Audrey Hepburn was brought into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame.

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


Prince's album Musicology was platinum-selling.

Prince (musician) Prince Rogers Nelson ( June 7 , 1958 -- April 21 , 2016 ) was an American singer-songwriter , actor , multi-instrumentalist , philanthropist , dancer and record producer . He was a musical innovator who was known for his eclectic work , flamboyant stage presence , extravagant dress and makeup , and wide vocal range . His music integrates a wide variety of styles , including funk , rock , R&B , new wave , soul , psychedelia , and pop . He has sold over 100 million records worldwide , making him one of the best-selling artists of all time . He won seven Grammy Awards , an American Music Award , a Golden Globe Award , and an Academy Award for the film Purple Rain . He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 , his first year of eligibility . Rolling Stone ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of 100 Greatest Artists , `` the most influential artists of the rock & roll era '' .   Prince was born in Minneapolis , Minnesota , and developed an interest in music as a young child . He signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. at the age of 18 , and released his debut album For You in 1978 . His 1979 album Prince went platinum , and his next three records -- Dirty Mind ( 1980 ) , Controversy ( 1981 ) , and 1999 ( 1982 ) -- continued his success , showcasing Prince 's prominently sexual lyrics and blending of funk , dance , and rock music . In 1984 , he began referring to his backup band as the Revolution and released Purple Rain , the soundtrack album to his eponymous 1984 film debut . It quickly became his most critically and commercially successful release , spending 24 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 and selling over 20 million units worldwide . After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day ( 1985 ) and Parade ( 1986 ) , The Revolution disbanded , and Prince released the double album Sign o ' the Times ( 1987 ) as a solo artist . He released three more solo albums before debuting the New Power Generation band in 1991 .   In 1993 , while in a contractual dispute with Warner Bros. , he changed his stage name to , an unpronounceable symbol also known as the `` Love Symbol '' , and began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations . He released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998 . In 2000 , he began referring to himself as `` Prince '' again . He released 16 albums after that , including the platinum-selling Musicology ( 2004 ) . His final album , Hit n Run Phase Two , was first released on the Tidal streaming service on December 12 , 2015 . Prince died from a fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen , Minnesota , on April 21 , 2016 , at the age of 57 .


Toy Story Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures . The directorial debut of John Lasseter , Toy Story was the first feature-length computer-animated film and the first theatrical film produced by Pixar .   Taking place in a world where anthropomorphic toys pretend to be lifeless whenever humans are present , the film 's plot focuses on the relationship between Woody , an old-fashioned pullstring cowboy doll ( voiced by Tom Hanks ) , and Buzz Lightyear , an astronaut action figure ( voiced by Tim Allen ) , as they evolve from rivals competing for the affections of Andy , their owner , to friends who work together to be reunited with Andy as his family prepares to move to a new home . The screenplay was written by Joss Whedon , Andrew Stanton , Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow , based on a story by Lasseter , Pete Docter , Stanton and Joe Ranft . The film features music by Randy Newman , and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull .   Pixar , which produced short animated films to promote their computers , was approached by Disney to produce a computer-animated feature after the success of their short film Tin Toy ( 1988 ) , which is told from a small toy 's perspective . Lasseter , Stanton and Docter wrote early story treatments which were thrown out by Disney , as they wanted the film to be edgier . After disastrous story reels , production was halted and the script was re-written , better reflecting the tone and theme Pixar desired : that `` toys deeply want children to play with them , and that this desire drives their hopes , fears , and actions '' . The studio , then consisting of a relatively small number of employees , produced the film under minor financial constraints .   Released in theaters on November 22 , 1995 , Toy Story was the highest-grossing film on its opening weekend and earned over $ 373 million worldwide . The film was widely acclaimed by critics , who praised the animation 's technical innovation , the wit and thematic sophistication of the screenplay , and the performances of Hanks and Allen . It is now considered by many critics to be one of the best animated films ever made . The film received three Academy Award nominations , including Best Original Screenplay , Best Original Score , and Best Original Song for `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' , as well as winning a Special Achievement Academy Award . It was inducted into the National Film Registry as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' in 2005 , its first year of eligibility .   In addition to home media releases and theatrical re-releases , Toy Story-inspired material has run the gamut from toys , video games , theme park attractions , spin-offs , merchandise , and two sequels -- Toy Story 2 ( 1999 ) and Toy Story 3 ( 2010 ) -- both of which also garnered massive commercial success and critical acclaim , with a third sequel , Toy Story 4 , slated for a 2019 release .


Helena Bonham Carter was nominated for an Academy Award.

