestselling series of epic fantasy novels , A Song of Ice and Fire , which was later adapted into the HBO dramatic series Game of Thrones .   Martin serves as the series ' co-executive producer , and also scripted four episodes of the series . In 2005 , Lev Grossman of Time called Martin `` the American Tolkien '' , and the magazine later named him one of the `` 2011 Time 100 '' , a list of the `` most influential people in the world . ''


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


The Xbox One optionally includes the Kinect device.

Xbox One Xbox One is a line of home video game consoles developed by Microsoft . Announced in May 2013 , it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox family . It was first released in North America , parts of Europe , Australia , and Brazil in November 2013 , and in Japan , China , and other European countries in September 2014 . It is the first Xbox game console to be released in China , specifically in the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone . Microsoft marketed the device as an `` all-in-one entertainment system '' . The Xbox One line mainly competes against consoles such as Sony 's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo 's Wii U as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles .   Moving away from its predecessor 's PowerPC-based architecture , Xbox One marks a shift back to the x86 architecture used in the original Xbox ; it features an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit ( APU ) built around the x86-64 instruction set . Xbox One 's controller was redesigned over the Xbox 360 's , with a redesigned body , D-pad and triggers capable of delivering directional haptic feedback . The console places an increased emphasis on cloud computing , as well as social networking features , and the ability to record and share video clips or screenshots from gameplay , or live-stream directly to streaming services such as Mixer and Twitch . Games can also be played off-console via a local area network on supported Windows 10 devices . The console can play Blu-ray Disc , and overlay live television programming from an existing set-top box or a digital tuner for digital terrestrial television with an enhanced program guide . The console optionally included a redesigned Kinect sensor , marketed as the `` Kinect 2.0 '' , providing improved motion tracking and voice recognition for use in its graphical user interface ( GUI ) and games .   Xbox One received mostly positive reception for its refined controller design , multimedia features , and voice navigation . Its quieter and cooler design was praised for making the console more reliable than its predecessor on-launch , but the console was generally criticized for running games at a technically lower graphical level than the PlayStation 4 . Its original user interface was panned for being nonintuitive , although changes made to it and other aspects of the console 's software post-launch received positive reception . Its Kinect received praise for its improved motion-tracking accuracy , its face recognition logins , and its voice commands .   In August 2016 , Microsoft released a refreshed Xbox One model known as Xbox One S ; it has a streamlined design , native support for 4K video playback and upscaling , and HDR10 high-dynamic-range color . It was praised for its smaller size , its on-screen visual improvements , and its lack of an external power supply , but its regressions such as the lack of a native Kinect port were noted . A future hardware revision codenamed `` Project Scorpio '' is scheduled for late-2017 ; it will feature major hardware upgrades focused on enabling 4K gameplay and support for virtual reality hardware , and will be backward compatible with all existing Xbox One software and hardware .


Harry Potter (film series) Harry Potter is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by author J. K. Rowling . The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films , beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone ( 2001 ) and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 ( 2011 ) . A spin-off prequel series will consist of five films , starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ( 2016 ) . The Fantastic Beasts films mark the beginning of a shared media franchise known as J. K. Rowling 's Wizarding World .   The series was mainly produced by David Heyman , and stars Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , and Emma Watson as the three leading characters : Harry Potter , Ron Weasley , and Hermione Granger . Four directors worked on the series : Chris Columbus , Alfonso Cuarón , Mike Newell , and David Yates . The screenplays were written by Steve Kloves , with the exception of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ( 2007 ) , which was written by Michael Goldenberg . Production took over ten years to complete , with the main story arc following Harry Potter 's quest to overcome his arch-enemy Lord Voldemort .   Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , the seventh and final novel in the series , was adapted into two feature-length parts . Part 1 was released in November 2010 , and Part 2 was released in July 2011 .   Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ( 2004 ) is the only film in the series not among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time , with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 , the highest-grossing film in the series and one of 30 films to gross over $ 1 billion , ranking at number 8 . Without inflation adjustment , it is the second highest-grossing film series with $ 8.5 billion in worldwide receipts .


Hugh Jackman was the winner of a Golden Globe Award.

Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman ( born 12 October 1968 ) is an Australian actor , singer , and producer . Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in a variety of film genres . He is known for his long-running role as Wolverine in the X-Men film series , as well as for his lead roles in films such as the romantic-comedy fantasy Kate & Leopold ( 2001 ) , the action-horror film Van Helsing ( 2004 ) , the magic-themed drama The Prestige ( 2006 ) , the epic fantasy drama The Fountain ( 2006 ) , the epic historical romantic drama Australia ( 2008 ) , the film version of Les Misérables ( 2012 ) , and the thriller Prisoners ( 2013 ) . His work in Les Misérables earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor -- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy in 2013 .   In Broadway theatre , Jackman won a Tony Award for his role in The Boy from Oz . A four-time host of the Tony Awards themselves , he won an Emmy Award for one of these appearances . Jackman also hosted the 81st Academy Awards on 22 February 2009 .


IBM International Business Machines Corporation ( commonly referred to as IBM ) is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk , New York , United States , with operations in over 170 countries . The company originated in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company ( CTR ) and was renamed `` International Business Machines '' in 1924 .   IBM manufactures and markets computer hardware , middleware and software , and offers hosting and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology . IBM is also a major research organization , holding the record for most patents generated by a business ( as of 2017 ) for 24 consecutive years . Inventions by IBM include the automated teller machine ( ATM ) , the PC , the floppy disk , the hard disk drive , the magnetic stripe card , the relational database , the SQL programming language , the UPC barcode , and dynamic random-access memory ( DRAM ) . The IBM mainframe , exemplified by the System/360 , was the dominant computing platform during the 1960s and 1970s .   IBM has continually shifted its business mix by commoditizing markets focusing on higher-value , more profitable markets . This includes spinning off printer manufacturer Lexmark in 1991 and selling off its personal computer ( ThinkPad/ThinkCentre ) and x86-based server businesses to Lenovo ( 2005 and 2014 , respectively ) , and acquiring companies such as PwC Consulting ( 2002 ) , SPSS ( 2009 ) , and The Weather Company ( 2016 ) . Also in 2014 , IBM announced that it would go `` fabless '' , continuing to design semiconductors , but offloading manufacturing to GlobalFoundries .   Nicknamed Big Blue , IBM is one of 30 companies included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and one of the world 's largest employers , with ( as of 2016 ) nearly 380,000 employees . Known as `` IBMers '' , IBM employees have been awarded five Nobel Prizes , six Turing Awards , ten National Medals of Technology and five National Medals of Science .


Personal computer A personal computer ( PC ) is a multi-purpose electronic computer whose size , capabilities , and price make it feasible for individual use . PCs are intended to be operated directly by an end user , rather than by a computer expert or technician .   `` Computers were invented to ` compute ' : to solve complex mathematical problems , but today , due to media dependency and the everyday use of computers , it is seen that ` computing ' is the least important thing computers do . '' The computer time-sharing models that were typically used with larger , more expensive minicomputer and mainframe systems , to enable them be used by many people at the same time , are not used with PCs .   Early computer owners in the 1960s , invariably institutional or corporate , had to write their own programs to do any useful work with the machines . In the 2010s , personal computer users have access to a wide range of commercial software , free software ( `` freeware '' ) and free and open-source software , which are provided in ready-to-run form . Software for personal computers is typically developed and distributed independently from the hardware or OS manufacturers . Many personal computer users no longer need to write their own programs to make any use of a personal computer , although end-user programming is still feasible . This contrasts with systems such as smartphones or tablet computers , where software is often only available through a manufacturer-supported channel , and end-user program development may be discouraged by lack of support by the manufacturer .   Since the early 1990s , Microsoft operating systems and Intel hardware have dominated much of the personal computer market , first with MS-DOS and then with Windows . Alternatives to Microsoft 's Windows operating systems occupy a minority share of the industry . These include Apple 's macOS and free open-source Unix-like operating systems such as Linux and BSD . Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) provides the main alternative to Intel 's processors .


Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore ( born February 22 , 1975 ) is an American actress , author , director , model and producer . She is a member of the Barrymore family of American stage and film actors , and is a granddaughter of actor John Barrymore . Barrymore began acting on television , and soon transitioned to film with roles in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ( 1982 ) and Irreconcilable Differences ( 1984 ) .   Following a turbulent childhood that was marked by drug and alcohol abuse with two stints in rehab , she wrote her autobiography , Little Girl Lost ( 1991 ) . She appeared in a string of successful films , including Poison Ivy ( 1992 ) , Boys on the Side ( 1995 ) , Scream ( 1996 ) and Ever After ( 1998 ) . She has also co-starred with Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer ( 1998 ) , 50 First Dates ( 2004 ) and Blended ( 2014 ) .   After Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen formed their joint production company Flower Films in 1995 , it went on to produce several films in which she also starred , such as Never Been Kissed ( 1999 ) , Charlie 's Angels ( 2000 ) , Donnie Darko ( 2001 ) and her directorial debut Whip It ! ( 2009 ) . Other acting credits include Music and Lyrics ( 2007 ) , He 's Just Not That Into You ( 2009 ) , Going the Distance ( 2010 ) and Miss You Already ( 2015 ) . Barrymore won the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Little Edie in Grey Gardens ( 2009 ) . Barrymore currently stars with Timothy Olyphant in the Netflix comedy series Santa Clarita Diet ( 2017 ) .   She was named an Ambassador Against Hunger for the UN World Food Programme ( WFP ) . Since then , she has donated over $ 1 million to the program . A recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , Barrymore appeared on the cover of the 2007 People magazine 's 100 Most Beautiful people .


Cory Monteith Cory Allan Michael Monteith ( -LSB- mɒnˈtiːθ -RSB- May 11 , 1982 July 13 , 2013 ) was a Canadian actor and musician , known for his role as Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee .   As an actor based in British Columbia , Monteith had minor roles on television series before an audition tape of him singing `` Ca n't Fight This Feeling '' resulted in him being cast on Glee . Following his success on Glee , Monteith 's film work included the movie Monte Carlo and a starring role in Sisters & Brothers .   Monteith had a troubled adolescence involving substance abuse from age 13 ; he left school at age 16 . After an intervention by family and friends he entered drug rehabilitation at age 19 . In a 2011 interview with Parade magazine , he discussed his history of substance abuse as a teen , and in March 2013 , he again sought treatment for addiction . On July 13 , 2013 , he died of a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol in a Vancouver hotel room .


Absolute Beginners (film) Absolute Beginners is a 1986 British rock musical film adapted from Colin MacInnes ' book of the same name about life in late 1950s London . The film was directed by Julien Temple , featured David Bowie and Sade , and Patsy Kensit in one of her first mainstream roles . The film was screened out of competition at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival .   Upon release , Absolute Beginners received immense coverage in the British media . At the time , the British film industry was perceived as being on the point of collapse ( with the recent failure of the film Revolution ) . However , the film was panned by critics and became a box office bomb . Some of the criticisms included stylistic anachronisms , such as the mini-skirt and decidedly 1980s music from the likes of The Style Council and Sade , the bowdlerisation of Kensit 's character ( Crepe Suzette had been depicted as a promiscuous `` negrophile '' in the book ) , and the casting of Bowie , who made it a condition of his musical contribution . Although the film was not a success , Bowie 's theme song was very popular in the UK and reached number two in the charts .   The commercial failure of Absolute Beginners and another film released about the same time , The Mission , led to the collapse of Goldcrest , a major British film studio .


UCI ProTeam is Dan Martin's racing team.

Dan Martin (cyclist) Daniel `` Dan '' Martin ( born 20 August 1986 ) is an Irish professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam . Born and raised in England , Martin has competed for Ireland since 2006 .   Martin 's accomplishments since turning professional in 2008 include winning a stage at the 2011 Vuelta a España , winning a stage at the 2013 Tour de France , and winning the overall classification at the 2010 Tour de Pologne and the 2013 Volta a Catalunya . In one-day races , he won the 2010 Japan Cup , the 2010 Tre Valli Varesine , the 2011 Giro di Toscana , the 2013 Liège -- Bastogne -- Liège , and the 2014 Giro di Lombardia .


Rod Laver Rodney George `` Rod '' Laver ( born 9 August 1938 ) is an Australian former tennis player widely regarded as one of the greatest in tennis history . He was the No. 1 ranked professional from 1964 to 1970 , spanning four years before and three years after the start of the Open Era . He also was the No. 1 amateur in 1961 -- 62 according to Lance Tingay .   Laver 's 200 singles titles are the most in tennis history , and he holds the all-time male singles records of 22 titles in a single season ( 1962 ) and seven consecutive years ( 1964 -- 70 ) winning at least 10 titles per season . He excelled on all of the court surfaces of his time : grass , clay , hard , carpet , and wood/parquet .   Despite being banned from playing the Grand Slam tournaments for the five years prior to the Open Era , he still won 11 singles titles . He is the only player to twice achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam , in 1962 ( pre-open era ) and 1969 ( open era ) , and remains the only man to do so during the Open Era . He also won eight Pro Slam titles , including the calendar year Pro `` Grand Slam '' in 1967 , and contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during an age when Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the Grand Slams .


The Punisher is a character who is fictional.

Punisher The Punisher ( Francis `` Frank '' Castle ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru , with publisher Stan Lee green-lighting the name . The Punisher made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man # 129 ( cover-dated Feb. 1974 ) .   The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder , kidnapping , extortion , coercion , threats of violence , and torture in his war on crime . Driven by the deaths of his wife and two children , who were killed by the mob for witnessing a killing in New York City 's Central Park , the Punisher wages a one-man war on the mob and all criminals in general by using all manner of conventional war weaponry . His family 's killers were the first to be slain . A war veteran and a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper , Frank Castle ( born Francis Castiglione ) is a master of martial arts , stealth tactics , guerrilla warfare , and a wide variety of weapons .   The Punisher 's brutal nature and willingness to kill made him a novel character in mainstream American comic books in 1974 . By the late 1980s , he was part of a wave of psychologically troubled antiheroes and at the height of his popularity , was featured in four monthly publications , including The Punisher , The Punisher War Journal , The Punisher War Zone , and The Punisher Armory . Despite his violent actions and dark nature , the Punisher has enjoyed some mainstream success on television , making guest appearances on Spider-Man : The Animated Series , and The Super Hero Squad Show , where the depiction of his violent behavior was toned down for family viewers . In feature films , Dolph Lundgren portrayed the Punisher in 1989 , as did Thomas Jane in 2004 , and Ray Stevenson in 2008 . Jon Bernthal portrays the character in the second season of Marvel 's Daredevil as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe . Bernthal is set to reprise the role in The Punisher , his own self-titled series .


Taxonomy (biology) Taxonomy ( from -LSB- wiktionary : τάξις , τάξις -RSB- taxis , `` arrangement '' , and -LSB- wiktionary : νόμος , - νομία -RSB- - nomia , `` method '' ) is the science of defining and naming groups of biological organisms on the basis of shared characteristics . Organisms are grouped together into taxa ( singular : taxon ) and these groups are given a taxonomic rank ; groups of a given rank can be aggregated to form a super group of higher rank , thus creating a taxonomic hierarchy . The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus is regarded as the father of taxonomy , as he developed a system known as Linnaean classification for categorization of organisms and binomial nomenclature for naming organisms .   With the advent of such fields of study as phylogenetics , cladistics , and systematics , the Linnaean system has progressed to a system of modern biological classification based on the evolutionary relationships between organisms , both living and extinct .


Equidae Equidae ( sometimes known as the horse family ) is the taxonomic family of horses and related animals , including the extant horses , donkeys , and zebras , and many other species known only from fossils . All extant species are in the genus Equus . Equidae belongs to the order Perissodactyla , which includes the extant tapirs and rhinoceros , and several extinct families .   The term equid refers to any member of this family , including any equine .


Leyton Leyton ( -LSB- ˈleɪtən -RSB- ) is a district of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest , located 6.2 mi north-east of Charing Cross in the United Kingdom . It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone in Waltham Forest , Stratford in the London Borough of Newham and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney . The district includes part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park , which hosted the 2012 Olympic Games , as well as Leyton Orient Football Club , although it is predominantly residential . It consists mainly of terraced houses built between 1870 and 1910 , interspersed with some modern housing estates .


