Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig ( born 2 March 1968 ) is an English actor . He trained at the National Youth Theatre and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1991 , before beginning his career on stage . His film debut was in the drama The Power of One ( 1992 ) . Other early appearances were in the Disney family film A Kid in King Arthur 's Court ( 1995 ) and the biographical film Elizabeth ( 1998 ) , as well as in the historical war drama television series Sharpe 's Eagle ( 1993 ) and the action-adventure drama series Zorro . Cast as the fictional British secret agent James Bond in October 2005 , his first film in the role , Casino Royale , was released internationally in November 2006 .   Craig 's appearances in the British television film Love Is the Devil : Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon ( 1998 ) , the indie war film The Trench ( 1999 ) , and the drama Some Voices ( 2000 ) attracted the film industry 's attention . This led to roles in bigger productions such as the action film Lara Croft : Tomb Raider ( 2001 ) , the crime thriller Road to Perdition ( 2002 ) , the crime thriller Layer Cake ( 2004 ) , and the Steven Spielberg historical drama Munich ( 2005 ) . Craig achieved international fame when chosen as the sixth actor to play the role of Ian Fleming 's James Bond in the official film series , taking over from Pierce Brosnan in 2005 . Although his casting was initially greeted with scepticism , his debut was highly acclaimed and earned him a BAFTA award nomination , with Casino Royale becoming the highest-grossing in the series at the time . Quantum of Solace followed two years later .   Craig 's third Bond film , Skyfall , premiered in 2012 and is currently the highest-grossing film in the series , was the highest-grossing film in the UK until 2015 and the fifteenth highest-grossing film of all time . Craig 's fourth Bond film , Spectre , premiered in 2015 . In 2006 , he joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Since taking the role of Bond , he has continued to star in other films , including the World War II film Defiance ( 2008 ) , science fiction Western Cowboys & Aliens ( 2010 ) , and the English-language adaptation of Stieg Larsson 's mystery thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ( 2011 ) . Craig also made a guest appearance as Bond in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games , alongside Queen Elizabeth II . As of 20 February 2017 , Craig is the second longest serving James Bond , surpassed only by Roger Moore .


Naver Naver ( Hangul : 네이버 ) is a popular Web portal in South Korea , owned by Naver Corporation . Naver was launched in June 1999 by ex-Samsung employees , and it debuted as the first Web portal in Japan that used its own proprietary search engine . Among Naver 's features is `` Comprehensive Search '' , launched in 2000 , which provides results from multiple categories on a single page . It has since added new services such as `` Knowledge Search '' , launched in 2002 . It also provides Internet services including a news service , an e-mail service , an academic thesis search service , and a children 's portal . In 2005 , Naver launched Happybean , the world 's first online donation portal , which allows users to find information and make donations to over 20,000 civil society and social welfare organizations .   According to pitchone , Naver handled only 48 % of websearches in South Korea in 2016 . ( According to techforkorea , Naver handled 77 % of all web searches in South Korea in July 2014 ) Naver is the fifth most used search engine in the world , following Google search , Yahoo! , Baidu and Bing . More than 25 million Koreans have Naver as the default browser start page .  Naver launched its service in Japan in 2009 , marking their first expansion out of Korea .   In 2013 , Lee Hae-jin , the chairman and chief strategy of Naver , saw his stake value hover above 1 trillion won ( US$ 939.4 million ) on the back of its messenger service LINE .


Gennady Golovkin has yet to compete at the international level.

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


International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation ( IBF ) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame ( IBHOF ) which sanction world championship boxing bouts , alongside the World Boxing Association ( WBA ) , World Boxing Council ( WBC ) and World Boxing Organization ( WBO ) .


International Boxing Organization The International Boxing Organization ( IBO ) is a non-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and regional championships .


Helios Helios ( -LSB- ˈhiːli.ɒs -RSB- Ἥλιος Hēlios ; Latinized as Helius ; Ἠέλιος in Homeric Greek ) was the personification of the Sun in Greek mythology . He is the son of the Titan Hyperion and the Titaness Theia ( according to Hesiod ) , also known as Euryphaessa ( in Homeric Hymn 31 ) and brother of the goddesses Selene , the moon , and Eos , the dawn .   Helios was described as a handsome titan crowned with the shining aureole of the Sun , who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky each day to earth-circling Oceanus and through the world-ocean returned to the East at night . In the Homeric hymn to Helios , Helios is said to drive a golden chariot drawn by steeds ( HH 31.14 -- 15 ) ; and Pindar speaks of Helios 's `` fire-darting steeds '' ( Olympian Ode 7.71 ) . Still later , the horses were given fire related names : Pyrois , Aeos , Aethon , and Phlegon .   As time passed , Helios was increasingly identified with the god of light , Apollo . However , in spite of their syncretism , they were also often viewed as two distinct gods/titan ( Helios was a Titan , whereas Apollo was an Olympian ) . The equivalent of Helios in Roman mythology was Sol .


H. H. Holmes was the owner of a building located west of Chicago.

H. H. Holmes Herman Webster Mudgett ( May 16 , 1861 -- May 7 , 1896 ) , better known under the name of Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or more commonly H. H. Holmes , was one of the first documented serial killers in the modern sense of the term .   While he confessed to 27 murders , only nine could be plausibly confirmed and several of the murders he confessed to were people who were still alive . He is commonly said to have killed as many as 200 , though this figure is traceable only to 1940s pulp magazines . Many victims were said to have been killed in a mixed-use building he owned , located about 3 mi west of the 1893 Chicago World 's Fair and said to have been a World 's Fair Hotel , though evidence suggests that the hotel portion was never truly open for business .   Besides being a serial killer , Holmes was also a successful con artist and a bigamist , the subject of more than 50 lawsuits in Chicago alone . Many now-common stories of his crimes sprang from fictional accounts that later authors took for fact ; however , in a 2017 biography , Adam Selzer wrote that Holmes ' story is `` effectively a new American tall tale - and , like all the best tall tales , it sprang from a kernel of truth '' .


Machete (character) Isador Cortez , also known as Machete , is a fictional character in the four Spy Kids films , the Grindhouse fake trailer , and the Machete and Machete Kills films . The character is played by Danny Trejo .


Roger Penrose Sir Roger Penrose ( born 8 August 1931 ) is an English mathematical physicist , mathematician and philosopher of science . He is the Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford , as well as an Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College .   Penrose is known for his work in mathematical physics , in particular for his contributions to general relativity and cosmology . He has received several prizes and awards , including the 1988 Wolf Prize for physics , which he shared with Stephen Hawking for their contribution to our understanding of the universe .


Quinoa Quinoa ( -LSB- ˈkiːnwɑː -RSB- or -LSB- kɪˈnoʊ.ə -RSB- , from Quechua kinwa or kinuwa ) is the common name for Chenopodium quinoa , a flowering plant in the amaranth family Amaranthaceae . It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a grain crop primarily for its edible seeds . Because it is not a grass , it is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal . Quinoa is closely related to the edible plants beetroot , spinach , and amaranth ( Amaranthus spp . ) , another pseudocereal which it closely resembles .   After harvest , the seeds are processed to remove the outer coating that contains bitter-tasting saponins . They are gluten-free . Generally , the seeds are cooked the same way as rice and can be used in a wide range of dishes . The leaves are sometimes eaten as a leaf vegetable , much like amaranth , but commercial availability of quinoa greens is limited .   When cooked , the nutrient composition is comparable to common cereals like wheat and rice , supplying a moderate amount of dietary fiber and minerals . The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations declared 2013 to be the `` International Year of Quinoa '' .   Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Peru , Bolivia , Ecuador , Colombia and Chile , and was domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago for human consumption in the Lake Titicaca basin of Peru and Bolivia , though archaeological evidence shows a non-domesticated association with pastoral herding 5,200 to 7,000 years ago .


Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell ( born April 22 , 1936 ) is an American rock and country music singer , musician , songwriter , television host and actor . He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s , and for hosting a music and comedy variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television from January 1969 through June 1972 .   During his 50 years in show business , Campbell released more than 70 albums . He sold 45 million records and accumulated 12 RIAA Gold albums , four Platinum albums and one Double-platinum album . He placed a total of 80 different songs on either the Billboard Country Chart , Billboard Hot 100 , or the Adult Contemporary Chart , of which 29 made the top 10 and of which nine reached number one on at least one of those charts . Campbell 's hits include his recordings of John Hartford 's `` Gentle on My Mind '' ; Jimmy Webb 's `` By the Time I Get to Phoenix '' , `` Wichita Lineman '' and `` Galveston '' ; Larry Weiss 's `` Rhinestone Cowboy '' ; and Allen Toussaint 's `` Southern Nights '' .   Campbell made history in 1967 by winning four Grammys total in the country and pop categories . For `` Gentle on My Mind '' , he received two awards in country and western , `` By the Time I Get to Phoenix '' did the same in pop . Three of his early hits later won Grammy Hall of Fame Awards ( 2000 , 2004 , 2008 ) , while Campbell himself won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 . He owns trophies for Male Vocalist of the Year from both the Country Music Association ( CMA ) and the Academy of Country Music ( ACM ) , and took the CMA 's top award as 1968 Entertainer of the Year . Campbell appeared in the film True Grit , which gave him a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer . Campbell sang the title song which was nominated for an Academy Award .