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter , ( born 26 May 1966 ) is an English actress . She is known for her roles in low-budget arthouse and independent films to large-scale Hollywood productions . She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Kate Croy in The Wings of the Dove ( 1997 ) . For her role as Queen Elizabeth in The King 's Speech ( 2010 ) , she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role . She also won the 2010 International Emmy Award for Best Actress for her role as British author Enid Blyton in the TV film Enid ( 2009 ) .   Bonham Carter began her film career playing the title character in Lady Jane ( 1986 ) , and playing Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View ( 1986 ) . Her other film roles include Ophelia in Hamlet ( 1990 ) , Where Angels Fear to Tread ( 1991 ) , Howards End ( 1992 ) , Elizabeth Lavenza in Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein ( 1994 ) , Woody Allen 's Mighty Aphrodite ( 1995 ) , Fight Club ( 1999 ) , Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter series ( 2007 -- 11 ) , Terminator Salvation ( 2009 ) , Miss Havisham in Great Expectations ( 2012 ) , Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables ( 2012 ) , and The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella ( 2015 ) . She has frequently collaborated with director Tim Burton ; in Planet of the Apes ( 2001 ) , Big Fish ( 2003 ) , Corpse Bride ( 2005 ) , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ( 2005 ) , Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 ) , Dark Shadows ( 2012 ) , and playing the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland ( 2010 ) and its sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass ( 2016 ) . Her other television films include A Pattern of Roses ( 1983 ) , Fatal Deception : Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald ( 1993 ) , Live from Baghdad ( 2002 ) , Toast ( 2010 ) , and Burton & Taylor ( 2013 ) .   She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( CBE ) in the 2012 New Year Honours list for services to drama , and in January 2014 , the British prime minister , David Cameron , announced that Bonham Carter had been appointed to Britain 's new national Holocaust Commission .


John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. ( December 31 , 1943 -- October 12 , 1997 ) , known professionally as John Denver , an American musician , singer-songwriter , record producer , activist , actor , and humanitarian , whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer . After traveling and living in numerous locations while growing up in his military family , Denver began his music career with folk music groups during the late 1960s . Starting in the 1970s , he was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the decade and one of its best-selling artists . By 1974 , he was firmly established as America 's best selling performer , and AllMusic has described Denver as `` among the most beloved entertainers of his era '' .   Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs , about 200 of which he composed , with total record sales of over 33 million . He recorded and performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature , his disdain for city life , his enthusiasm for music , and his relationship trials . Denver 's music appeared on a variety of charts , including country music , the Billboard Hot 100 , and adult contemporary , in all earning him twelve gold and four platinum albums with his signature songs `` Take Me Home , Country Roads '' , `` Annie 's Song '' , `` Rocky Mountain High '' , `` Thank God I 'm a Country Boy '' , and `` Sunshine on My Shoulders '' .   Denver starred in films and several notable television specials in the 1970s and 1980s . He continued to record in the 1990s , also focusing on environmental issues by lending vocal support to space exploration and testifying in front of Congress in protest against censorship in music . He lived in Aspen , Colorado for much of his life and was known for his love of Colorado which he sang about numerous times . In 1974 Denver was named poet laureate of the state . The Colorado state legislature also adopted `` Rocky Mountain High '' as one of its two state songs in 2007 . Denver was an avid pilot and died at the age of 53 in a single-fatality crash of his personal experimental aircraft .


Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan ( born 14 October 1965 ) is an Irish-English actor , stand-up comedian , impressionist , screenwriter , and producer . He began his career in the 1980s , working as a voice artist on the satirical puppet show Spitting Image and providing voiceovers for television advertisements . In the early 1990s , he began creating original comic characters , leading him to win the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe . In 1999 , he co-founded the production company Baby Cow Productions .   While working with Armando Iannucci on On the Hour and The Day Today , Coogan created his most developed and popular character : Alan Partridge , a socially awkward and politically incorrect regional media personality . He featured in several television series , which earned him three BAFTA nominations and two wins for Best Comedy Performance . A feature-length film , Alan Partridge : Alpha Papa , was released in 2013 , and opened at number one at the British box office .   Coogan grew in prominence within the film industry in 2002 , after starring in The Parole Officer and 24 Hour Party People . He portrayed Phileas Fogg in the 2004 remake Around the World in 80 Days and co-starred in The Other Guys , Tropic Thunder , In the Loop , Hamlet 2 , Our Idiot Brother , Ruby Sparks and the Night at the Museum films , as well as collaborating with Rob Brydon in The Trip and A Cock and Bull Story . He was also a voice actor in the animated comedy films Despicable Me 2 and its prequel Minions , and played Hades in Percy Jackson & the Olympians : The Lightning Thief .   Coogan has also branched out into more dramatic roles , with What Maisie Knew , and portrayed Paul Raymond in the biopic The Look of Love . He co-wrote , produced , and starred in the film adaptation Philomena , which earned him a Golden Globe and BAFTA nomination , and two Academy Award nominations ( for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture ) . He has been cast in the lead role for the ABC television pilot Doubt and the Showtime drama Happyish .   On 22 November 2011 , Coogan , along with Hugh Grant , gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry on phone hacking , favouring regulation of the press .


Voice acting Voice acting is the art of doing voice-overs or providing voices to represent a character or to provide information to an audience or user . Examples include animated , off-stage , off-screen or non-visible characters in various works , including feature films , dubbed foreign language films , animated short films , television programs , commercials , radio or audio dramas , comedy , video games , puppet shows , amusement rides , audiobooks , and documentaries . Voice acting is also done for small handheld audio games .   Performers are called voice actors or actresses , voice artists , or voice talent . Their roles may also involve singing , although a second voice actor is sometimes cast as the character 's singing voice . Voice acting is recognised in Britain as a specialized dramatic profession , chiefly owing to the BBC 's long tradition of radio drama .   Voice artists are also used to record the individual sample fragments played back by a computer in an automated announcement .