Leyton Orient F.C. Leyton Orient Football Club -LSB- ˌleɪtən_ˈɔəriənt -RSB- is a professional football club in Leyton , London , England . They play in the National League , the fifth tier of the English football league system , following relegation from the Football League in the 2016-17 season . They are known to their fans as the Os , and club 's home colours are all red .   Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football , in 1962 -- 63 . In 1978 , they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the only time in their history , under the management of Jimmy Bloomfield . Between October 1993 and September 1995 , Orient did not win a single away game in the league , leaving them bottom of Division Two in 1994 -- 95 .   Leyton Orient 's home ground Brisbane Road is officially known as the Matchroom Stadium after former club chairman Barry Hearn 's sports promotion company . Hearn became chairman in 1995 after the club was put on sale for # 5 by then-chairman Tony Wood , a period covered by the television documentary Orient : Club for a Fiver , made by production company Open Media for Channel 4 . In 2014 , Hearn sold the club to Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti , who achieved two relegations in three years under 11 managers .   Leyton Orient finished seventh , one place away from the playoff positions , in both the 2010 -- 11 and 2012 -- 13 seasons . In the 2013 -- 14 season , Orient lost the League One Play-Off final at Wembley to Rotherham United and in 2015 were relegated to League Two . On 22 April 2017 , Orient were relegated to the National League , ending their 112 year stay in the Football League .


English Football League The English Football League ( EFL ) is a league competition featuring professional football clubs from England and Wales . Founded in 1888 as the Football League , the league is the oldest such competition in world football . It was the top-level football league in England from its foundation in the 19th century until 1992 , when the top 22 clubs split away to form the Premier League .   The league has 72 clubs evenly divided into three divisions , which are known as the Championship , League One and League Two , with 24 clubs in each division . Promotion and relegation between these divisions is a central feature of the League and is further extended to allow the top Championship clubs to exchange places with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League , and the bottom clubs of League Two to switch with the top clubs of the National League , thus integrating the League into the English football league system . Although primarily a competition for English clubs , clubs from Wales -- currently Newport County and Cardiff City -- also take part , while in the past Swansea City , Wrexham , Merthyr Town and Aberdare Athletic have been members .   The Football League has been associated with a title sponsor between 1983 and 2016 . As this sponsor changed over the years the league too has been known by various names . Starting with the 2016 -- 17 season , the league has moved away from having a title sponsor , rebranding itself as the English Football League ( EFL ) , with a goal of having the EFL brand recognized in a similar way to the EPL brand of the English Premier League .   The English Football League is also the name of the governing body of the league competition , and this body also organises two knock-out cup competitions , the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy . The operations centre of the Football League is in Preston , while its commercial office is in London . The commercial office was formerly based in Lytham St Annes , after its original spell in Preston .


National League (division) The National League , formerly the Conference National ( currently named the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons ) , is the top division of the National League in England . It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system . While all of the clubs in the top four tiers of English football are full-time professional , the National League has a mixture of full-time and semi-professional clubs . The National League is the lowest nationwide division in the English football pyramid . Beginning with the 2015 -- 16 season , the league was renamed as the National League .


Meryl Streep is an actress in Florence Foster Jenkins.

Meryl Streep Mary Louise `` Meryl '' Streep ( born June 22 , 1949 ) is an American actress and philanthropist . Cited in the media as the `` best actress of her generation '' , -- a designation to which she objects -- Streep is particularly known for her versatility in her roles , transformation into the characters she plays , and her accent adaptation . Nominated for 20 Academy Awards , Streep has more nominations than any other actor , and is one of the six actors to have won three or more competitive Oscars for acting . Streep has also received 30 Golden Globe nominations , winning eight -- more nominations , and more competitive wins than any other actor .   Streep made her professional stage debut in Trelawny of the Wells in 1975 , and in 1976 received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for 27 Wagons Full of Cotton . She made her screen debut in the 1977 television film The Deadliest Season , and made her film debut later that same year in Julia . In 1978 , she won an Emmy Award for her role in the miniseries Holocaust , and received her first Academy Award nomination for The Deer Hunter . She went on to win Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer ( 1979 ) , and Best Actress for Sophie 's Choice ( 1982 ) and The Iron Lady ( 2011 ) .   Streep 's other Oscar nominated roles were in The French Lieutenant 's Woman ( 1981 ) , Silkwood ( 1983 ) , Out of Africa ( 1985 ) , Ironweed ( 1987 ) , Evil Angels ( 1988 ) , Postcards from the Edge ( 1990 ) , The Bridges of Madison County ( 1995 ) , One True Thing ( 1998 ) , Music of the Heart ( 1999 ) , Adaptation ( 2002 ) , The Devil Wears Prada ( 2006 ) , Doubt ( 2008 ) , Julie & Julia ( 2009 ) , August : Osage County ( 2013 ) , Into the Woods ( 2014 ) and Florence Foster Jenkins ( 2016 ) . She returned to the stage for the first time in over 20 years in The Public Theater 's 2001 revival of The Seagull , won a second Emmy Award in 2004 for the HBO miniseries Angels in America ( 2003 ) , and starred in The Public Theater 's 2006 production of Mother Courage and Her Children .   Streep was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004 , the Gala Tribute from the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 2008 , and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2011 for her contribution to American culture through performing arts . President Barack Obama awarded her the 2010 National Medal of Arts and in 2014 the Presidential Medal of Freedom . In 2003 , the government of France made her a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters . In 2017 , Streep was awarded the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award .


Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. ( born December 28 , 1954 ) is an American actor , director , and producer . He has received three Golden Globe awards , a Tony Award , and two Academy Awards : Best Supporting Actor for the historical war drama film Glory ( 1989 ) and Best Actor for his role as a corrupt cop in the crime thriller Training Day ( 2001 ) .   Washington has received much critical acclaim for his film work since the 1980s , including his portrayals of real-life figures such as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom ( 1987 ) , Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X ( 1992 ) , boxer Rubin `` Hurricane '' Carter in The Hurricane ( 1999 ) , football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans ( 2000 ) , poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters ( 2007 ) , and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster ( 2007 ) . He has been a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and has been a frequent collaborator of directors Spike Lee , Antoine Fuqua and Tony Scott . In 2016 , Washington was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards .   In 2002 , Washington made his directorial debut with biographical film Antwone Fisher . His second directorial effort was The Great Debaters , released in 2007 . Washington 's third directorial effort , Fences , starring himself and Viola Davis , was released on December 16 , 2016 .


The Hangover Part III The Hangover Part III is a 2013 American comedy film produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. . Pictures . It is the third and final installment in The Hangover trilogy . The film stars Bradley Cooper , Ed Helms , Zach Galifianakis , Justin Bartha , and Ken Jeong . The supporting cast includes Jeffrey Tambor , Heather Graham , Mike Epps , Melissa McCarthy and John Goodman with Todd Phillips directing a screenplay written by himself and Craig Mazin . The film follows the `` Wolfpack '' ( Phil , Stu , Doug , and Alan ) as they try to get Alan the help he needs after facing a personal crisis . However , things go awry when an incident from the original film comes back to haunt them .   The Hangover Part III was announced days before the release of The Hangover Part II and Mazin , who co-wrote Part II , was brought on board . In January 2012 , the principal actors re-signed to star . In March 2012 , Warner Bros. announced a U.S. Memorial Weekend release . The supporting roles were cast between June and September 2012 . Principal photography began in September 2012 in Los Angeles , California before moving to Nogales , Arizona and Las Vegas , Nevada . The film was released on May 23 , 2013 .


Hotel Hell is a Gordon Ramsay show on Fox.

Hotel Hell Hotel Hell is an American reality television series created , hosted and narrated by Gordon Ramsay that premiered on the Fox network on August 13 , 2012 . It is Ramsay 's fourth series for the Fox network and airs on Monday nights at 8 pm ET/PT . On August 17 , 2015 , Fox renewed Hotel Hell for a third season , which aired from May 24 to July 26 , 2016 .   The series features Ramsay visiting various struggling lodging establishments throughout the United States in an attempt to reverse their misfortunes , following a similar concept established in Ramsay 's other programs , Ramsay 's Kitchen Nightmares and its American counterpart , Kitchen Nightmares .


Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson ( born November 13 , 1955 ) , known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg ( -LSB- ˈwhʊpi -RSB- ) , is an American actress , comedian , author and television host . She has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for her work in television and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Emmy Award , a Grammy Award , an Oscar , and a Tony Award . She was the second black woman in the history of the Academy Awards to win an acting Oscar .   In the period drama film The Color Purple ( 1985 ) , her breakthrough role was playing Celie , a mistreated black woman in the Deep South , for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress . In the romantic fantasy film Ghost ( 1990 ) , Goldberg played Oda Mae Brown , an eccentric psychic who helped a slain man ( Patrick Swayze ) save his lover ( Demi Moore ) , for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress .   In 1992 , she starred as a pretend nun in the comedy Sister Act . From 1998 to 2002 , she was co-producer of the television game show Hollywood Squares . Since 2007 , she has been the moderator of the daytime television talk show The View .