WeChat WeChat is a Chinese social media ( instant messaging , commerce and payment services ) application developed by Tencent . It was first released in 2011 and by 2017 it was one of the largest standalone messaging apps by monthly active users , with over 938 million active users . However , as of 2017 , WeChat has not been successful in penetrating international markets outside of China .


Jenna Dewan Jenna Dewan Tatum ( -LSB- də ` wɑːn _ ` teɪtəm -RSB- born Jenna Lee Dewan ; December 3 , 1980 ) is an American actress and dancer . She began her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson , and later worked with artists including Pink , Missy Elliott , and Christina Aguilera . She is known for her role as Nora in the 2006 film Step Up . She has also starred on the short-lived NBC series The Playboy Club and had a recurring role on the FX series American Horror Story : Asylum . She was Freya Beauchamp on the Lifetime series Witches of East End and as of 2016 was playing the recurring role of Lucy Lane in Supergirl .


Alexandra Burke won The X Factor in 2008.

Overcome (Alexandra Burke album) Overcome is the debut studio album by British singer Alexandra Burke , released 19 October 2009 on Syco Music . The release of the album came a year after Burke won the British talent show , The X Factor , with the recording process taking place between 2008 and 2009 . Critics praised the album for showcasing Burke 's vocal charm and characterisation , comparing her vocal to American singers Anastacia and Whitney Houston and its contemporary finish ; using a variety of acclaimed producers including RedOne and Ne-Yo .   Upon its release , Overcome debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart , selling 132,065 copies in its first week , the fourth largest first week sales for a female singer in 2009 . The album became a commercial success in Europe being certified double platinum in the United Kingdom and Ireland . To date the album has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide . All six singles released from Overcome peaked within the top twenty on the UK singles chart , three of which reached number one . As well as receiving positive reviews , Overcome earned a nomination for Best Album at the Urban Music Awards .


Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke ( born 25 August 1988 ) is a British singer-songwriter and voice actor . Burke rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008 , becoming one of the most successful winners of the series . She has been signed to Epic Records , RCA Records and Syco Music .   After winning The X Factor , Burke released the winner 's single `` Hallelujah '' , which became the European record holder for single sales over a period of 24 hours , selling 105,000 in one day , and became the top-selling single of 2008 in the UK and the UK 's Christmas 2008 number one . By January 2009 , the single had sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone , a first for a British female soloist . In 2009 , Burke released her debut album , Overcome , which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spawned four number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart -- `` Hallelujah '' , `` Bad Boys '' , `` All Night Long '' and `` Start Without You '' -- and the album became one of the most successful albums of that year in the UK . The singles released from the album earned her three BRIT Award nominations . The album saw the release of UK top 10 hit , `` Broken Heels '' and `` The Silence '' . `` Elephant '' was released as Burke 's comeback single in February 2012 , and `` Let It Go '' served as the second single and Burke 's second album , Heartbreak on Hold , was released in June 2012 .   In June 2014 , Burke replaced Beverley Knight in the lead role of Rachel Marron in the West End musical The Bodyguard , at the Adelphi Theatre , touring with the production in 2015 and 2016 . In 2016 , Burke commenced a 12-month residency in Sister Act The Musical , leading the cast as Deloris Van Cartier .


Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist and keyboardist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London ( UCL ) . After they formed under the name Pectoralz , Guy Berryman joined the group as bassist and they changed their name to Starfish . Will Champion joined as drummer and backing vocalist , completing the lineup . Creative director Phil Harvey is often referred to as the fifth member by the band . The band renamed themselves `` Coldplay '' in 1998 , before recording and releasing three EPs : Safety in 1998 and Brothers & Sisters and The Blue Room in 1999 . The Blue Room was their first release on a major label , after signing to Parlophone .   Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single `` Yellow '' in 2000 , followed in the same year by their debut album Parachutes , which was nominated for the Mercury Prize . The band 's second album , A Rush of Blood to the Head ( 2002 ) , was released to critical acclaim and won awards including NME 's Album of the Year . Their next release , X&Y , the bestselling album worldwide in 2005 , received mostly positive reviews , though some critics felt it was inferior to its predecessor . Their fourth studio album , Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends ( 2008 ) , was produced by Brian Eno and released to largely positive reviews , earning several Grammy Award nominations and wins at the 51st Grammy Awards . In October 2011 , Coldplay released their fifth studio album , Mylo Xyloto , which topped the charts in over 34 countries and was the UK 's best-selling rock album of 2011 , but received mixed reviews , In May 2014 , they released their sixth album , Ghost Stories , which also received mixed reviews and topped the iTunes Store albums charts in over 100 countries . In December 2015 , the band released their seventh album , A Head Full of Dreams , which reached the top two in most major markets , but received generally mixed reviews .   Coldplay have won 62 awards from 209 nominations throughout their career , including nine Brit Awards -- winning Best British Group four times -- five MTV Video Music Awards and seven Grammy Awards from 31 nominations . They have sold more than 80 million records worldwide , making them one of the world 's bestselling music artists . In December 2009 , Rolling Stone readers voted the group the fourth-best artist of the 2000s . Coldplay have supported various social and political causes , such as Oxfam 's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International . They have also performed at charity projects including Band Aid 20 , Live 8 , Sound Relief , Hope for Haiti Now : A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief , The Secret Policeman 's Ball , Sport Relief and the UK Teenage Cancer Trust .


Uzbekistan Uzbekistan ( -LSB- ʊzˈbɛkᵻˌstæn , _ - ˌstɑːn -RSB- , -LSB- ʊzˌbɛkᵻˈstɑːn , _ ʌz - , _ - ˈstæn -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Oʻzbekiston Respublikasi , Ўзбекистон Республикаси Республика Узбекистан ) , is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world . Located in Central Asia , it is a unitary , constitutional , presidential republic , comprising twelve provinces , one autonomous republic and a capital city . Uzbekistan is bordered by five landlocked countries : Kazakhstan to the north ; Tajikistan to the southeast ; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast ; Afghanistan to the south ; and Turkmenistan to the southwest .   Once part of the Turkic Khaganate and later Timurid Empires , the region that today includes the Republic of Uzbekistan was conquered in the early 16th century by Eastern Turkic-speaking nomads . The area was gradually incorporated into the Russian Empire during the 19th century , and in 1924 what is now Uzbekistan became a bordered constituent republic of the Soviet Union , known as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic ( Uzbek SSR ) . Following the breakup of the Soviet Union , it declared independence as the Republic of Uzbekistan on 31 August 1991 ( officially celebrated the following day ) .   Uzbekistan is officially a democratic , secular , unitary , constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage . The country 's official language is Uzbek , a Turkic language written in the Latin alphabet and spoken natively by approximately 85 % of the population ; however , Russian remains in widespread use . Uzbeks constitute 81 % of the population , followed by Russians ( 5.4 % ) , Tajiks ( 4.0 % ) , Kazakhs ( 3.0 % ) , and others ( 6.5 % ) . A majority of Uzbeks are non-denominational Muslims . Uzbekistan is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS ) , Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ( OSCE ) , UN , and the SCO . While officially a democratic republic , non-governmental human rights organizations define Uzbekistan as `` an authoritarian state with limited civil rights '' .   Uzbekistan 's economy relies mainly on commodity production , including cotton , gold , uranium , and natural gas . Despite the declared objective of transition to a market economy , its government continues to maintain economic controls which imports in favour of domestic `` import substitution '' .


Harvey Kurtzman has yet to teach at the School of Visual Arts.