Julia Louis-Dreyfus played Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine.

The New Adventures of Old Christine The New Adventures of Old Christine ( often shortened to simply Old Christine ) is an American television sitcom starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell , a middle-aged divorced mother who struggles to keep pace with those around her . Clark Gregg co-starred as her ex-husband Richard , with whom Christine maintains a close relationship despite their divorce , as well as Hamish Linklater as her brother Matthew and Wanda Sykes as her best friend Barb . It originally ran on CBS from March 13 , 2006 , to May 12 , 2010 .   The New Adventures of Old Christine was created and produced by Kari Lizer as well as Andy Ackerman ( who directed all 88 episodes of the series ) , and distributed by Warner Bros. . Television . The series received generally positive reviews from television critics and was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards , winning one for Louis-Dreyfus ' performance in the first season . In May 2010 , CBS canceled The New Adventures of Old Christine after five seasons .


Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( -LSB- ˈluːi_ˈdraɪfəs -RSB- born January 13 , 1961 ) is an American actress , comedian , and producer . She is known for her work in television comedy , including Saturday Night Live ( 1982 -- 85 ) , Seinfeld ( 1989 -- 98 ) , The New Adventures of Old Christine ( 2006 -- 10 ) , and Veep ( 2012 -- present ) . Louis-Dreyfus holds several records for most Primetime Emmy Award wins and nominations .   Louis-Dreyfus broke into comedy as a performer in The Practical Theatre Company in Chicago , Illinois , which led to her casting in the sketch show Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985 . Her breakthrough came in 1990 with a nine-season run playing Elaine Benes on Seinfeld , one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms of all time . Other notable television roles include Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine , which had a five-season run on CBS , and her role as Selina Meyer in Veep , which has recently been renewed by HBO for a sixth season . Louis-Dreyfus ' film roles have included Hannah and Her Sisters ( 1986 ) , National Lampoon 's Christmas Vacation ( 1989 ) , Deconstructing Harry ( 1997 ) , and Enough Said ( 2013 ) . She has voiced roles in several animated films , including A Bug 's Life ( 1998 ) and Planes ( 2013 ) .   Louis-Dreyfus has received nine Emmy Awards , seven for acting and two for producing , with a total of 22 nominations throughout her career . She has also received a Golden Globe Award , seven Screen Actors Guild Awards , five American Comedy Awards , and two Critics ' Choice Television Awards . Louis-Dreyfus received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 , and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2014 . In 2016 , Time named Louis-Dreyfus one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list .


The 20th most successful artist of the 2000s was Christina Aguilera.

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( born December 18 , 1980 ) is an American singer , songwriter , actress and television personality . Born in Staten Island , New York and raised in Rochester and Wexford , Pennsylvania , she appeared on the television series Star Search and The Mickey Mouse Club in her early years . After recording `` Reflection '' , the theme for Disney 's 1998 film Mulan , Aguilera signed with RCA Records . She rose to prominence with her 1999 self-titled debut album that spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles ; `` Genie in a Bottle '' , `` What a Girl Wants '' , and `` Come On Over Baby ( All I Want Is You ) '' . The following year , Aguilera released two studio albums ; the Spanish-language album Mi Reflejo and the holiday album My Kind of Christmas . She assumed creative control for her fourth studio album , Stripped ( 2002 ) , which produced `` Dirrty '' , `` Beautiful '' , and `` Fighter '' . Aguilera 's fifth studio album , Back to Basics ( 2006 ) , debuted at number one on the album charts of ten countries and spawned the tracks `` Ai n't No Other Man '' and `` Hurt '' . In 2010 , Aguilera released her sixth studio album Bionic and starred in the film Burlesque . The following year , she debuted as a coach on the reality competition television series The Voice ; she has since appeared on six of its twelve seasons . Her seventh studio album , Lotus , was released in 2012 . Aguilera has also been featured on several successful collaborations during her career , including `` Lady Marmalade '' , `` Moves like Jagger '' , and `` Say Something '' .   Aguilera has been recognized as a pop icon and earned the title `` Pop Princess '' in her early years . Her work has earned her five Grammy Awards , one Latin Grammy Award , and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . She has sold over 17.9 million albums in the United States as of 2014 and 50 million albums worldwide as of 2015 . In 2009 , she ranked at number 58 on Rolling Stones list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time , thereby becoming the youngest and the only artist under 30 to be named . Billboard recognized her as the 20th most successful artist of the 2000s , and Time listed Aguilera among the top 100 Most Influential People in the World of 2013 . Aside from her work in the entertainment industry , Aguilera is involved in charitable activities through human rights , world issues , and her work as a UN ambassador for the World Food Programme .


The TV series 30 Rock starred a former SNL cast member.

Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan ( born November 10 , 1968 ) is an American actor and comedian best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live ( 1996 -- 2003 ) , 30 Rock ( 2006 -- 2013 ) and his 2010 buddy cop film Cop Out and hosting Scare Tactics . He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2009 for his work on 30 Rock . He has appeared in numerous films as an actor and voice actor .