Seven Days in May features Fredric March.

Seven Days in May Seven Days in May is a 1964 American political thriller motion picture about a military-political cabal 's planned take-over of the United States government in reaction to the president 's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union . Directed by John Frankenheimer , it stars Burt Lancaster , Kirk Douglas , Fredric March , and Ava Gardner . The screenplay was written by Rod Serling based on the novel of the same name by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II , published in September 1962 .


Angela Lansbury was the executive producer of a series.

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury , ( born 16 October 1925 ) is a British-American-Irish actress who has appeared in theatre , television and film , as well as a producer , voice actress , singer , and songwriter . Her career has spanned seven decades , much of it in the United States , and her work has attracted international attention .   Lansbury was born to an upper-middle-class family in central London , the daughter of actress Moyna Macgill and politician Edgar Lansbury . To escape the Blitz , in 1940 she moved to the United States with her mother and two younger brothers , and studied acting in New York City . Proceeding to Hollywood in 1942 , she signed to MGM and obtained her first film roles , in Gaslight ( 1944 ) and The Picture of Dorian Gray ( 1945 ) , earning her two Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe Award . She appeared in eleven further MGM films , mostly in minor roles , and after her contract ended in 1952 she began supplementing her cinematic work with theatrical appearances . Although largely seen as a B-list star during this period , her appearance in the film The Manchurian Candidate ( 1962 ) received widespread acclaim and is cited as being one of her finest performances . Moving into musical theatre , Lansbury finally gained stardom for playing the leading role in the Broadway musical Mame ( 1966 ) , which earned her a range of awards and established her as a gay icon .   Amid difficulties in her personal life , Lansbury moved from California to County Cork , Ireland , in 1970 , and continued with a variety of theatrical and cinematic appearances throughout that decade . These included leading roles in the stage musicals Gypsy , Sweeney Todd , and The King and I , as well as in the hit Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks ( 1971 ) . Moving into television , she achieved worldwide fame as fictional writer and sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the American whodunit series Murder , She Wrote , which ran for twelve seasons from 1984 until 1996 , becoming one of the longest-running and most popular detective drama series in television history . Through Corymore Productions , a company that she co-owned with her husband Peter Shaw , Lansbury assumed ownership of the series and was its executive producer for the final four seasons . She also moved into voice work , thereby contributing to animated films such as Disney 's Beauty and the Beast ( 1991 ) . Since then , she has toured in a variety of international theatrical productions and continued to make occasional film appearances .   In 2014 , Lansbury was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Windsor Castle for `` services to drama , charitable work , and philanthropy . '' Lansbury has received an Honorary Oscar and has won five Tony Awards , six Golden Globes , an Olivier Award , and one Grammy Award . She has also been nominated for numerous other industry awards , including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress on three occasions , and various Primetime Emmy Awards on eighteen occasions . She has been the subject of three biographies .


Dwayne Johnson is also known by his stage name, The Rock.

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson ( born May 2 , 1972 ) , also known by his ring name , The Rock , is an American actor , producer , and professional wrestler . He holds both American and Canadian citizenships .   Born in California and raised in New Zealand and the U.S. states of Hawaii and Pennsylvania , Johnson was a college football player for the University of Miami , where he won a national championship on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team . He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League and was cut two months into the 1995 season . This led him to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather , Peter Maivia , and his father , Rocky Johnson , from whom he also inherited his Canadian citizenship .   Currently signed to WWE on a part-time contract , Johnson gained mainstream fame in the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF , now WWE ) from 1996 to 2004 as a major figure in the company 's Attitude Era , and was the first third-generation wrestler in the company 's history . He returned to wrestling part-time for WWE from 2011 to 2013 and continues to make sporadic non-wrestling appearances for the company . Johnson has 17 championship reigns in WWE , including 10 as a world champion , winning the WWF/WWE Championship eight times ( seventh reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion ) and the WCW/World Championship twice . He won the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice and the WWF Tag Team Championship five times . Johnson is the sixth Triple Crown Champion in WWE history and won the 2000 Royal Rumble . He is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time .   Johnson 's autobiography The Rock Says ... , co-written with Joe Layden , was published in 2000 . It debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list , spent 20 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list , and sold 720,000 copies in hardcover alone .   Johnson 's first leading film role was in The Scorpion King in 2002 . For this role , he was paid US$ 5.5 million , a world record for an actor in his first starring role . He has since appeared in various films , and become known for his ability to reinvigorate film franchises . One of his more prominent roles is Luke Hobbs in The Fast and the Furious franchise ; its most recent film , The Fate of the Furious , was released in 2017 and has grossed over $ 1.1 billion worldwide , making it the second highest-grossing film of 2017 and the twelfth highest-grossing film of all time . He hosted and produced The Hero , a reality competition series ; and has since continued to produce TV series and films through his production company Seven Bucks Productions , each of which he also stars in . Forbes listed Johnson No. 25 in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities in 2013 . He was the world 's highest-paid actor of 2016 . Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016 .  In 2015 , Muscle & Fitness named Johnson their `` Man of the Century '' .


Poona Pact The Poona Pact refers to an agreement between Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi signed on 24 September 1932 at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune , India . It was signed by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and some other leaders to break the fast unto death undertaken by Gandhi in Yerwada prison to annul the Macdonald Award giving separate electorates to Dalits for electing members of state legislative assemblies in British India .   History of the Poona Pact  The British invited leaders of different parties in the Round Table Conferences in 1930-32 to draft a new law involving self-rule for the Indians . Mahatma Gandhi did not attend the first and the last but attended the second of the Conferences . The concept of separate electorates for the untouch was raised by Ambedkar . Similar provisions were already available for other minorities , including Muslims , Christians , Anglo-Indians and Sikhs . The British government agreed with Ambedkar 's contention and British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald 's Communal Award to the depressed classes was to be incorporated into the constitution in the governance of British India . Gandhi strongly opposed the Communal Award on the grounds that it would disintegrate Hindu society . Ambedkar vehemently criticised the way of handling the problems of the Harijans by Gandhiji . Gandhi took up a fast unto death in his prison cell in Poona , protesting that separate electorates were a device which would separate the untouchables from the Hindu society forever . He began an indefinite hunger strike at Yerwada Central Jail from 20 September 1932 to protest against this Award . A compromise was reached on 24 September 1932 .   The text uses the term `` Depressed Classes '' to denote Untouchables who were later called Scheduled Castes under India Act 1935 , and the later Indian Constitution of 1950 .


Hayden Panettiere Hayden Leslie Panettiere ( born August 21 , 1989 ) is an American actress , model , singer , and activist . She is known for her roles as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC sci-fi series Heroes ( 2006 -- 10 ) , Juliette Barnes in the ABC/CMT musical-drama series Nashville ( 2012 -- present ) and Kairi in the video game series Kingdom Hearts .   A native of New York City , she first appeared in a commercial at the age of 11 months . She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live ( 1994 -- 97 ) , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light ( 1996 -- 2000 ) , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in the Disney feature film Remember the Titans . Other notable roles include her portrayal of the title character in the true crime drama Amanda Knox : Murder on Trial in Italy and Kirby Reed in the slasher film Scream 4 . She received two nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress -- Series , Miniseries or Television Film , for her work on Nashville in 2012 and 2013 .


Gerald Ford served as President of the United States without being elected to executive office.

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford , Jr. ( born Leslie Lynch King , Jr. ; July 14 , 1913 -- December 26 , 2006 ) was an American politician who served as the 38th President of the United States from 1974 to 1977 , following the resignation of Richard Nixon . Prior to this he served eight months as the 40th Vice President of the United States , following the resignation of Spiro Agnew . He was the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment , and consequently the only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to executive office . Before his appointment to the vice presidency , Ford served 25 years as U.S. Representative from Michigan 's 5th congressional district , the final nine of them as the House Minority Leader .   As President , Ford signed the Helsinki Accords , marking a move toward détente in the Cold War . With the conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam nine months into his presidency , U.S. involvement in Vietnam essentially ended . Domestically , Ford presided over the worst economy in the four decades since the Great Depression , with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure . One of his most controversial acts was to grant a presidential pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal . During Ford 's presidency , foreign policy was characterized in procedural terms by the increased role Congress began to play , and by the corresponding curb on the powers of the President . In the Republican presidential primary campaign of 1976 , Ford defeated former California Governor Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination . He narrowly lost the presidential election to the Democratic challenger , former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter , making him the first President who succeeded to office as a result of a mid-term vacancy since Chester A. Arthur not to be elected in his own right .   Following his years as President , Ford remained active in the Republican Party . After experiencing health problems , he died at home on December 26 , 2006 . Ford lived longer than any other U.S. president -- 93 years and 165 days -- while his 895-day presidency was the shortest of all presidents who did not die in office .