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman ( -LSB- ˈkɜrtsmən -RSB- October 3 , 1924 -- February 21 , 1993 ) was an American cartoonist and editor . His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book Mad from 1952 until 1956 , and writing the Little Annie Fanny strips in Playboy from 1962 until 1988 . His work is noted for its satire and parody of popular culture , social critique , and attention to detail . Kurtzman 's working method has been likened to that of an auteur , and he expected those who illustrated his stories to follow his layouts strictly .   Kurtzman began to work on the New Trend line of comic books at EC Comics ' in 1950 . He wrote and edited the Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat war comic books , where he also drew many of the carefully researched stories , before he created his most-remembered comic book , Mad , in 1952 . Kurtzman scripted the stories and had them drawn by top EC cartoonists , most frequently Will Elder , Wally Wood , and Jack Davis ; the early Mad was noted for its social critique and parodies of pop culture . The comic book switched to a magazine format in 1955 , and Kurtzman left it in 1956 over a dispute with EC 's owner William Gaines over financial control . Following his departure , he did a variety of cartooning work , including editing the short-lived Trump and the self-published Humbug . In 1959 , he produced the first book-length work of original comics , the adult-oriented , satirical Jungle Book . He edited the low-budget Help ! from 1960 to 1965 , a humor magazine which featured work by future Monty Python member Terry Gilliam and the earliest work of underground cartoonists such as Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton . He brought Help ! to an end after the success of the risqué Playboy feature Little Annie Fanny began to take up his time . While Annie Fanny provided much of his income for the rest of his career , he continued to produce an eclectic body of work , including screenwriting the animated Mad Monster Party ? in 1967 and directing , writing and designing several shorts for Sesame Street in 1969 .   From 1973 , Kurtzman taught cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in New York . His work gained greater recognition toward the end of his life , and he oversaw deluxe reprintings of much of his work . The Harvey Award was named in Kurtzman 's honor in 1988 . He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1989 , and his work earned five positions on The Comics Journals Top 100 Comics of the 20th Century .


World War I failed to draw in the world's economic great powers.

World War I World War I ( WWI or WW1 ) , also known as the First World War , the Great War , or the War to End All Wars , was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 . More than 70 million military personnel , including 60 million Europeans , were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history . Over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a result of the war ( including the victims of a number of genocides ) , a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents ' technological and industrial sophistication , and the tactical stalemate caused by gruelling trench warfare . It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history , and paved the way for major political changes , including revolutions in many of the nations involved and to WWII twenty-one years later .   The war drew in all the world 's economic great powers , assembled in two opposing alliances : the Allies ( based on the Triple Entente of the Russian Empire , the French Third Republic , and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ) versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary . Although Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary , it did not join the Central Powers , as Austria-Hungary had taken the offensive against the terms of the alliance . These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war : Italy , Japan and the United States joined the Allies , while the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers .   The trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria , heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary , by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 . This set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia , and entangled international alliances formed over the previous decades were invoked . Within weeks , the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world .   On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July , the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia . Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise , and when this was refused , declared war on Russia on 1 August . Being outnumbered on the eastern front , Russia urged its Triple Entente ally France to open up a second front in the west . Back in 1870 , the Franco-Prussian war had ended the Second French Empire and ceded the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine to a unified Germany . Bitterness over their defeat and the determinance to retake Alsace-Lorraine made the acceptance of Russia 's plea for help an easy choice so France began full mobilisation on 1 August and on 3 August , Germany declared war on France . The border between France and Germany was heavily fortified on both sides so according to the Schlieffen Plan , Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France from the north , leading the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany on 4 August due to their violation of Belgian neutrality . After the German march on Paris was halted in the Battle of the Marne , what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition , with a trench line that changed little until 1917 . On the Eastern Front , the Russian army led a successful campaign against the Austro-Hungarians , but the Germans stopped its invasion of East Prussia in the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes . In November 1914 , the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers , opening fronts in the Caucasus , Mesopotamia and the Sinai . In 1915 , Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers ; Romania joined the Allies in 1916 , as did the United States in 1917 .   The Russian government collapsed in March 1917 , and a revolution in November followed by a further military defeat brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers via the Treaty of Brest Litovsk , which granted the Germans a significant victory . After a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918 , the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives . On 4 November 1918 , the Austro-Hungarian empire agreed to an armistice , and Germany , which had its own trouble with revolutionaries , agreed to an armistice on 11 November 1918 , ending the war in victory for the Allies .   By the end of the war or soon after , the German Empire , Russian Empire , Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist . National borders were redrawn , with several independent nations restored or created , and Germany 's colonies were parceled out among the victors . During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 , the Big Four ( Britain , France , the United States and Italy ) imposed their terms in a series of treaties . The League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict . This effort failed , and economic depression , renewed nationalism , weakened successor states , and feelings of humiliation ( particularly in Germany ) eventually contributed to the start of World War II .


Outlander (TV series) Outlander is a British-American television drama series based on the historical time travel Outlander series of novels by Diana Gabaldon . Developed by Ronald D. Moore and produced by Sony Pictures Television and Left Bank Pictures for Starz , the show premiered on August 9 , 2014 . It stars Caitriona Balfe as Claire Randall , a married World War II nurse who in 1945 finds herself transported back to the Scotland of 1743 , where she encounters the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser ( Sam Heughan ) and becomes embroiled in the Jacobite risings .   The second season of 13 episodes , based on Dragonfly in Amber , premiered on April 9 , 2016 . On June 1 , 2016 , Starz renewed the series for a third and fourth season , which will adapt the third and fourth Outlander novels , Voyager and Drums of Autumn . The 13-episode third season is scheduled to premiere in September 2017 .


Top Gun's screenplay writers were Jim Crash and Jack Epps Jr.

Top Gun Top Gun is a 1986 American romantic military action drama film directed by Tony Scott , and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer , in association with Paramount Pictures . The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps , Jr. , and was inspired by an article titled `` Top Guns '' published in California magazine three years earlier . The film stars Tom Cruise , Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer , Anthony Edwards , and Tom Skerritt . Cruise plays Lieutenant Pete `` Maverick '' Mitchell , a young Naval aviator aboard the aircraft carrier . He and his Radar Intercept Officer ( RIO ) Nick `` Goose '' Bradshaw ( Edwards ) are given the chance to train at the Navy 's Fighter Weapons School at Miramar in San Diego .   Top Gun was released on May 16 , 1986 . Upon its release , the film received generally mixed reviews from film critics but many particularly praised the action sequences , the effects , the aerial stunts , and the acting performances with Cruise and McGillis receiving the most praise . Four weeks after release , the number of theaters showing it increased by 45 % . Despite its initial mixed critical reaction , the film was a huge commercial hit grossing $ 356 million against a production budget of only $ 15 million . With its success , the film became a cult film over the years and earned an IMAX 3D re-release in 2013 . Additionally , the film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for `` Take My Breath Away '' performed by Berlin .   In 2015 , the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry , finding it `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .


Ministate A ministate or microstate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area , and usually both . As the meaning of neither `` state '' nor `` very small '' is well-defined in international law , 2010 's attempts to define microstates focus on identifying political entities with unique qualitative features linked to their geographic or demographic limitations . According to a qualitative definition , microstates are : `` modern protected states , i.e. sovereign states that have been able to unilaterally depute certain attributes of sovereignty to larger powers in exchange for benign protection of their political and economic viability against their geographic or demographic constraints . '' In line with this and most other definitions the examples of microstates include : Liechtenstein , Monaco , San Marino , Andorra , the Cook Islands , Niue and the Federated States of Micronesia .   The smallest political unit recognized as a sovereign state is Vatican City , with 842 citizens as of July 2013 and an area of only 44 ha . However , some scholars dispute qualifying the Vatican as a state arguing that it does not meet the `` traditional criteria of statehood '' and that the `` special status of the Vatican City is probably best regarded as a means of ensuring that the Pope can freely exercise his spiritual functions , and in this respect is loosely analogous to that of the headquarters of international organisations . ''   Microstates are distinct from micronations , which are not recognized as sovereign states . Special territories without full sovereignty , such as the British Crown Dependencies , the Chinese Special Administrative Regions and overseas territories of Denmark , France , the Netherlands , Australia , Norway and the United Kingdom , are also not considered microstates .


Dharani (director) Dharani ( born V. C. Ramani ) is an Indian film director , who primarily directs action-masala films . He is best known for directing the blockbuster films Dhill , Dhool and Ghilli .


Dhool Dhool ( Super ) is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action masala film directed by Dharani . The film featured Jyothika , Vikram and Reemma Sen in the lead roles , while Vivek , Sayaji Shinde , Telangana Sakunthala and Pasupathy among others play supporting roles . The film , produced by A. M. Rathnam at a cost of 7 crore , had music composed by Vidyasagar and released in January 2003 . The film was a commercial success . It was dubbed into Malayalam while being remade in Telugu , Sinhalese , Punjabi , and Bengali.This film is still now considered as cult masala entertainer .


Love Actually is a romantic comedy film.

Love Actually Love Actually is a 2003 Christmas-themed romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis . It features an ensemble cast , many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous film and television projects . The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals , many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress . Most of the film was filmed on location in London . The story begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday , followed by an epilogue that takes place one month later .   The United States release was on 14 November 2003 and a week later in the United Kingdom , where it debuted to positive reviews , but received mixed-to-positive reviews in the US . The film was a box-office success , grossing almost $ 247 million worldwide on a budget of $ 45 million .