30 Rock 30 Rock is an American satirical television sitcom created by Tina Fey that ran on NBC from October 11 , 2006 , to January 31 , 2013 . The series , loosely based on Fey 's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live , takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy show depicted as airing on NBC . The series ' name refers to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City , the address of the Comcast Building , where the NBC Studios are located and where Saturday Night Live is written , produced , and performed . This series is produced by Broadway Video and Little Stranger , Inc. , in association with NBCUniversal .   30 Rock episodes were produced in a single-camera setup ( with the exception of the two live episodes that were taped in the multiple-camera setup ) , and were filmed in New York . The pilot episode premiered on October 11 , 2006 , and seven seasons followed . The series stars Fey with a supporting cast that includes Alec Baldwin , Tracy Morgan , Jane Krakowski , Jack McBrayer , Scott Adsit , Judah Friedlander , Katrina Bowden , Keith Powell , Lonny Ross , John Lutz , Sue Galloway , Kevin Brown , Grizz Chapman , Maulik Pancholy , and Rachel Dratch .   Tonally , 30 Rock uses surreal humor to parody the complex corporate structure of NBC and its then parent company General Electric . Television critic Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club once remarked that it `` usually adopts the manic pacing of a live-action cartoon . '' The show was influential in its extensive use of smash cuts : sudden , short cuts to unrelated scenes showing something the characters are briefly discussing . 30 Rock also became known for its dedication to making these extremely elaborate , once showing a set that took three days to build for only six seconds of video .   30 Rock received critical acclaim throughout its run , winning several major awards ( including Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2007 , 2008 , and 2009 and nominations for every other year it ran ) , and appearing on many critics ' year-end `` best of '' 2006-2013 lists . On July 14 , 2009 , the series was nominated for 22 Primetime Emmy Awards , the most in a single year for a comedy series . Over the course of the series , it was nominated for 103 Primetime Emmy Awards and won 16 , in addition to numerous other nominations and wins from other awards shows . Despite the high praise , the series struggled in the ratings throughout its run , something of which Fey herself has made light .   In 2009 , Comedy Central and WGN America bought the syndication rights to the show , which began airing on both networks on September 19 , 2011 ; the series also entered into local broadcast syndication on the same day . Today , 30 Rock is regarded as a landmark series . Its series finale in particular has been named as one of the greatest in television history by several publications . In 2013 , the Writers Guild of America named 30 Rock the 21st best-written television series of all time .


Jared Kushner Jared Corey Kushner ( born January 10 , 1981 ) is an American real estate investor and developer , newspaper owner , and senior advisor to President Donald Trump .   Kushner is the elder son of real-estate developer Charles Kushner and is married to Trump 's daughter Ivanka . He was principal owner of the real-estate holding and development company Kushner Companies and of Observer Media , publisher of the New York Observer . He is the co-founder and part owner of Cadre , an online real-estate investment platform .   On January 9 , 2017 , Kushner was named as a senior White House advisor . He consequently resigned as CEO of Kushner Companies and as publisher of the Observer , but his private financial interests remain a subject of controversy . Kushner helped develop and run Trump 's digital media strategy .


Reese Witherspoon began her career as a child dancer.

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon ( -LSB- ˈriːs_ˈwɪðərspuːn -RSB- born March 22 , 1976 ) is an American actress , producer , and entrepreneur . Born in New Orleans and raised in Tennessee , she began her career as a child actress , making her professional screen debut in The Man in the Moon ( 1991 ) , for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award . Following breakout roles in Desperate Choices : To Save My Child ( 1992 ) and Jack the Bear , she starred in the comedy-drama Pleasantville ( 1998 ) , for which she won the Young Hollywood Award for Breakthrough Performance . Her leading role of Tracy Flick in Election ( 1999 ) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award .   Witherspoon 's breakthrough role was playing Elle Woods in the 2001 film Legally Blonde , for which she received her second Golden Globe nomination . The following year , she starred in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama , which emerged as her biggest live-action commercial success . In 2005 , she portrayed June Carter in Walk the Line , which earned her the Academy Award , Golden Globe Award , BAFTA Award , Screen Actors Guild Award , and Critics Choice Award for Best Actress . Other notable films of hers include Legally Blonde 2 : Red , White & Blonde ( 2003 ) , Monsters vs. Aliens ( 2009 ) , Water for Elephants ( 2011 ) , and Sing ( 2016 ) . In 2014 , Witherspoon produced the thriller Gone Girl and received critical acclaim for portraying Cheryl Strayed in Wild , for which she earned her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a fourth Golden Globe nomination . In 2017 , she produced and starred in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies .   Witherspoon owns a production company , Pacific Standard , and she is actively involved in children 's and women 's advocacy organizations . She serves on the board of the Children 's Defense Fund ( CDF ) and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007 , serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation . She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 .


Ajay Devgn had won two National Film Awards for Best Actor as of 2003.