Michael J. Fox semi-retired from acting in 2000.

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox , OC ( born June 9 , 1961 ) , known professionally as Michael J. Fox , is a Canadian-American actor , author , producer , and activist . With a film and television career spanning from the 1970s , Fox is best known for such roles as Mike Flaherty on the ABC sitcom Spin City ( 1996 -- 2000 ) , for which he won an Emmy , three Golden Globes , and two Screen Actors Guild Awards . Other notable roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ( 1985 -- 1990 ) ; and Alex P. Keaton from NBC 's Family Ties ( 1982 -- 1989 ) , for which he won three Emmys and a Golden Globe .   Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson 's disease in 1991 , at age 29 , and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998 . Fox semi-retired from acting in 2000 as the symptoms of his disease worsened . He has since become an advocate for research toward finding a cure ; he created the Michael J. Fox Foundation , and on March 5 , 2010 , Sweden 's Karolinska Institutet gave him a honoris causa doctorate for his work in advocating a cure for Parkinson 's disease .   Since 1999 , Fox has mainly worked as a voice-over actor in films such as Stuart Little and Disney 's Atlantis : The Lost Empire . On the CBS TV show The Good Wife , he earned Emmy nominations for three consecutive years for his recurring role as crafty attorney Louis Canning . Fox has also taken recurring guest roles and cameo appearances in Boston Legal , Scrubs , Curb Your Enthusiasm and Rescue Me . He has released three books : Lucky Man : A Memoir ( 2002 ) , Always Looking Up : The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist ( 2009 ) , and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future : Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned ( 2010 ) . He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 . He also was inducted into Canada 's Walk of Fame in 2000 .


Roald Dahl Roald Dahl ( -LSB- langpronˈroʊ.əld _ ˈdɑːl -RSB- , -LSB- ˈɾuːɑl dɑl -RSB- ; 13 September 1916 -- 23 November 1990 ) was a British novelist , short story writer , poet , screenwriter , and fighter pilot . His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide .   Born in Wales to Norwegian parents , Dahl served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War , in which he became a flying ace and intelligence officer , rising to the rank of acting wing commander . He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults and he became one of the world 's best selling authors . He has been referred to as `` one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century '' . His awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement , and the British Book Awards ' Children 's Author of the Year in 1990 . In 2008 , The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of `` The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 '' .   Dahl 's short stories are known for their unexpected endings and his children 's books for their unsentimental , macabre , often darkly comic mood , featuring villainous adult enemies of the child characters . His books champion the kind-hearted , and feature an underlying warm sentiment . Dahl 's works for children include James and the Giant Peach , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Matilda , The Witches , Fantastic Mr Fox , The BFG , The Twits and George 's Marvellous Medicine . His adult works include Tales of the Unexpected .


Courteney Cox played Monica Geller on Friends.

Courteney Cox Courteney Bass Cox ( born June 15 , 1964 ) is an American actress , producer , and director . She is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends , Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream , and Jules Cobb in the ABC/TBS sitcom Cougar Town , for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination . Cox also starred in the FX series Dirt . She owns a production company , called Coquette Productions , which was created by Cox and her then-husband David Arquette . Cox also worked as a director on her sitcom Cougar Town and the television film Talhotblond .


James McAvoy wrote the entire UK series Shameless.

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


Shameless (UK TV series) Shameless is a British adult comedy-drama series set in Manchester on the fictional Chatsworth council estate . Produced by Company Pictures for Channel 4 , the series aired from 13 January 2004 to 28 May 2013 . The comedy drama , centred on British working class culture , was accorded critical acclaim by various sections of the British media , including The Sun newspaper and Newsnight Review on BBC Two . The programme was created and partially written by Paul Abbott , who is also the programme 's executive producer . In 2005 , the show won `` Best Drama Series '' at the BAFTA TV Awards and `` Best TV Comedy Drama '' at the British Comedy Awards . The network Showtime adapted the series into its own American version , which debuted in 2011 .


Led Zeppelin II Led Zeppelin II is the eponymous second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin , released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records . Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in both the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969 . The album 's production was credited to the band 's lead guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page , and it also served as Led Zeppelin 's first album to utilise the recording techniques of the engineer Eddie Kramer . Incorporating several elements of blues and folk music , Led Zeppelin II exhibited the band 's evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar riff-based sound . It has been described as the band 's heaviest album .   Led Zeppelin II was a commercial success , and was the band 's first album to reach number one on charts in the UK and the US . In 1970 , the album 's cover designer David Juniper was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package . On 15 November 1999 , the album was certified 12 × Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) for sales passing 12 million copies . Since its release , various writers and music critics have regularly cited Led Zeppelin II as one of the greatest and most influential rock albums of all time .


Overwatch (video game) Overwatch is a team-based online multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment . It was released in May 2016 for Windows , PlayStation 4 , and Xbox One .   Overwatch assigns players into two teams of six , with each player selecting one of 24 pre-defined characters , called heroes , each with unique movement , attributes , and abilities , whose roles are divided into four categories : Offense , Defense , Tank , and Support . Players on a team work together to secure and defend control points on a map or escort a payload across the map in a limited amount of time . Players gain cosmetic rewards that do not affect gameplay , such as character skins and victory poses , as they play the game . The game was initially launched with casual play , with a competitive ranked mode , various ` arcade ' game modes , and a player-customizable server browser subsequently included following its release . Additionally , Blizzard has developed and added new characters , maps , and game modes post-release , while stating that all Overwatch updates will remain free , with the only additional cost to players being microtransactions to earn additional cosmetic rewards .   Overwatch is Blizzard 's fourth major franchise and came about following the 2014 cancellation of the ambitious massively multiplayer online role-playing game Titan . A portion of the Titan team came up with the concept of Overwatch , based on the success of team-based first-person shooters like Team Fortress 2 and the growing popularity of multiplayer online battle arenas , creating a hero-based shooter that emphasized teamwork . Some elements of Overwatch borrow assets and concepts from the canceled Titan project . After establishing the narrative of an optimistic near-future Earth setting after a global crisis , the developers aimed to create a diverse cast of heroes that spanned genders and ethnicities as part of this setting . Significant time was spent adjusting the balance of the characters , making sure that new players would still be able to have fun while skilled players would present each other with a challenge .   Overwatch was unveiled at BlizzCon 2014 in a fully playable state and was in a closed beta from late 2015 through early 2016 . An open beta in May 2016 drew in more than 9.7 million players . The release of the game was promoted with short animated videos to introduce the game 's narrative and each of the characters . Upon official release , Overwatch received universal acclaim from critics , who praised the game for its accessibility , diverse appeal of its hero characters , bright cartoonish art style , and enjoyable gameplay . Considered one of the best games released in 2016 , the game received numerous accolades , including being awarded Game of the Year at The Game Awards , D.I.C.E. Awards , and Game Developers Choice Awards , as well as from numerous publications . Since its release , Overwatch has become recognized as an eSport , where in addition to sponsoring tournaments , Blizzard has announced plans to help support professional league play starting in 2017 .


Father of the Bride includes Martin Short in it's cast.

Father of the Bride (1991 film) Father of the Bride is a 1991 American comedy film starring Steve Martin , Diane Keaton , Kimberly Williams ( in her film debut ) , George Newbern , Martin Short , B. D. Wong , and Kieran Culkin . It is a remake of the 1950 film of the same name .   The film inspired a series of Hallmark commercials that featured the smiling faces of the happy couple and sneak-peeks at the backs of numerous greeting cards . It is number 92 on Bravo 's `` 100 Funniest Movies '' .   Martin portrays George Banks , a businessman and owner of an athletic shoe company ( called Side Kicks ) , who , when he finds out his daughter is getting married , does not want to give her away . He eventually learns to live with his new son-in-law and realizes that as long as his daughter is happy , he is happy .   The film opened to positive reviews , and became a major box office success , earning more than four times its budget . With its success , a sequel , Father of the Bride Part II was released in 1995 .   This was Nancy Meyers and Diane Keaton 's second film together , the first being Baby Boom ( 1987 ) ; the others were Father of the Bride Part II ( 1995 ) and Something 's Got ta Give ( 2003 ) .


Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence ( born June 7 , 1959 ) is an American politician , lawyer , and the 48th and current Vice President of the United States . He previously served as the 50th Governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017 .   Born and raised in Columbus , Indiana , Pence graduated from Hanover College and earned a law degree from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law before entering private practice . After losing two bids for a U.S. congressional seat in 1988 and 1990 , he became a conservative radio and television talk show host from 1994 to 1999 . Pence was elected to the United States Congress in 2000 and represented and in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013 . He served as the chairman of the House Republican Conference from 2009 to 2011 . Pence positioned himself as a principled ideologue and supporter of the Tea Party movement , noting he was `` a Christian , a conservative , and a Republican , in that order . ''   Upon becoming Governor of Indiana in January 2013 , Pence initiated the largest tax cut in Indiana 's history , pushed for more funding for education initiatives , and continued to increase the state 's budget surplus . Pence signed bills intended to restrict abortions , including one that prohibited abortions if the reason for the procedure was the fetus 's race , gender , or disability . Pence stirred several high-profile controversies , including with his signature of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act , for which he encountered fierce resistance from moderate members of his party , the business community , and LGBT advocates . He later signed an additional bill acting as an amendment intended to protect LGBT people .   On November 8 , 2016 , Pence was elected as Vice President , after he dropped out of his gubernatorial re-election campaign in July to become the vice presidential running mate for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump , who went on to win the presidential election .


Gwen Stefani was the lead singer of No Doubt.

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


Nick Jonas Nicholas Jerry Jonas ( born September 16 , 1992 ) is an American singer , songwriter , producer , and actor . Jonas began acting in theater at the age of seven , and released his debut single in 2002 . He released his eponymous debut album in 2004 to little success , though it did catch the attention of Columbia Records . Jonas opted to form a band with his older brothers , Joe and Kevin , known as the Jonas Brothers . The group released their debut studio album It 's About Time through Columbia Records . The record failed to achieve commercial success , thus the group parted ways with their label . Their self-titled second studio album was released through Hollywood Records in 2007 , and became their breakthrough record . The band became prominent figures on the Disney Channel during this time , gaining a large following through the network . The band starred in the widely successful film Camp Rock ( 2008 ) .   The release of the band 's third studio album , A Little Bit Longer ( 2008 ) , helped the band achieve further success ; the album 's lead single hit the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart . The release of their fourth studio album saw a decline in sales for the band , though was still fairly successful . Jonas and his brothers starred in the Disney Channel series JONAS in 2009 and 2010 , though poor ratings led to its cancellation in 2010 . It was later confirmed that the Jonas Brothers would be taking a hiatus , with Nick forming a new band known as Nick Jonas & the Administration . The band released one studio album in 2010 , though it failed to achieve much commercial success . Following the release , Jonas opted to focus on work in theater , and also had a recurring role on the television series Smash . The Jonas Brothers briefly reunited in 2013 , though officially parted ways due to creative differences .   Jonas decided to return to his solo music career following the band 's disbandment , and began work on his second studio album . He signed with Island Records , releasing Nick Jonas ( 2014 ) through the label . The album entered the top ten of the Billboard 200 , while both of the album 's singles entered the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100 . The project was re-released as Nick Jonas X2 in 2015 . The release helped provide Jonas with a new public image , earning him the title of a `` sex symbol '' . Jonas later co-founded Safehouse Records , a record label in conjunction with Island Records and Hollywood Records . Jonas released his third studio album , Last Year Was Complicated ( 2016 ) , through the label . The project became his highest peaking entry as a solo artist on the Billboard 200 , while the lead single was a top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 .


Miranda Cosgrove Miranda Taylor Cosgrove ( born May 14 , 1993 ) is an American actress , singer and songwriter .   Her career began at the age of 3 with several television commercial appearances . Cosgrove 's film debut came in 2003 , when she appeared as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock . She appeared in a number of minor television roles over several years before coming to prominence as Megan Parker on the Nickelodeon television series Drake & Josh .   In 2007 , she landed the role of Carly Shay , the lead character on the Nickelodeon teen sitcom iCarly , on which she starred until 2012 . As of May 2010 , Cosgrove earned $ 180,000 per episode of iCarly , making her the second-highest-paid child star on television , and in 2012 was listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest paid child actress . Cosgrove also voiced Margo in the animated film Despicable Me ( 2010 ) and its 2013 sequel . That year , Cosgrove was cast in an NBC television pilot titled Girlfriend in a Coma , which did n't materialize after Christina Ricci left the production . In 2016 , she starred on the short-lived NBC sitcom Crowded .   In music , Cosgrove debuted with iCarly ( 2008 ) , a soundtrack album for the series in which she performs four songs . In 2009 , she released her debut extended play , About You Now . Cosgrove 's debut studio album , Sparks Fly , was released in April 2010 , followed by her second extended play , High Maintenance , the following year . The EP 's lead single , `` Dancing Crazy '' , written by Avril Lavigne , debuted at number 40 on the US Billboard Adult Pop Songs and peaked at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 .


Tamara Taylor is from a country in the southern part of North America.

Canada Canada ( -LSB- ˈkænədə -RSB- -LSB- kanadɑ -RSB- ) is a country in the northern part of North America . Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean , covering 9.98 e6km2 , making it the world 's second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area . Canada 's border with the United States is the world 's longest binational land border . The majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate , but southerly areas are warm in summer . Canada is sparsely populated , the majority of its land territory being dominated by forest and tundra and the Rocky Mountains . It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities , many near the southern border . One third of the population lives in the three largest cities : Toronto , Montreal and Vancouver . Its capital is Ottawa , and other major urban areas include Calgary , Edmonton , Quebec City , Winnipeg and Hamilton .   Various aboriginal peoples had inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization . Beginning in the 16th century , British and French claims were made on the area , with the colony of Canada first being established by the French in 1535 during Jacques Cartier 's second voyage to New France . As a consequence of various conflicts , Great Britain gained and lost territories within British North America until it was left , in the late 18th century , with what mostly geographically comprises Canada today . Pursuant to the British North America Act , on July 1 , 1867 , the colonies of Canada , New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia joined to form the semi-autonomous federal Dominion of Canada . This began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada .   In 1931 , Canada achieved near total independence from the United Kingdom with the Statute of Westminster 1931 , but at the time , Canada decided to allow the British Parliament to temporarily retain the power to amend Canada 's constitution , on request from the Parliament of Canada . With the Constitution Act 1982 , Canada took over that authority ( as the conclusion of Patriation ) , removing the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom , giving the country full sovereignty .   Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy , with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state . The country is officially bilingual at the federal level . It is one of the world 's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations , the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries . Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world , relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks . Canada 's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture .   Canada is a developed country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index . It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency , civil liberties , quality of life , economic freedom , and education . Canada is a Commonwealth realm member of the Commonwealth of Nations , a member of the Francophonie , and part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the United Nations , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization , the G8 , the Group of Ten , the G20 , the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum .


Tamara Taylor Tamara Taylor ( born September 27 , 1970 ) is a Canadian actress . Her most notable role is that of Dr. Camille Saroyan , head of the Forensic Division , in the forensic crime drama Bones .


Singapore is ranked lowly in healthcare.