Pineapple Express (film) Pineapple Express is a 2008 American stoner action comedy film directed by David Gordon Green , written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and starring Rogen and James Franco . The plot concerns a process server and his marijuana dealer friend forced to flee from hitmen and a corrupt police officer after witnessing them commit a murder . Producer Judd Apatow , who previously worked with Rogen and Goldberg on Knocked Up and Superbad , assisted in developing the story , which was partially inspired by the bromantic comedy subgenre .   Columbia Pictures released the film on August 6 , 2008 , and it grossed $ 101.6 million worldwide . Franco was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film .


50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III ( born July 6 , 1975 ) , known professionally as 50 Cent , is an American rapper , actor , businessman , and investor . Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens , Jackson began selling drugs at age twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic . Although he left drug-dealing to pursue a musical career , in 2000 he was shot nine times . After Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who 's Back ? in 2002 , he was discovered by Eminem and signed by Shady Records , Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records .   With the aid of Eminem and Dr. Dre ( who produced his first major-label album , Get Rich or Die Tryin ' ) , Jackson became one of the world 's best selling rappers and rose to prominence with East Coast hip hop group G-Unit ( which he leads de facto ) . In 2003 , he founded G-Unit Records , signing his G-Unit associates Young Buck , Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo . Jackson had similar commercial and critical success with his second album , The Massacre , which was released in 2005 . He released his fifth studio album , Animal Ambition , in 2014 and is working on his sixth studio album , Street King Immortal . He executive produces the show Power , which airs on Starz .   During his career Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards , including a Grammy Award , thirteen Billboard Music Awards , six World Music Awards , three American Music Awards and four BET Awards . He has pursued an acting career , appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin ' ( 2005 ) , the Iraq War film Home of the Brave ( 2006 ) and Righteous Kill ( 2008 ) . 50 Cent was ranked the sixth-best artist of the 2000s and the third-best rapper ( behind Eminem and Nelly ) by Billboard . Rolling Stone consider Get Rich or Die Tryin ' and `` In Da Club '' to be in their lists of `` 100 Best albums of the 2000s '' and `` 100 Best songs of the 2000s '' at numbers 37 and 13 .


Myles Kennedy formed a band in the 1990's.

The Mayfield Four The Mayfield Four was an American rock band formed by Myles Kennedy in Spokane , Washington in 1996 . The band released two albums , Fallout and Second Skin and an EP Motion / Live : 9.17.97 before disbanding in 2002 .


Myles Kennedy Myles Richard Kennedy ( born Myles Richard Bass ; November 27 , 1969 ) is an American musician , singer , and songwriter , best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge , and as the lead vocalist in guitarist Slash 's backing band , known as Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators . A former guitar instructor from Spokane , Washington , he has worked as a session musician and songwriter , making both studio and live appearances with several artists , and has been involved with several projects throughout his career .   Born in Boston , Massachusetts , and raised in Northern Idaho and Spokane , Kennedy attended Spokane Falls Community College to study music theory . He began his music career in 1990 as the lead guitarist of the instrumental jazz ensemble Cosmic Dust , with which he released one studio album . His second band , Citizen Swing , released two studio albums before disbanding in 1996 . With fellow Citizen Swing member Craig Johnson , Kennedy founded the rock band The Mayfield Four , for which he provided lead vocals and guitar . The band released two studio albums and broke up in 2002 . After declining an offer to audition as the lead vocalist of Velvet Revolver , he was asked to join Alter Bridge by Mark Tremonti in late 2003 , formally joining in 2004 , and he has been with the band ever since . He has released five studio albums with Alter Bridge .   While Alter Bridge was on tour in 2008 , Kennedy collaborated with former members of Led Zeppelin on an undisclosed project , though the band never fully materialized and the songs he wrote with Jimmy Page , John Paul Jones , and Jason Bonham remain unreleased . He then started working with Slash , featuring on the guitarist 's 2010 eponymous solo album on two tracks and later serving as Slash 's vocalist on tour . With Slash , Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators have recorded two studio albums . He has also been at work on a solo project of his own off and on since 2009 .


Elton John was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John , ( born Reginald Kenneth Dwight ; 25 March 1947 ) is an English singer , pianist , and composer . He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriting partner since 1967 ; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date . In his five-decade career Elton John has sold more than 300million records , making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world . He has more than fifty Top 40 hits , including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums , 58 Billboard Top 40 singles , 27 Top 10 , four No. 2 and nine No. 1 . For 31 consecutive years ( 1970 -- 2000 ) he had at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100 . His tribute single , re-penned in dedication to the late Princess Diana , `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' sold over 33million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts . He has also composed music , produced records , and has occasionally acted in films . John owned Watford Football Club from 1976 to 1987 , and 1997 to 2002 . He is an honorary Life President of the club , and in 2014 had a stand named after him at the club 's home stadium .   Raised in the Pinner area of London , John learned to play piano at an early age , and by 1962 had formed Bluesology . John met his songwriting partner , Bernie Taupin , in 1967 , after they had both answered an advert for songwriters . For two years they wrote songs for other artists , including Lulu , and John also worked as a session musician for artists such as the Hollies and the Scaffold . In 1969 his debut album , Empty Sky , was released . In 1970 a single , `` Your Song '' , from his second album , Elton John , reached the top ten in the UK and the US , his first hit single . After decades of commercial chart success , John has also achieved success in musical theatre , both in the West End and on Broadway , composing the music for The Lion King ( film and musical ) , Aida and Billy Elliot the Musical .   He has received five Grammy Awards , five Brit Awards -- winning two awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music and the first Brits Icon in 2013 for his `` lasting impact on British culture '' , an Academy Award , a Golden Globe Award , a Tony Award , a Disney Legends award , and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004 . In 2004 , Rolling Stone ranked him Number 49 on its list of 100 influential musicians of the rock and roll era . In 2013 , Billboard ranked him the most successful male solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists ( third overall behind the Beatles and Madonna ) . He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 , is an inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame , and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters , Composers and Authors . Having been named a Order of the British Empire in 1996 , John was made a Knight Bachelor by Elizabeth II for `` services to music and charitable services '' in 1998 . John has performed at a number of royal events , such as the funeral of Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey in 1997 , the Party at the Palace in 2002 and the Queen 's Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace in 2012 .   He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s . In 1992 , he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation and a year later began hosting the annual Academy Award Party , which has since become one of the highest-profile Oscar parties in the Hollywood film industry . Since its inception , the foundation has raised over . John , who announced he was bisexual in 1976 and has been openly gay since 1988 , entered into a civil partnership with David Furnish on 21 December 2005 , and after same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales in 2014 , wed Furnish on 21 December 2014 . He continues to be a champion for LGBT social movements worldwide .


Newspapers include weather forecasts and TV listings.