Ajay Devgn Ajay Devgan ( born Vishal Veeru Devgan on 2 April 1969 ) , also credited as Ajay Devgn , is an Indian film actor , director and producer . He is widely considered as one of the most popular actors of Hindi cinema , who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films . Devgan has won numerous accolades , including two National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards . In 2016 , he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri , the fourth highest civilian honour of the country .   Devgan began his professional career with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991 and received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance . He then starred in successful films such as Jigar ( 1992 ) , Dilwale ( 1994 ) , Suhaag ( 1994 ) , Naajayaz ( 1995 ) , Diljale ( 1996 ) and Ishq ( 1997 ) . In 1998 , he appeared in a critically acclaimed performance in Mahesh Bhatt 's drama Zakhm and he received his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie . In 1999 , his most-talked-about film was Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in which he played Vanraj , a man who tries to unite his wife with her lover .   In the early 2000s , he gave critically acclaimed performances in Ram Gopal Varma 's fictional expose of Mumbai underworld Company . He played the character of a gangster , for which he won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor . The same year he gave another critically acclaimed performance in Deewangee for which he received the Filmfare Best Villain Award . In 2003 , he won his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Bhagat Singh in Rajkumar Santoshi 's biopic The Legend of Bhagat Singh . Throughout his career he has performed in many critically and commercially successful films including Raincoat ( 2004 ) , '' Gangajal , ( 2004 ) , Yuva ( 2004 ) , Apaharan ( 2005 ) , Omkara ( 2006 ) , Golmaal : Fun Unlimited ( 2006 ) , Golmaal Returns ( 2008 ) , All the Best : Fun Begins ( 2009 ) , Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai ( 2010 ) , Golmaal 3 ( 2010 ) , Raajneeti ( 2010 ) , Singham ( 2011 ) , Bol Bachchan ( 2012 ) , Son of Sardaar ( 2012 ) , Singham Returns ( 2014 ) and Drishyam ( 2015 ) . He has starred in more than hundred Hindi films . Having done so , he established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema .   In addition , Devgn owns a production company Ajay Devgn FFilms which was established in 2000 . In 2008 , he debuted as a film director with U Me Aur Hum . He is married to film actress , Kajol since 1999 and the couple have two children . In August 2009 , Devgn changed his surname from Devgan to Devgn on the request of his family .


Girls' Generation Girls ' Generation , also known as SNSD , is a South Korean girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment . The group is composed of eight members : Taeyeon , Sunny , Tiffany , Hyoyeon , Yuri , Sooyoung , Yoona , and Seohyun . Originally a nine-piece group ( with Jessica , who later departed from the group in September 2014 ) , Girls ' Generation debuted in 2007 with their Korean eponymous debut album . Though the album gained some attention , it was not until 2009 that the group rose to fame with the single `` Gee '' , which claimed the top spot on KBS 's Music Bank for a record-breaking nine consecutive weeks and was named the most popular song of the 2000s in South Korea by Melon . Girls ' Generation further consolidated their popularity on the South Korean music scene with follow-up singles `` Tell Me Your Wish ( Genie ) '' , `` Oh ! '' , and `` Run Devil Run '' , which were released in mid-2009 and early 2010 .   In mid-2010 , Girls ' Generation signed with Nayutawave Records ( present-day EMI Records Japan ) to venture into the Japanese music scene . Their June 2011 self-titled Japanese debut album peaked atop the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart and became the first album by a non-Japanese girl group to be certified million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan . The group 's third Korean studio album The Boys was released in October 2011 and became the best-selling album of 2011 in South Korea with sales of over 380,000 copies . An English version of the single `` The Boys '' was released by Interscope Records in an attempt to expand the group 's endeavor to the global music scene . The group 's 2013 fourth Korean studio album I Got a Boy was supported by the single `` I Got a Boy '' , which was subjected to major attention from Western media following its winning the Video of the Year award at the inaugural YouTube Music Awards . Their fifth Korean studio album , Lion Heart , was released in 2015 .   Girls ' Generation 's signature musical styles are characterized as electropop and bubblegum pop , though their sounds have varied widely , incorporating various genres including hip hop , R&B , and EDM . They have sold over 4.4 million albums and 30 million digital singles as of 2012 . The group 's immense popularity in their native country South Korea has earned them numerous accolades and the titles `` The Nation 's Singers '' and `` The Nation 's Girl Group '' . Girls ' Generation is also deemed one of the prominent figures of the Korean Wave and one of the most popular K-pop acts internationally . They are the first Asian girl group to achieve five music videos with over 100 million views on YouTube : `` Gee '' , `` I Got a Boy '' , `` The Boys '' , `` Mr. Taxi '' , and `` Oh ! '' . In Japan , they became the first non-Japanese girl group to have three number-one albums on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart , and their three Japanese concert tours attracted a record-breaking 550,000 spectators , more than any other Korean girl groups .


Andorra Andorra ( -LSB- ænˈdɔ : rə -RSB- -LSB- ənˈdorə -RSB- , -LSB- anˈdɔra -RSB- ) , officially the Principality of Andorra ( Principat d'Andorra ) , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra ( -LSB- Principat de les Valls d'Andorra , links = no -RSB- ) , is a sovereign landlocked microstate in Southwestern Europe , located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France . Created under a charter in 988 , the present principality was formed in 1278 . It is known as a principality as it is a diarchy headed by two Co-Princes the Roman Catholic Bishop of Urgell in Spain , and the President of France .   Andorra is the sixth-smallest nation in Europe , having an area of 468 km2 ( 181 sq mi ) and a population of approximately 85,000 . Its capital Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe , at an elevation of 1,023 m above sea level . The official language is Catalan , although Spanish , Portuguese , and French are also commonly spoken .   Andorra 's tourism services an estimated 10.2 million visitors annually . It is not a member of the European Union , but the euro is the official currency . It has been a member of the United Nations since 1993 . In 2013 , the people of Andorra had the highest life expectancy in the world at 81 years , according to The Lancet .