Singapore Singapore ( -LSB- ˈsɪŋgəpɔr -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Singapore , sometimes referred to as the Lion City , the Garden City or the Little Red Dot , is a sovereign city-state in Southeast Asia . It lies one degree ( 137 km ) north of the equator , at the southern tip of peninsular Malaysia , with Indonesia 's Riau Islands to the south . Singapore 's territory consists of one main island along with 62 other islets . Since independence , extensive land reclamation has increased its total size by 23 % ( 130 km2 ) , and its greening policy has covered the densely populated island with tropical flora , parks and gardens .   Stamford Raffles founded colonial Singapore in 1819 as a trading post of the East India Company ; after its collapse and the eventual establishment of the British Raj , the islands were ceded to Britain and became part of its Straits Settlements in 1826 . During the Second World War , Singapore was occupied by Japan . It gained independence from the UK in 1963 by federating with other former British territories to form Malaysia , but separated two years later over ideological differences , becoming a sovereign nation in 1965 . After early years of turbulence , and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland , the nation developed rapidly as an Asian Tiger economy , based on external trade and its workforce .   Singapore is a global commerce , finance and transport hub . Its standings include : the most `` technology-ready '' nation ( WEF ) , top International-meetings city ( UIA ) , city with `` best investment potential '' ( BERI ) , second-most competitive country , third-largest foreign exchange market , third-largest financial centre , third-largest oil refining and trading centre , and the second-busiest container port . The country has also been identified as a tax haven .   Singapore ranks 5th on the UN Human Development Index and the 3rd highest GDP per capita . It is ranked highly in education , healthcare , life expectancy , quality of life , personal safety , and housing . Although income inequality is high , 90 % of homes are owner-occupied . 38 % of Singapore 's 5.6 million residents are permanent residents and other foreign nationals . There are four official languages : English ( common and first language ) , Malay , Mandarin , Tamil ; almost all Singaporeans are bilingual .   Singapore is a unitary multiparty parliamentary republic , with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government . The People 's Action Party has won every election since self-government in 1959 . The dominance of the PAP , coupled with a low level of press freedom and restrictions on civil liberties and political rights , has led to Singapore being classified by some as a semi-authoritarian regime . One of the five founding members of the ASEAN , Singapore is also the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) Secretariat , and a member of the East Asia Summit , Non-Aligned Movement , and the Commonwealth of Nations .


The Renaissance began in Florence and spread to the rest of Europe.

Renaissance The Renaissance ( -LSB- rᵻˈneɪsəns -RSB- , -LSB- rɛnəˈsɑːns -RSB- ) was a period in European history , from the 14th to the 17th century , regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history . It started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe , marking the beginning of the Early Modern Age .   The intellectual basis of the Renaissance was its own invented version of humanism , derived from the rediscovery of classical Greek philosophy , such as that of Protagoras , who said that `` Man is the measure of all things . '' This new thinking became manifest in art , architecture , politics , science and literature . Early examples were the development of perspective in oil painting and the recycled knowledge of how to make concrete . Although the invention of metal movable type sped the dissemination of ideas from the later 15th century , the changes of the Renaissance were not uniformly experienced across Europe .   As a cultural movement , the Renaissance encompassed innovative flowering of Latin and vernacular literatures , beginning with the 14th-century resurgence of learning based on classical sources , which contemporaries credited to Petrarch ; the development of linear perspective and other techniques of rendering a more natural reality in painting ; and gradual but widespread educational reform . In politics , the Renaissance contributed to the development of the customs and conventions of diplomacy , and in science to an increased reliance on observation and inductive reasoning . Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits , as well as social and political upheaval , it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo , who inspired the term `` Renaissance man '' .   The Renaissance began in Florence , in the 14th century . Various theories have been proposed to account for its origins and characteristics , focusing on a variety of factors including the social and civic peculiarities of Florence at the time : its political structure ; the patronage of its dominant family , the Medici ; and the migration of Greek scholars and texts to Italy following the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks . Other major centres were northern Italian city-states such as Venice , Genoa , Milan , Bologna , and finally Rome during the Renaissance Papacy .   The Renaissance has a long and complex historiography , and , in line with general scepticism of discrete periodizations , there has been much debate among historians reacting to the 19th-century glorification of the `` Renaissance '' and individual culture heroes as `` Renaissance men '' , questioning the usefulness of Renaissance as a term and as a historical delineation . The art historian Erwin Panofsky observed of this resistance to the concept of `` Renaissance '' :   It is perhaps no accident that the factuality of the Italian Renaissance has been most vigorously questioned by those who are not obliged to take a professional interest in the aesthetic aspects of civilization -- historians of economic and social developments , political and religious situations , and , most particularly , natural science -- but only exceptionally by students of literature and hardly ever by historians of Art .   Some observers have called into question whether the Renaissance was a cultural `` advance '' from the Middle Ages , instead seeing it as a period of pessimism and nostalgia for classical antiquity , while social and economic historians , especially of the longue durée , have instead focused on the continuity between the two eras , which are linked , as Panofsky observed , `` by a thousand ties '' .   The word Renaissance , literally meaning `` Rebirth '' in French , first appeared in English in the 1830s . The word also occurs in Jules Michelet 's 1855 work , Histoire de France . The word Renaissance has also been extended to other historical and cultural movements , such as the Carolingian Renaissance and the Renaissance of the 12th century .


There are Christian states in the world.

Christian state A Christian state is a country that recognizes a form of Christianity as its official religion and often has a state church , which is a Christian denomination that supports the government and is supported by the government . Historically , the nations of Armenia , Aksum , Georgia , as well as the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire declared themselves as Christian states . Today , several nations officially identify themselves as Christian states and/or have state churches , including Costa Rica , Denmark , England , Greece , Iceland , Liechtenstein , Monaco , Tonga , Tuvalu , Vatican City , and Zambia . A Christian state stands in contrast to a secular state , an atheist state , or another religious state , such as a Jewish state , or an Islamic state .


Harley Quinn's moniker is a pun on the moniker "Harlequin."

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn ( Harleen Frances Quinzel ) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . The character was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm , and first appeared in Batman : The Animated Series in September 1992 . She later appeared in DC Comics ' Batman comic books , with the character 's first comic book appearance in The Batman Adventures # 12 ( September 1993 ) .   Harley Quinn is the frequent accomplice and lover of the Joker , whom she met while working as a psychiatric intern at Gotham City 's Arkham Asylum , where the Joker was a patient . Her name is a play on the name `` Harlequin '' , a character which originated in the commedia dell ` arte .   The character was originally voiced by Arleen Sorkin in various tie-ins to the DC animated universe . Since then , she has also been voiced by Hynden Walch and Tara Strong in either DC Animated Showcases or in various video games . In the Birds of Prey television series , she was portrayed by actress Mia Sara . The character made her live-action cinematic debut in the 2016 film Suicide Squad , portrayed by Margot Robbie .


Douglas Aircraft Company was founded by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr.

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California . It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas , Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas . Douglas Aircraft Company largely operated as a division of McDonnell Douglas ( MD ) after the merger . MD later merged with Boeing in 1997 .


A Grammy award has been earned by Taylor Swift.

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 .


Cosmopolitan contains content as of 2011 which includes articles on beauty.

Cosmopolitan (magazine) Cosmopolitan is an international fashion magazine for women . Formerly titled The Cosmopolitan , the magazine was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine ; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women 's magazine in the late 1960s . Often referred to as Cosmo , its content as of 2011 includes articles on women 's issues , relationships , sex , health , careers , self-improvement , celebrities , fashion , and beauty . Published by Hearst Corporation , Cosmopolitan has 64 international editions , is printed in 35 languages , and is distributed in more than 110 countries .


The 79th Academy Awards occurred at Kodak Theatre.

79th Academy Awards The 79th Academy Awards ceremony , presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) , honored the best films of 2006 and took place February 25 , 2007 , at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood , Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. . During the ceremony , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards ( commonly referred to as Oscars ) in 24 categories . The ceremony , televised in the United States by ABC , was produced by Laura Ziskin and directed by Louis J. Horvitz . Actress Ellen DeGeneres hosted for the first time . Two weeks earlier in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills , California held on February 10 , the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Maggie Gyllenhaal .   The Departed won four awards , including Best Picture and Best Director for Martin Scorsese . Other winners included Pan 's Labyrinth with three , An Inconvenient Truth , Dreamgirls , and Little Miss Sunshine with two , and Babel , The Blood of Yingzhou District , The Danish Poet , Happy Feet , The Last King of Scotland , Letters from Iwo Jima , The Lives of Others , Marie Antoinette , Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man 's Chest , The Queen , and West Bank Story with one . The telecast garnered nearly 40 million viewers in the United States .


Pacific Blue (TV series) Pacific Blue is an American crime drama series about a team of police officers with the Santa Monica Police Department who patrolled its beaches on bicycles . The show ran for five seasons on the USA Network , from March 2 , 1996 to April 9 , 2000 , with a total of 101 episodes . Often compared as `` Baywatch on bikes '' , the series enjoyed a popular run among the network 's viewers , and was popular in France , Belgium , Israel , Sweden , Bulgaria , Norway , Spain , Russia , Austria , Germany , Italy , South America , Canada , Denmark , Poland and other foreign markets .


The Apple Store first opened in two locations.