Newspaper A newspaper is a serial publication containing news about current events , other informative articles about politics , sports , arts , and so on , and advertising . A newspaper is usually , but not exclusively , printed on relatively inexpensive , low-grade paper such as newsprint . The journalism organizations that publish newspapers are themselves often metonymically called newspapers . As of 2017 , most newspapers are now published online as well as in print . The online versions are called online newspapers or news websites . Newspapers are typically published daily or weekly . News magazines are also weekly , but they have a magazine format . General-interest newspapers typically publish news articles and feature articles on national and international news as well as local news . The news includes political events and personalities , business and finance , crime , weather , and natural disasters ; health and medicine , science , and computers and technology ; sports ; and entertainment , society , food and cooking , clothing and home fashion , and the arts .   Usually the paper is divided into sections for each of those major groupings ( labeled A , B , C , and so on , with pagination prefixes yielding page numbers A1-A20 , B1-B20 , C1-C20 , and so on ) . Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing editorials written by an editor ( or by the paper 's editorial board ) and expressing an opinion on a public issue , opinion articles called `` op-eds '' written by guest writers ( which are typically in the same section as the editorial ) , and columns that express the personal opinions of columnists , usually offering analysis and synthesis that attempts to translate the raw data of the news into information telling the reader `` what it all means '' and persuading them to concur . Papers also include articles which have no byline ; these articles are written by staff writers .   A wide variety of material has been published in newspapers . Besides the aforementioned news , information and opinions , they include weather forecasts ; criticism and reviews of the arts ( including literature , film , television , theater , fine arts , and architecture ) and of local services such as restaurants ; obituaries , birth notices and graduation announcements ; entertainment features such as crosswords , horoscopes , editorial cartoons , gag cartoons , and comic strips ; advice columns , food , and other columns ; and radio and television listings ( program schedules ) . As of 2017 , newspapers may also provide information about new movies and TV shows available on streaming video services like Netflix . Newspapers have classified ad sections where people and businesses can buy small advertisements to sell goods or services ; as of 2013 , the huge increase in Internet websites for selling goods , such as Craigslist and eBay has led to significantly less classified ad sales for newspapers .   Most newspapers are businesses , and they pay their expenses with a mixture of subscription revenue , newsstand sales , and advertising revenue ( other businesses or individuals pay to place advertisements in the pages , including display ads , classified ads , and their online equivalents ) . Some newspapers are government-run or at least government-funded ; their reliance on advertising revenue and on profitability is less critical to their survival . The editorial independence of a newspaper is thus always subject to the interest of someone , whether owners , advertisers , or a government . Some newspapers with high editorial independence , high journalism quality , and large circulation are viewed as newspapers of record .   Many newspapers , besides employing journalists on their own payrolls , also subscribe to news agencies ( wire services ) ( such as the Associated Press , Reuters , or Agence France-Presse ) , which employ journalists to find , assemble , and report the news , then sell the content to the various newspapers . This is a way to avoid duplicating the expense of reporting from around the world . Circa 2005 , there were approximately 6,580 daily newspaper titles in the world selling 395 million print copies a day ( in the U.S. , 1,450 titles selling 55 million copies ) . The late 2000s -- early 2010s global recession , combined with the rapid growth of free web-based alternatives , has helped cause a decline in advertising and circulation , as many papers had to retrench operations to stanch the losses . Worldwide annual revenue approached $ 100 billion in 2005-7 , then plunged during the worldwide financial crisis of 2008-9 . Revenue in 2016 fell to only $ 53 billion , hurting every major publisher as their efforts to gain online income fell far short of the goal .   The decline in advertising revenues affected both the print and online media as well as all other mediums ; print advertising was once lucrative but has greatly declined , and the prices of online advertising are often lower than those of their print precursors . Besides remodeling advertising , the internet ( especially the web ) has also challenged the business models of the print-only era by crowdsourcing both publishing in general ( sharing information with others ) and , more specifically , journalism ( the work of finding , assembling , and reporting the news ) . In addition , the rise of news aggregators , which bundle linked articles from many online newspapers and other sources , influences the flow of web traffic . Increasing paywalling of online newspapers may be counteracting those effects . The oldest newspaper still published is the Ordinari Post Tijdender , which was established in Stockholm in 1645 .


Samurai (2002 film) Samurai is a 2002 Tamil language film directed by Balaji Sakthivel and produced by S. Sriram . The film featured Vikram in the title role , while Anita Hassanandani , Jaya Seal and Nassar played supporting roles . Harris Jayaraj scored the film 's music , while Sethu Sriram handled cinematography . Originally launched in 2000 , the film went through production delays and was only released in July 2002 , when it opened to mixed reviews and an average response at the box office .


Vikram (actor) Kennedy John Victor , known professionally as Vikram or Chiyaan Vikram , is an Indian film actor who predominantly appears in Tamil language films and has won seven Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the People 's University of Milan in May 2011 .   He made his debut in the 1990 film En Kadhal Kanmani , which was followed by a series of small-budget Tamil , Malayalam and Telugu films in the 1990s , many of which went unnoticed . However , the success of Bala 's tragedy film Sethu ( 1999 ) , in which Vikram appeared as a rogue turned lover , started Vikram 's successful career as an actor . In the early 2000s , Vikram appeared in a series of masala films , with Dhill ( 2001 ) , Gemini ( 2002 ) , Dhool ( 2003 ) and Saamy ( 2003 ) becoming commercially successful ventures . During the period , Vikram also appeared in diverse roles and received critical acclaim for his performance as a blind villager in Kasi and a Robin Hood-esque figure in Samurai . In 2003 , Vikram 's performance as a gravedigger with autism spectrum disorders in Bala 's Pithamagan saw him win the National Film Award for Best Actor , with his character only speaking a couple of lines of dialogue in the entire film . His appearance as an idealistic lawyer with multiple personality disorder in Shankar 's blockbuster Anniyan ( 2005 ) also won critical acclaim , as did his appearance as a superhero in Kanthaswamy ( 2009 ) . Vikram 's portrayal of Veeraiya , a tribal leader inspired by the Ramayana character Ravana , in Mani Ratnam 's Raavanan saw him secure further accolades , as did his appearance as a mentally challenged adult with the maturity of a six-year-old boy in Deiva Thirumagal ( 2011 ) . He consequently appeared in multiple get-ups as a bodybuilder and a crippled hunchback , losing up to 35 kilograms for sequences , during the making of Shankar 's romantic thriller I ( 2015 ) and won rave reviews from critics for his performance . It is currently the fourth highest-grossing Tamil film of all time .   Vikram has promoted various social causes and appeared as the Youth Envoy for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in 2011 . He has been a brand ambassador of Sanjeevani Trust and a school for special children , Vidya Sudha , which he stayed at during the making of Deiva Thirumagal as well as having long-term associations with the Kasi Eye Care and running his own welfare association through the Vikram Foundation . In 2016 , he produced and directed the video to the flood relief anthem , Spirit of Chennai , as a tribute to the city 's volunteers following the -LSB- -LSB- 2015 South Indian floods -RSB-


Unapologetic is Rihanna's 8th studio album.

Unapologetic Unapologetic is the seventh studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna . It was released on November 19 , 2012 , by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records . It was recorded between June and November 2012 , during promotion of her sixth album , Talk That Talk ( 2011 ) . As executive producer , Rihanna enlisted previous collaborators The-Dream , David Guetta , Chase & Status , and StarGate to work alongside new collaborators such as Parker Ighile , Mike Will Made-It , and Labrinth . Unapologetic is mainly a pop , dubstep and R&B album that incorporates elements of hip hop , EDM and reggae in its production , similar to the sound of her previous albums Talk That Talk and Rated R ( 2009 ) .   Unapologetic received generally mixed reviews from critics , with some reviewers describing its music as interesting , while others criticized its lyrical content and rushed nature . The album won a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2014 ceremony . It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 238,000 copies , becoming Rihanna 's first number one album on the chart and best-selling debut week of her career . The album also became the singer 's third , fourth , and fifth consecutive number one album in the United Kingdom , Norway , and Switzerland , respectively . As of December 2014 , Unapologetic has sold over four million copies worldwide .   The album produced seven singles including the international hits `` Diamonds '' and `` Stay '' . The former peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 where it became Rihanna 's twelfth number one song , tying her with Madonna and The Supremes for fourth most number one songs in the history of the chart . Prior to its release , Rihanna promoted the album with the 777 Tour which consisted of a seven-date promotional tour in which she performed seven concerts each in a different city in North America and Europe in seven days . To further promote Unapologetic , Rihanna embarked on her fourth worldwide tour entitled the Diamonds World Tour .


Jay Sekulow is the Chief Counsel for one organization, a politically liberal, Buddhism-based social activism organization.

Jay Sekulow Jay Alan Sekulow ( born June 10 , 1956 ) is an American attorney and Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law & Justice ( ACLJ ) . He also hosts a talk show , which airs on radio and television . Sekulow is a frequent guest commentator on the Christian Broadcasting Network and the Fox News Channel .


American Center for Law & Justice The American Center for Law & Justice ( ACLJ ) is a politically conservative , Christian-based social activism organization in the United States . It is headquartered in Washington , D.C. and associated with Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach , Virginia . The ACLJ was founded in 1990 by law school graduate and evangelical minister Pat Robertson to protect constitutional and human rights worldwide . ACLJ generally pursues constitutional issues and conservative Christian ideals in courts of law . The leaders of the ACLJ also occasionally engage in public debates to present their perspective on legal and Constitutional issues .


Martin Scorsese worked on Boardwalk Empire.

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( -LSB- skɔːrˈsɛsi -RSB- -LSB- skorˈseːze -RSB- ; born November 17 , 1942 ) is an American director , producer , screenwriter , and film historian , whose career spans more than 50 years . Scorsese 's body of work addresses such themes as Sicilian-American identity , Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption , faith , machismo , modern crime , and gang conflict . Many of his films are also known for their depiction of violence and liberal use of profanity .   Part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking , he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in cinematic history . In 1990 , he founded The Film Foundation , a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation , and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation . He is a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema , and has won an Academy Award , a Palme d'Or , Cannes Film Festival Best Director Award , Silver Lion , Grammy Award , Emmys , Golden Globes , BAFTAs , and DGA Awards .   He has directed works such as the crime film Mean Streets ( 1973 ) , the vigilante-thriller Taxi Driver ( 1976 ) , the biographical sports drama Raging Bull ( 1980 ) , the black comedy The King of Comedy ( 1983 ) , the religious epic drama The Last Temptation of Christ ( 1988 ) , the crime film Goodfellas ( 1990 ) , the psychological thriller Cape Fear ( 1991 ) and the crime film Casino ( 1995 ) , some of which he collaborated on with actor and close friend Robert De Niro . Scorsese has also been noted for his successful collaborations with actor Leonardo DiCaprio , having directed him in five films , beginning with Gangs of New York ( 2002 ) and most recently The Wolf of Wall Street ( 2013 ) . Their third film together , The Departed , won Scorsese the Academy Award for Best Director in addition to the film winning the award for Best Picture . Their collaborations have resulted in numerous Academy Award nominations for both as well as them winning several other prestigious awards .   Scorsese 's other film work includes the concert film The Last Waltz ( 1978 ) , the black comedy After Hours ( 1985 ) , the biographical drama The Aviator ( 2004 ) , the psychological thriller Shutter Island ( 2010 ) , the historical adventure drama Hugo ( 2011 ) and the religious epic Silence ( 2016 ) . His work in television includes the pilot episode of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl , the latter of which he also co-created . He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the crime drama The Departed ( 2006 ) . With eight Best Director nominations , he is the most nominated living director and is tied with Billy Wilder for the second most nominations overall .