France France ( -LSB- fʁɑ̃s -RSB- ) , officially the French Republic ( -LSB- ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz -RSB- ) , is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . The European , or metropolitan , area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . France spans 643801 km2 and had a total population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017 . It is a unitary semi-presidential republic with the capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban centres include Marseille , Lyon , Lille , Nice , Toulouse and Bordeaux .   During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome , which held Gaul until 486 , when the Germanic Franks conquered the region and formed the Kingdom of France . France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , with its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337 to 1453 ) strengthening state-building and political centralisation . During the Renaissance , French culture flourished and a global colonial empire was established , which by the 20th century would be the second largest in the world . The 16th century was dominated by religious civil wars between Catholics and Protestants ( Huguenots ) . France became Europe 's dominant cultural , political , and military power under Louis XIV . In the late 18th century , the French Revolution overthrew the absolute monarchy , established one of modern history 's earliest republics , and saw the drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen , which expresses the nation 's ideals to this day .   In the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire , whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe . Following the collapse of the Empire , France endured a tumultuous succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870 . France was a major participant in the First World War , from which it emerged victorious , and was one of the Allied Powers in the Second World War , but came under occupation by the Axis Powers in 1940 . Following liberation in 1944 , a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War . The Fifth Republic , led by Charles de Gaulle , was formed in 1958 and remains to this day . Algeria and nearly all the other colonies became independent in the 1960s and typically retained close economic and military connections with France .   France has long been a global centre of art , science , and philosophy . It hosts Europe 's fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually , the most of any country in the world . France is a developed country with the world 's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity . In terms of aggregate household wealth , it ranks fourth in the world . France performs well in international rankings of education , health care , life expectancy , and human development . France remains a great power in the world , being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state . It is a leading member state of the European Union and the Eurozone . It is also a member of the Group of 7 , North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) , Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) , and La Francophonie .


Spain Spain ( España -LSB- esˈpaɲa -RSB- ) , officially the Kingdom of Spain ( -LSB- Reino de España , links = no -RSB- ) , is a sovereign state located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe , with two large archipelagoes , the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands off the North African Atlantic coast , two cities Ceuta and Melilla in the North African mainland and several small islands in the Alboran Sea near the Moroccan coast . Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar ; to the north and northeast by France , Andorra , and the Bay of Biscay ; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean . It is the only European country to have a border with an African country ( Morocco ) and its African territory accounts for nearly 5 % of its population , mostly in the Canary Islands but also in Ceuta and Melilla .   With an area of 505990 km2 , Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe , the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union , and the fourth largest country in the European continent . By population , Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union . Spain 's capital and largest city is Madrid ; other major urban areas include Barcelona , Valencia , Seville , Bilbao and Málaga .   Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago . Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician , Greek and Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BCE , after which the region was named Hispania , based on the earlier Phoenician name Span or Spania . In the Middle Ages , the area was conquered by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors . Spain emerged as a unified country in the 15th century , following the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs and the completion of the eight centuries-long reconquest , or Reconquista from the Moors in 1492 . In the early modern period , Spain became one of history 's first global colonial empires , leaving a vast cultural and linguistic legacy that includes over 500 million Spanish speakers , making Spanish the world 's second most spoken first language , after Mandarin Chinese .   Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy . It is a middle power and a major developed country with the world 's fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP and sixteenth largest by purchasing power parity . It is a member of the United Nations ( UN ) , the European Union ( EU ) , the Eurozone , the Council of Europe ( CoE ) , the Organization of Ibero-American States ( OEI ) , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) and many other international organisations .


Aaron Taylor-Johnson's breakout role was in Nowhere Boy.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Aaron Taylor-Johnson ( born Aaron Perry Johnson ; 13 June 1990 ) is an English actor , best known as the title character in the Kick-Ass films and Quicksilver in Avengers : Age of Ultron ( 2015 ) .   Taylor-Johnson began performing at age six and has appeared in films such as Shanghai Knights ( 2003 ) , playing a young Charlie Chaplin , The Illusionist ( 2006 ) and Angus , Thongs and Perfect Snogging ( 2008 ) . He had his breakthrough performance in the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy ( 2009 ) . He went on to portray Ben in the Oliver Stone-directed crime thriller Savages ( 2012 ) , Russian aristocrat Count Vronsky in Joe Wright 's adaptation of Anna Karenina ( 2012 ) and Lt. Brody in Gareth Edwards ' monster movie Godzilla ( 2014 ) . For his performance as psychopathic drifter Ray Marcus in Tom Ford 's thriller Nocturnal Animals ( 2016 ) , he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role .   He was initially credited as Aaron Johnson , but began being billed as Aaron Taylor-Johnson in 2013 , with Kick-Ass 2 . He had legally changed his name after marrying director Sam Taylor-Wood .


Constantine was the first film by an American filmmaker.