Apple Store Apple Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. . The stores sell Mac personal computers , iPhone smartphones , iPad tablet computers , iPod portable media players , Apple Watch smartwatches , Apple TV digital media players , software , and select third-party accessories .   The first Apple Stores were originally opened as two locations in May 2001 by then-CEO Steve Jobs , after years of attempting but failing store-within-a-store concepts . Seeing a need for improved retail presentation of the company 's products , he began an effort in 1997 to revamp the retail program to get an improved relationship to consumers , and hired Ron Johnson in 2000 . Jobs relaunched Apple 's online store in 1997 , and opened the first two physical stores in 2001 . Despite initial media speculation that Apple would fail , its stores were highly successful , bypassing the sales numbers of competing nearby stores and within three years reached US$ 1 billion in annual sales , becoming the fastest retailer in history to do so . Over the years , Apple has expanded the number of retail locations and its geographical coverage , with 496 stores across 21 countries worldwide as of May 2017 . Strong product sales have placed Apple among the top-tier retail stores , with sales over $ 16 billion globally in 2011 .   In May 2016 , Angela Ahrendts , Apple 's current Senior Vice President of Retail , unveiled a significantly redesigned Apple Store in Union Square , San Francisco , featuring large glass doors for the entry , open spaces , and rebranded rooms . In addition to purchasing products , consumers can get advice and help from `` Creative Pros '' - individuals with specialized knowledge of creative arts ; get product support in a tree-lined Genius Grove ; and attend sessions , conferences and community events , with Ahrendts commenting that the goal is to make Apple Stores into `` town squares '' , a place where people naturally meet up and spend time . The new design will be applied to all Apple Stores worldwide , a process that has seen stores temporarily relocate or close .   Many Apple Stores are located inside shopping malls , but Apple has built several stand-alone `` flagship '' stores in high-profile locations . It has been granted design patents and received architectural awards for its stores ' designs and construction , specifically for its use of glass staircases and cubes . The success of Apple Stores have had significant influence over other consumer electronics retailers , who have lost traffic , control and profits due to a perceived higher quality of service and products at Apple Stores . Apple 's notable brand loyalty have historically caused long lines of hundreds of people at new Apple Store openings or product releases . Due to the popularity of the brand , there are numerous job applications , many of which from young workers . Although Apple Store employees receive above-average pay , are offered money toward education and health care , and receive product discounts , there are limited or no paths of career advancement . A May 2016 report with an anonymous retail employee highlighted a hostile work environment with harassment from customers , intense internal criticism , and a lack of significant bonuses for securing major business contracts .


Troy Baker was the lead singer of an indie rock band.

Troy Baker Troy Edward Baker ( born April 1 , 1976 ) is an American voice actor and musician known for portraying lead characters in several video games . He has voiced Joel in The Last of Us , Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite , Rhys in Tales from the Borderlands , Delsin Rowe in Infamous Second Son , The Joker in Batman : Arkham Origins and Batman : Assault on Arkham , Talion in Middle-earth : Shadow of Mordor , Kai Leng in Mass Effect 3 , Jack Mitchell in Call of Duty : Advanced Warfare , Vincent Brooks in Catherine , Yuri Lowell in Tales of Vesperia , Kanji Tatsumi in Shin Megami Tensei : Persona 4 , Snow in the Final Fantasy XIII series , Pagan Min in Far Cry 4 , Gul ` dan in World of Warcraft : Warlords of Draenor , Sam Drake in Uncharted 4 : A Thief 's End and Bruce Wayne in Batman : The Telltale Series . He also voiced in a number of English adaptations of Japanese anime shows , including Basilisk , Trinity Blood , Fullmetal Alchemist , and Naruto : Shippuden .   Before pursuing acting , Baker was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the indie-rock band Tripp Fontaine , which released the radio single `` Burning Out '' from their debut album Random Thoughts on a Paper Napkin in 2004 . His first solo album , Sitting in the Fire , was released on October 14 , 2014 .


Overwatch (video game) Overwatch is a team-based online multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment . It was released in May 2016 for Windows , PlayStation 4 , and Xbox One .   Overwatch assigns players into two teams of six , with each player selecting one of 24 pre-defined characters , called heroes , each with unique movement , attributes , and abilities , whose roles are divided into four categories : Offense , Defense , Tank , and Support . Players on a team work together to secure and defend control points on a map or escort a payload across the map in a limited amount of time . Players gain cosmetic rewards that do not affect gameplay , such as character skins and victory poses , as they play the game . The game was initially launched with casual play , with a competitive ranked mode , various ` arcade ' game modes , and a player-customizable server browser subsequently included following its release . Additionally , Blizzard has developed and added new characters , maps , and game modes post-release , while stating that all Overwatch updates will remain free , with the only additional cost to players being microtransactions to earn additional cosmetic rewards .   Overwatch is Blizzard 's fourth major franchise and came about following the 2014 cancellation of the ambitious massively multiplayer online role-playing game Titan . A portion of the Titan team came up with the concept of Overwatch , based on the success of team-based first-person shooters like Team Fortress 2 and the growing popularity of multiplayer online battle arenas , creating a hero-based shooter that emphasized teamwork . Some elements of Overwatch borrow assets and concepts from the canceled Titan project . After establishing the narrative of an optimistic near-future Earth setting after a global crisis , the developers aimed to create a diverse cast of heroes that spanned genders and ethnicities as part of this setting . Significant time was spent adjusting the balance of the characters , making sure that new players would still be able to have fun while skilled players would present each other with a challenge .   Overwatch was unveiled at BlizzCon 2014 in a fully playable state and was in a closed beta from late 2015 through early 2016 . An open beta in May 2016 drew in more than 9.7 million players . The release of the game was promoted with short animated videos to introduce the game 's narrative and each of the characters . Upon official release , Overwatch received universal acclaim from critics , who praised the game for its accessibility , diverse appeal of its hero characters , bright cartoonish art style , and enjoyable gameplay . Considered one of the best games released in 2016 , the game received numerous accolades , including being awarded Game of the Year at The Game Awards , D.I.C.E. Awards , and Game Developers Choice Awards , as well as from numerous publications . Since its release , Overwatch has become recognized as an eSport , where in addition to sponsoring tournaments , Blizzard has announced plans to help support professional league play starting in 2017 .


Titan (Blizzard Entertainment project) Titan was the project name for a cancelled Blizzard Entertainment massively multiplayer online game . With speculation regarding the game beginning in 2007 , Blizzard revealed little information besides that it would be completely new and not be based on the company 's three main franchises .   The game was internally canceled by Blizzard in May 2013 , though publicly they announced that the project would be delayed as they took the title in a different direction . Its official cancellation was made in September 2014 . Internally , about forty members of the Titan project used the developed assets to craft a new game which became Overwatch .


J. J. Cale John Weldon `` J. J. '' Cale ( December 5 , 1938 -- July 26 , 2013 ) was an American guitarist , singer , and songwriter . Though he deliberately avoided the limelight ( being temperamentally averse to celebrity ) his influence as a musical artist has been widely acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knopfler , Neil Young , and Eric Clapton , who described him as `` one of the most important artists in the history of rock '' . He is considered to be one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound , a loose genre drawing on blues , rockabilly , country , and jazz .   Many songs written by Cale have been recorded by other artists , including `` After Midnight '' and `` Cocaine '' by Eric Clapton ; `` Call Me the Breeze '' by Lynyrd Skynyrd , John Mayer , Johnny Cash , and Bobby Bare ; `` Clyde '' by Waylon Jennings and Dr. Hook ; `` I Got The Same Old Blues '' by Captain Beefheart , Lynyrd Skynyrd , and Freddie King ; and `` Magnolia '' by Poco , Beck , Lucinda Williams , Iron and Wine , José Feliciano , Ben Bridwell , and John Mayer with Eric Clapton .   In 2008 he , along with Clapton , received a Grammy Award for their album , The Road to Escondido .


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


Trees Lounge Trees Lounge is a 1996 feature film and the debut of Steve Buscemi as writer and director . It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors , including Buscemi , Anthony LaPaglia , Chloë Sevigny , and Samuel L. Jackson . The film 's black humor , based on examination of characters ' self-destructive behavior , has been cited as an influence by The Sopranos creator David Chase , who later hired Buscemi to direct `` Pine Barrens '' and three other episodes of the show , and to star as Tony Soprano 's cousin Tony Blundetto during the show 's fifth season .   It was filmed in Glendale , Queens ; Brooklyn ; and Valley Stream , New York .