Bernie Mac Bernard Jeffrey `` Bernie '' McCullough ( October 5 , 1957 -- August 9 , 2008 ) better known by his stage name Bernie Mac , was an American comedian , actor and voice artist . Born and raised on Chicago 's south side , Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian . He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey , Cedric the Entertainer , and D. L. Hughley in The Original Kings of Comedy .   After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac , Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles . His most noted film role was as Frank Catton in the remake Ocean 's Eleven and the title character of Mr. 3000 . He was the star of The Bernie Mac Show , which ran from 2001 through 2006 , earning him two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series . Mac 's other films included starring roles in Booty Call , Friday , The Players Club , Head of State , Charlie 's Angels : Full Throttle , Bad Santa , Guess Who , Pride , Soul Men , Transformers , Old Dogs , and Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa .


Pablo Fenjves Pablo F. Fenjves ( born 16 August 1953 ) is an American screenwriter and ghostwriter based in Los Angeles , California . His screenwriting credits include the 1995 film The Affair , Man on a Ledge , released in January , 2012 , and a string of television movies .   Born in Caracas , Venezuela to Hungarian survivors of the Holocaust , Fenjves went to college in Illinois . His first journalism job was in Canada . He joined the National Enquirer in Florida in the late 1970s , where he befriended Judith Regan .   Fenjves has ghostwritten more than a dozen books , including two number one New York Times Best-Sellers ( Witness and Blood Brother ) . Fenjves also ghostwrote the autobiographies and memoirs of Bernie Mac , Janice Dickinson , and music producer David Foster . He collaborated with O.J. Simpson to ghostwrite If I Did It , an account of the Simpson murder case . That book was pulled by the publisher just weeks before its release date , but it was subsequently revived by Fred Goldman , father of murder victim Ron Goldman , and spent five weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list . Fenjves had a personal connection to the Simpson case : Fenjves lived a few doors down from the Brentwood murder scene , and had testified against Simpson regarding the time at which he heard Nicole Simpson 's dog barking .   His current film projects include an original action script , Undertow , which is being produced by Michael De Luca ; and an original comedy , Mother , to which Halle Berry is attached .


Bane (comics) Bane is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics , commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman . The character first appeared in Batman : Vengeance of Bane # 1 ( January 1993 ) and was created by Chuck Dixon , Doug Moench , and Graham Nolan .   With a mix of brute strength and exceptional intelligence , the character is often credited as being the only villain to have `` broken the bat '' . IGN 's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Bane as # 34 . Bane was portrayed by Robert Swenson in the 1997 film Batman & Robin , Tom Hardy in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises , and was voiced by Doug Benson in the 2017 film The Lego Batman Movie .


Ken Russell only directed a 1970 British romantic drama film.

Altered States Altered States is a 1980 American science fiction-horror film directed by Ken Russell and adapted from a novel by the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky . The film was adapted from Chayefsky 's only novel and has his final screenplay . Both the novel and the film are based on John C. Lilly 's sensory deprivation research conducted in isolation tanks under the influence of psychoactive drugs like mescaline , ketamine and LSD .   It marked the film debut of William Hurt and Drew Barrymore . Chayefsky was credited as a screenwriter for the film using the pseudonym Sidney Aaron , his actual first and middle names .   The film score was composed by John Corigliano ( with Christopher Keene conducting ) . The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing .


Elgar (film) Elgar is a drama documentary made in 1962 by the British director Ken Russell . Made for BBC Television 's long-running Monitor programme , it dramatised in vigorous style the life of the archetypically English composer Sir Edward Elgar .   The film established Russell as a directorial talent , and spawned a series of dramatised biographies of composers by Russell , both for cinema and television . Elgar helped to revive the reputation of the composer 's work . The film was narrated by Huw Wheldon . The British Film Institute selected it as one of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes .


Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred `` Ken '' Russell ( 3 July 1927 -- 27 November 2011 ) was an English film director , known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style . Critics have accused him of being obsessed with sexuality and the Roman Catholic Church . His films in the main were liberal adaptations of existing texts , or biographies , notably of composers of the Romantic era . Russell began directing for the BBC , where he made creative adaptations of composers ' lives which were unusual for the time . He also directed many feature films independently and for studios .   He is best known for his Oscar-winning films Women in Love ( 1969 ) , The Devils ( 1971 ) , The Who 's Tommy ( 1975 ) , and the science fiction film Altered States ( 1980 ) . Russell also directed several films based on the lives of classical music composers , such as Elgar , Delius , Tchaikovsky , Mahler , and Liszt .   Film critic Mark Kermode , speaking in 2006 , and attempting to sum up the director 's achievement , called Russell , `` somebody who proved that British cinema did n't have to be about kitchen-sink realism -- it could be every bit as flamboyant as Fellini . Later in his life he turned to making low-budget experimental films such as Lion 's Mouth and Revenge of the Elephant Man , and they are as edgy and ` out there ' as ever '' .   Ken Russell died of natural causes on 27 November 2011 at the age of 84 .


Enough Project The Enough Project is a Washington , D.C. based non-profit organization that was founded in 2007 . The project was co-founded by the Center for American Progress and the International Crisis Group in 2007 . Its stated mission is to end genocide and crimes against humanity . The Enough Project conducts research in several conflict areas in Africa including Sudan , South Sudan , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Central African Republic , and the areas controlled by the Lord 's Resistance Army ( LRA ) . The Enough Project facilitates several campaigns and initiatives which work to bring attention to these crises , including The Sentry , Raise Hope for Congo , and the Satellite Sentinel Project . Its co-founders are John Prendergast and Gayle Smith .   In 2014 , the Enough Project released a report on war lordism and the mines of the Congo . The report indicated that due to the economic pressure of a provision of the United States Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act , which required any company that might be using `` conflict minerals '' to register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and publish their supply chain , control over the mines had passed out of the hands of the warlords and local militias .


Fergie (singer) Fergie Duhamel ( -LSB- ˈfɜːrɡi_dəˈmɛl -RSB- ) ( born Stacy Ann Ferguson ; March 27 , 1975 ) is an American singer , songwriter and actress . She was the female vocalist for the hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas from 2002 until 2017 , with whom she had achieved chart success worldwide . Her debut solo album The Dutchess ( 2006 ) was a major commercial success on the charts and spawned three Billboard Hot 100 number one singles ; `` London Bridge '' , `` Glamorous '' and `` Big Girls Do n't Cry '' .   Ferguson was a member of the children 's television series Kids Incorporated and the girl group Wild Orchid . In 2001 , she left the group and in the subsequent year began to team up with The Black Eyed Peas . With The Black Eyed Peas , she enjoyed a series of hits and albums before she released her solo debut album in September 2006 to success . The Black Eyed Peas enjoyed further success with the release of their third album with Ferguson , The E.N.D. ( 2009 ) ; they attained their first string of Billboard Hot 100 number one songs . She began touring in 2009/2010 with her group and she launched her debut fragrance , Outspoken , under Avon in May 2010 and has since released three more fragrances .   She continued success with The Black Eyed Peas and they released the album The Beginning ( 2010 ) , which featured three singles , including two number one songs . As Ferguson 's five solo singles and six singles with The Black Eyed Peas have reached two million downloads in the United States , Ferguson was the artist with the most two-million sellers by the beginning of 2011 .


Equidae includes all the extant horses, donkeys, and zebras, and some extinct species.

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 .


Singapore has much authority over its citizens.

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 .