Cinema of the United States The cinema of the United States , often metonymously referred to as Hollywood , has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century . The dominant style of American cinema is Classical Hollywood Cinema , which developed from 1917-1960 and characterizes most films to this day . While the French Lumière Brothers are generally credited with the birth of modern cinema , it is American cinema that soon became the most dominant force in an emerging industry . Since the 1920s , the American film industry has grossed more money every year than that of any other country .   In 1878 , Eadweard Muybridge demonstrated the power of photography to capture motion . In 1894 , the world 's first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City , using Thomas Edison 's Kinetoscope . The United States was in the forefront of sound film development in the following decades . Since the early 20th century , the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood , Los Angeles , California . Picture City , Florida was also a planned site for a movie picture production center in the 1920s , but due to the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane , the idea collapsed and Picture City returned to its original name of Hobe Sound . Director D. W. Griffith was central to the development of film grammar . Orson Welles 's Citizen Kane ( 1941 ) is frequently cited in critics ' polls as the greatest film of all time .   The major film studios of Hollywood are the primary source of the most commercially successful movies in the world , such as The Birth of a Nation ( 1915 ) , Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ) , The Sound of Music ( 1965 ) , Jaws ( 1975 ) , Star Wars ( 1977 ) , E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ( 1982 ) , Jurassic Park ( 1993 ) , Titanic ( 1997 ) , Avatar ( 2009 ) , The Avengers ( 2012 ) , Furious 7 ( 2015 ) , Jurassic World ( 2015 ) , and Star Wars : The Force Awakens ( 2015 ) . Today , American film studios collectively generate several hundred movies every year , making the United States one of the most prolific producers of films in the world .


Constantine (film) Constantine is a 2005 American-German occult detective action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his feature film directorial debut , starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine , with Rachel Weisz , Shia LaBeouf , Tilda Swinton , Pruitt Taylor Vince , and Djimon Hounsou . With a screenplay by Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello , the film is based on DC Comics ' Hellblazer comic book , with plot elements taken from the `` Dangerous Habits '' story arc ( issues # 4146 ) and the `` Original Sins '' story arc .   The character of John Constantine was introduced by comic book writer/creator Alan Moore while writing the Swamp Thing , first appearing there in June 1985 . In 1988 , the character of John Constantine was given his own comic book title , Hellblazer , published by DC Comics . The `` Dangerous Habits '' story arc was written by Garth Ennis in 1991 .   The film portrays John Constantine as a cynic with the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons in their true form . He seeks salvation from eternal damnation in Hell for a suicide attempt in his youth . Constantine exorcises demons back to Hell to earn favor with Heaven but has become weary over time . With terminal lung cancer , he helps a troubled police detective learn the truth about her sister 's death while simultaneously unraveling a much larger and darker plot .   Constantine was released in the United States and Canada on February 18 , 2005 and in Hong Kong on February 8 , 2005 . The film received mixed reviews and was a box office success , grossing $ 230.9 million worldwide from a $ 100 million budget .


The Vampire Diaries was developed by an American born in February.

Julie Plec Julie Plec ( born May 26 , 1972 ) is an American television producer and writer , known for her work on the CW television series The Vampire Diaries which she co-created with Kevin Williamson , and its spin-off The Originals , also the TV series Containment


Kevin Williamson (screenwriter) Kevin Meade Williamson ( born March 14 , 1965 ) is an American screenwriter , filmmaker , and actor , best known as the creator of the TV series Dawson 's Creek ( 1998 -- 2003 ) , The Vampire Diaries ( 2009 -- 2017 ) , The Following ( 2013 -- 2015 ) and Stalker ( 2014 -- 2015 ) .  He is also widely known for developing and writing the screenplay for the slasher film Scream , as well as its sequels Scream 2 and Scream 4 . He also wrote the screenplay for the films I Know What You Did Last Summer , The Faculty , Teaching Mrs. Tingle ( which he also directed ) , and Cursed .


The Vampire Diaries The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec , based on the popular book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith . The series premiered on The CW on September 10 , 2009 and concluded on March 10 , 2017 , airing 171 episodes over eight seasons .   The pilot episode attracted the largest audience for The CW of any series premiere since the network began in 2006 . The first season averaged 3.60 million viewers . It was the most-watched series on the network before being supplanted by Arrow . The show has received numerous award nominations , winning four People 's Choice Award and many Teen Choice Awards .   On April 26 , 2013 , The CW officially announced that the spin-off The Originals , which focuses on the Original family of vampires , had been ordered to series , and the show began airing during the 2013 -- 14 American television season .   On April 6 , 2015 , lead actress Nina Dobrev confirmed via Instagram that she and co-star Michael Trevino ( who plays Tyler Lockwood ) would be leaving the show after its sixth season . Dobrev returned to record a voiceover for the seventh-season finale . Trevino appeared as a guest star in season seven and returned for season 8 . On March 11 , 2016 , The CW renewed the series for an eighth season , but on July 23 , 2016 , announced that the eighth season , which would have 16 episodes , would be the show 's last . The final season began airing on October 21 , 2016 .


Paul Thomas Anderson produced The Master.