Odysseus Odysseus ( -LSB- oʊˈdɪsiəs , _ oʊˈdɪsjuːs -RSB- Ὀδυσσεύς , Ὀδυσεύς -LSB- odysse͜ús -RSB- ) , also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( -LSB- juːˈlɪsiːz -RSB- , -LSB- ˈjuːlɪsiːz -RSB- Ulyssēs , Ulixēs ) , was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer 's epic poem the Odyssey . Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer 's Iliad and other works in that same epic cycle .   Husband of Penelope , father of Telemachus , and son of Laërtes and Anticlea , Odysseus is renowned for his intellectual brilliance , guile , and versatility ( polytropos ) , and is hence known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning ( mētis , or `` cunning intelligence '' ) . He is most famous for his nostos or `` homecoming '' , which took him ten eventful years after the decade-long Trojan War .


Odyssey The Odyssey '' ' ( -LSB- ˈɒdəsi -RSB- Ὀδύσσεια Odýsseia , -LSB- o.dýs.sej.ja -RSB- in Classical Attic ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer . It is , in part , a sequel to the Iliad , the other work ascribed to Homer . The Odyssey is fundamental to the modern Western canon , and is the second-oldest extant work of Western literature ; the Iliad is the oldest . Scholars believe the Odyssey was composed near the end of the 8th century BC , somewhere in Ionia , the Greek coastal region of Anatolia .   The poem mainly focuses on the Greek hero Odysseus ( known as Ulysses in Roman myths ) , king of Ithaca , and his journey home after the fall of Troy . It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War . In his absence , it is assumed Odysseus has died , and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors , the Mnesteres ( Greek : Μνηστῆρες ) or Proci , who compete for Penelope 's hand in marriage .   The Odyssey continues to be read in the Homeric Greek and translated into modern languages around the world . Many scholars believe the original poem was composed in an oral tradition by an aoidos ( epic poet/singer ) , perhaps a rhapsode ( professional performer ) , and was more likely intended to be heard than read . The details of the ancient oral performance and the story 's conversion to a written work inspire continual debate among scholars . The Odyssey was written in a poetic dialect of Greek -- a literary amalgam of Aeolic Greek , Ionic Greek , and other Ancient Greek dialects -- and comprises 12,110 lines of dactylic hexameter . Among the most noteworthy elements of the text are its non-linear plot , and the influence on events of choices made by women and slaves , besides the actions of fighting men . In the English language as well as many others , the word odyssey has come to refer to an epic voyage .   The Odyssey has a lost sequel , the Telegony , which was not written by Homer . It was usually attributed in antiquity to Cinaethon of Sparta . In one source , the Telegony '' was said to have been stolen from Musaeus by either Eugamon or Eugammon of Cyrene ( see Cyclic poets ) .


Oakland, California has a population of 419,267 people.

Oakland, California Oakland -LSB- ˈoʊklənd -RSB- is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County , California , United States . A major West Coast port city , Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area , the third largest city overall in the San Francisco Bay Area , the eighth largest city in California , and the 45th largest city in the United States , with a population of 419,267 . It serves as a trade center for the San Francisco Bay Area ; its Port of Oakland is the busiest port in the San Francisco Bay , the entirety of Northern California , and the fifth busiest in the United States . The city was incorporated in 1852 .   Oakland 's territory covers what was once a mosaic of California coastal terrace prairie , oak woodland , and north coastal scrub . Its land served as a rich resource when its hillside oak and redwood timber were logged to build San Francisco , and Oakland 's fertile flatland soils helped it become a prolific agricultural region . In the late 1860s , Oakland was selected as the western terminal of the Transcontinental Railroad . Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , many San Francisco citizens moved to Oakland , enlarging the city 's population , increasing its housing stock and improving its infrastructure . It continued to grow in the 20th century with its busy port , shipyards , and a thriving automobile manufacturing industry .   Oakland is known for its sustainability practices , including a top-ranking for usage of electricity from renewable resources . Oakland is also known for its history of political activism , as well as its professional sports franchises ( such as the Oakland Raiders , Oakland Athletics and the Golden State Warriors ) and major corporations , which include health care , dot-com companies , and manufacturers of household products . In addition , due to a steady influx of immigrants during the 20th century , along with thousands of African-American war-industry workers who relocated from the Deep South during the 1940s , Oakland is the most ethnically diverse major city in the country .


Joaquin Phoenix earned a Best Actor nomination for portraying Freddie Quell in The Master in 2005.

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquín Rafael Phoenix ( -LSB- ˌhwɑːˈkiːn -RSB- born Joaquín Rafael Bottom ; October 28 , 1974 ) , known formerly as Leaf Phoenix , is a Puerto Rican -- born American actor , producer , music video director , musician and activist . For his work as an artist , Phoenix has received a Grammy Award , a Golden Globe Award and three Academy Award nominations .   Phoenix started acting in television shows with his brother River Phoenix and sister Summer Phoenix . His first major film release was in the comedy-drama film Parenthood ( 1989 ) . During his period as a child actor he was credited as Leaf Phoenix , his self-given name . He later went back to his birth name , Joaquín , and received positive reviews for his supporting work in a wide range of films , most notably in the film adaptation of the novel To Die For ( 1995 ) and the period film Quills ( 2000 ) . He received international attention for his portrayal of Commodus in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator , which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . He has subsequently earned Best Actor nominations for portraying musician Johnny Cash in the biopic Walk the Line ( 2005 ) and for his role as Freddie Quell , a sex-obsessed alcoholic World War II veteran in the drama film The Master ( 2012 ) , the latter winning him the Volpi Cup for Best Actor . To this date , he and River Phoenix hold the distinction of being the first and only brothers to be nominated for acting Academy Awards .   Some of his other notable films include the satire film Buffalo Soldiers ( 2001 ) , the science fiction thriller Signs ( 2002 ) , the animated film Brother Bear ( 2003 ) , the historical drama film Hotel Rwanda ( 2004 ) , the psychological thriller The Village ( 2004 ) , the documentary Earthlings ( 2005 ) , the romantic drama Two Lovers ( 2008 ) , the drama The Immigrant ( 2013 ) , the romantic science fiction drama Her ( 2013 ) , the crime comedy-drama film Inherent Vice ( 2014 ) , and the thriller You Were Never Really Here ( 2017 ) , for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor .   Aside from his acting career , he has also ventured into directing music videos , as well as producing films and television shows . He has recorded an album , the soundtrack to Walk The Line , for which he won the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media . Phoenix is a social activist , lending his support to a number of charities and humanitarian organizations . He is also widely known for his animal rights advocacy . He has been a vegan since the age of three , and campaigns for PETA and In Defense of Animals .


Philip V of Spain failed to become a king.

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( Felipe V , Philippe , Filippo 19 December 1683 -- 9 July 1746 ) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 15 January 1724 , when he abdicated in favour of his son Louis , and from 6 September 1724 , when he reassumed the throne upon his son 's death , to his own death 9 July 1746 .   Before his reign , Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a grandson of King Louis XIV . His father , Louis , the Grand Dauphin , had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain when it became vacant in 1700 . However , since neither the Grand Dauphin nor Philip 's older brother , Louis , Duke of Burgundy , could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne , King Charles II of Spain named Philip as his heir in his will . It was well known that the union of France and Spain under one monarch would upset the balance of power in Europe , such that other European powers would take steps to prevent it . Indeed , Philip 's accession in Spain provoked the 14-year War of the Spanish Succession , which continued until the Treaty of Utrecht forbade any future possibility of unifying the French and Spanish thrones .   Philip was the first member of the House of Bourbon to rule as king of Spain . The sum of his two reigns , 45 years and 21 days , is the longest in modern Spanish history .


Thiokol Thiokol ( variously Thiokol Chemical Corporation , Morton-Thiokol Inc. , Cordant Technologies Inc. , Thiokol Propulsion , AIC Group , ATK Thiokol ; finally ATK Launch Systems Group before becoming part of Orbital ATK ) was an American corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals , and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems . Its name is a portmanteau of the Greek words for sulfur ( θειον `` theion '' ) and glue ( κολλα `` kolla '' ) , an allusion to the company 's initial product , Thiokol polymer .   The Thiokol Chemical Company was founded in 1929 . Its initial business was a range of synthetic rubber and polymer sealants , and Thiokol was a major supplier of liquid polymer sealants during World War II . When scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory discovered that Thiokol 's polymers made ideal binders for solid rocket fuels , Thiokol moved into the new field , opening laboratories at Elkton , Maryland , and later production facilities at Elkton and at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville , Alabama . Huntsville produced the XM33 Pollux , TX-18 Falcon , and TX-135 Nike-Zeus systems . It closed in 1996 . In the mid-1950s the company bought extensive lands in Utah for its rocket test range , and in 1986 was found at fault for the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the deaths of its astronauts . Thiokol continues to have major operations in the state , at Magna and Promontory ( manufacture of the Space Shuttle 's solid rocket motors ) , and its current headquarters at Brigham City . the company employed over 15,000 people worldwide and records annual sales of around .


Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate , also spelled Il-khanate ( ایلخانان , Ilkhānān ; Хүлэгийн улс , Hulagu-yn Ulus ) , was established as a khanate that formed the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire , ruled by the Mongol House of Hulagu . It was founded in the 13th century and was based primarily in Iran as well as neighboring territories , such as present-day Azerbaijan and the central and eastern parts of present-day Turkey . The Ilkhanate was originally based on the campaigns of Genghis Khan in the Khwarazmian Empire in 1219 -- 24 and was founded by Hulagu Khan , a grandson of Genghis Khan . With the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire after 1259 it became a functionally separate khanate . At its greatest extent , the state expanded into territories that today comprise most of Iran , Iraq , Armenia , Azerbaijan , Georgia , Turkmenistan , Turkey , western Afghanistan , and southwestern Pakistan . Later Ilkhanate rulers , beginning with Ghazan in 1295 , would convert to Islam .


Kris Wu Wu Yifan ( , pronounced -LSB- - cmnu2-i4fan4 -RSB- , ; born November 6 , 1990 ) , professionally known as Kris Wu or Kris , is a Chinese-born Canadian actor , singer , and model . He is active as a solo artist and actor in China and has starred in several # 1 box office hits including Mr. Six and Journey to the West : The Demons Strike Back , which are among the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time in China . He made his Hollywood debut in xXx : Return of Xander Cage ( 2017 ) .


The Hobbit films starred Canadian Evangeline Lilly.

The Hobbit (film series) The Hobbit is a film series consisting of three high fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson . They are based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien , with large portions of the trilogy inspired by the appendices to The Return of the King , which expand on the story told in The Hobbit , as well as new material and characters written especially for the films . Together they act as a prequel to Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy . The films are subtitled An Unexpected Journey ( 2012 ) , The Desolation of Smaug ( 2013 ) , and The Battle of the Five Armies ( 2014 ) .   The screenplay was written by Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Jackson , and Guillermo del Toro , who was originally chosen to direct before his departure from the project . The films take place in the fictional world of Middle-earth sixty years before the beginning of The Lord of the Rings , and follow hobbit Bilbo Baggins ( Martin Freeman ) , who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf the Grey ( Ian McKellen ) to accompany thirteen dwarves , led by Thorin Oakenshield ( Richard Armitage ) , on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug ( voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch ) . The films also expand upon certain elements from the novel and other source material , such as Gandalf 's investigation at Dol Guldur , and the pursuit of Azog and Bolg , who seek vengeance against Thorin and his ancestors .   The films feature an ensemble cast that also includes James Nesbitt , Ken Stott , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace and Luke Evans , with several actors reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings , including Cate Blanchett , Orlando Bloom , Ian Holm , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis . The films also feature Manu Bennett , Sylvester McCoy , Stephen Fry , Mikael Persbrandt , Barry Humphries , and Lawrence Makoare . Also returning for production , among others , were illustrators John Howe and Alan Lee , art director Dan Hennah , cinematographer Andrew Lesnie , and composer Howard Shore , while props were again crafted by Weta Workshop , with visual effects managed by Weta Digital .   The first film in the series premiered at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington , New Zealand on 28 November 2012 . One hundred thousand people lined the red carpet on Courtenay Place , and the entire event was broadcast live on television in New Zealand and streamed over the Internet . The second film of the series premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles , California on 2 December 2013 . The third and final film premiered at Leicester Square in London on 1 December 2014 .   The series was a major financial success , with the films classified as one of the highest-grossing film series of all time , going on to outgross The Lord of the Rings film trilogy . Although critically considered to be inferior to The Lord of the Rings , it was nominated for various awards and won several , though not as many as its predecessor .


Evangeline Lilly Nicole Evangeline Lilly ( born August 3 , 1979 ) is a Canadian actress and author . She won a Screen Actors Guild Award and received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Kate Austen in the ABC series Lost ( 2004 -- 10 ) . She is also best known for her roles as Tauriel in The Hobbit , Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man and Connie James in The Hurt Locker .


Transformers: The Last Knight stars Irish actor Mark Wahlberg.

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg ( born June 5 , 1971 ) is an American actor , producer , businessman , former model , and rapper . Wahlberg was known as Marky Mark in his early career as frontman for the group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch , releasing the albums Music for the People and You Got ta Believe . Wahlberg later transitioned to acting , appearing in films such as the drama Boogie Nights and the satirical war comedy-drama Three Kings during the 1990s . In the 2000s , he starred in the biographical disaster drama The Perfect Storm , the science fiction film Planet of the Apes , the heist film The Italian Job , and the Martin Scorsese-directed neo-noir crime drama The Departed , for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor . In the 2010s , he starred in the action comedy The Other Guys alongside Will Ferrell , the biographical sports drama The Fighter ( for which he earned an Academy Award nomination as a producer for Best Picture ) , the comedy Ted , the war film Lone Survivor , the crime comedy Pain & Gain , the science fiction action film Transformers : Age of Extinction , the disaster film Deepwater Horizon , and the thriller Patriots Day .   Wahlberg has also served as executive producer of four HBO series : the comedy-drama Entourage ( 2004 -- 11 ) , the period crime drama Boardwalk Empire ( 2009 -- 14 ) , the comedy-dramas How to Make It in America ( 2010 -- 11 ) and Ballers ( 2015 -- present ) . He is co-owner of the Wahlburgers chain and co-stars in the reality TV series about it . Wahlberg received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 29 , 2010 . He is known for his `` tough guy '' action persona , frequently portraying police officers , military personnel , or criminals in his films . He is also known for his collaborations with directors David O. Russell , Michael Bay , and Peter Berg .


Transformers: The Last Knight Transformers : The Last Knight is an upcoming American science fiction action film based on the toy line of the same name created by Hasbro . It is the fifth installment of the live-action Transformers film series and a direct sequel to 2014 's Transformers : Age of Extinction . The film was directed by Michael Bay , with Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci reprising their roles from Age of Extinction alongside Josh Duhamel , Tyrese Gibson , and John Turturro from the first three movies . Bay has stated this film marks his final picture in the franchise . The film is set to be released on June 21 , 2017 by Paramount Pictures in 2D , 3D , and IMAX 3D .


Thenmerku Paruvakaatru Thenmerku Paruvakatru ( Southwest Monsoon ) is a 2010 Tamil drama film written and directed by Seenu Ramasamy and produced by Shibu Issac . It stars Saranya Ponvannan , in her 100th film , Vijay Sethupathi and Vasundhra in the lead roles . It released on 24 December 2010 .   The film received mixed reviews , but was eventually featured at the 58th National Film Awards ceremony , where it was named the Best Feature Film in Tamil while Saranya Ponvannan and lyricist Vairamuthu were awarded the Best Actress and Best Lyricist prizes , respectively .


United Nations was started by the United States of America.

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


Prison Break was aired for five seasons.

Prison Break Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring , that was broadcast on Fox for four seasons from August 29 , 2005 to May 15 , 2009 , and a fifth season which premiered on April 4 , 2017 . The series revolves around two brothers , one of whom has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit , and the other who devises an elaborate plan to help his brother escape prison and clear his name . The series was produced by Adelstein-Parouse Productions , in association with Original Television and 20th Century Fox Television . Along with creator Paul Scheuring , the series is executive produced by Matt Olmstead , Kevin Hooks , Marty Adelstein , Dawn Parouse , Neal H. Moritz , and Brett Ratner who directed the pilot episode . The series ' theme music , composed by Ramin Djawadi , was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2006 .   The series was originally turned down by Fox in 2003 , which was concerned about the long-term prospects of such a series . Following the popularity of serialized prime time television series Lost and 24 , Fox decided to back production in 2004 . The first season received generally positive reviews , and performed well in the ratings . The first season was originally planned for a 13-episode run , but was extended to include an extra nine episodes due to its popularity . Prison Break was nominated for several industry awards , including the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series Drama and the 2006 People 's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama , which it won . In the United States , all four seasons have been released on DVD and released on Blu-ray internationally .   The success of the series has inspired short videos for mobile phones , several official tie-ins in print and on the Internet , as well as a video game . A spin-off series , Prison Break : Proof of Innocence , was produced exclusively for mobile phones . The series has spawned an official magazine and a tie-in novel . The fourth season of Prison Break returned from its mid-season break in a new timeslot on April 17 , 2009 , for the series ' last six episodes . Two additional episodes , titled `` The Old Ball and Chain '' and `` Free '' were produced , and were later transformed into a standalone feature , titled The Final Break . The events of this feature take place before the last scene of the series finale , and are intended to conclude unfinished plotlines . The feature was released on DVD and Blu-ray July 21 , 2009 . A nine-episode fifth season was announced by Fox in January 2016 and premiered on April 4 , 2017 , and aired on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm . The season concluded on May 30 , 2017 .