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson ( born June 26 , 1970 ) also known as P.T. Anderson , is an American filmmaker . Interested in film-making since a young age , Anderson was encouraged by his father to become a filmmaker .   In 1993 , he wrote and directed a short film titled Cigarettes & Coffee on a budget of $ 20,000 . After he attended the Sundance Institute , Anderson had a deal with Rysher Entertainment to direct his first feature film , a neo-noir crime thriller titled Hard Eight , in 1996 . Anderson received critical and commercial success for his film Boogie Nights ( 1997 ) , set during the Golden Age of Porn in the 1970s and 1980s . His third feature , Magnolia ( 1999 ) , takes place over a single day in the San Fernando Valley , following the interconnected lives of several characters in search of happiness and resolution . It received strongly positive reviews despite struggling at the box office . In 2002 , the romantic comedy-drama Punch-Drunk Love , Anderson 's fourth feature , was released to generally favorable reviews .   The epic drama There Will Be Blood ( 2007 ) , set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries , centers on a silver miner 's efforts to capitalize on the Southern California oil boom . Released after a five-year absence , it garnered wide acclaim from critics . Anderson 's sixth film , the drama The Master ( 2012 ) , was released to critical acclaim . His seventh film , the crime comedy-drama Inherent Vice , based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon , was released in 2014 , to general acclaim . His eighth film , Junun , is a documentary about the making of an album of the same name . His ninth film , Phantom Thread , which will reunite him with actor Daniel Day-Lewis , will be released on December 25 , 2017 .   Anderson has been nominated for six Academy Awards over the course of his career , while his works have earned a further fourteen Academy Award nominations and two wins for cast and crew . There Will Be Blood has been named by several critics as the best film of the 2000s . It later ranked , along with The Master and Inherent Vice , in the BBC 's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century .


The Master (2012 film) The Master is a 2012 American psychological drama film written , directed , and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Joaquin Phoenix , Philip Seymour Hoffman , and Amy Adams . It tells the story of Freddie Quell ( Phoenix ) , a World War II veteran struggling to adjust to a post-war society , who meets Lancaster Dodd ( Hoffman ) , a leader of a religious movement known as `` The Cause '' . Dodd sees something in Quell and accepts him into the movement . Freddie takes a liking to `` The Cause '' and begins traveling with Dodd along the East Coast to spread the teachings .   It was produced by Annapurna Pictures and Ghoulardi Film Company and distributed by The Weinstein Company . With a budget of $ 30 million , filming began in June 2011 , with cinematography provided by Mihai Mălaimare Jr. . Jonny Greenwood was the music composer and Peter McNulty film editor . The film was partly inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard , as well as early drafts of There Will Be Blood , drunk Navy stories that Jason Robards had told to Anderson prior , and the life story of John Steinbeck . The Master was shot almost entirely on 65mm film stock , making it the first fiction feature to be shot and released in 70 mm since Kenneth Branagh 's Hamlet in 1996 .   Initially , the film was set up with Universal , but fell through due to script and budget problems . It was first publicly shown on August 3 , 2012 , at the American Cinematheque in 70 mm and screened variously in the same way , and officially premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 1 . where it won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film . It was released on September 14 , 2012 , in the United States to critical acclaim , with its acting , screenplay , direction , plausibility and realistic resemblance to post-World War II Americans praised . It further received three Academy Award nominations : Best Actor for Phoenix , Best Supporting Actor for Hoffman , and Best Supporting Actress for Adams . In 2016 , The Master was voted the 24th greatest film of the 21st century by 177 critics from around the world .


Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a nature book.

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne , ( -LSB- ` rɛdˌmeɪn -RSB- born 6 January 1982 ) is an English actor of stage and screen . Born and raised in Westminster , he studied history of art at Trinity College , Cambridge , after which he briefly dabbled with a modelling career . Redmayne began his professional acting career as a youth in West End theatre before making his screen debut in 1998 with guest appearances on television . His first film roles came in 2006 with Like Minds and The Good Shepherd , and he went on to play supporting roles in several films , including Savage Grace ( 2007 ) , Elizabeth : The Golden Age ( 2007 ) , and The Other Boleyn Girl ( 2008 ) .   Redmayne also starred in the stage productions of Red ( 2009 -- 10 ) and Richard II ( 2011 -- 12 ) . The former won him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play . His film breakthrough came with the roles of Colin Clark in the biographical drama My Week with Marilyn ( 2011 ) and Marius Pontmercy in Tom Hooper 's musical Les Misérables ( 2012 ) . In 2014 , Redmayne portrayed English physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything , winning an Academy Award , a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor . The following year , he played Lili Elbe , one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery , in Hooper 's The Danish Girl , which saw him nominated for Best Actor in the three aforementioned awards . In 2016 , he starred as Newt Scamander in the fantasy film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them .


Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2016 fantasy film directed by David Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. . Pictures . A spin-off of the Harry Potter film series , it was produced and written by J. K. Rowling , in her screenwriting debut , and inspired by her book of the same name . Set in 1926 New York , the film stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander with Katherine Waterston , Dan Fogler , Alison Sudol , Ezra Miller , Samantha Morton , Jon Voight , Carmen Ejogo , Ron Perlman and Colin Farrell in supporting roles . It is the first instalment in the Fantastic Beasts series , and the ninth overall in J. K. Rowling 's Wizarding World , the franchise that began with the Harry Potter films .   Principal photography began at Warner Bros. . Studios , Leavesden , England in August 2015 and was completed in January 2016 . Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them premiered in New York City on 10 November 2016 and was released worldwide on 18 November 2016 in 3D , IMAX 4K Laser and other large format cinemas . The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $ 814 million worldwide , making it the eighth highest-grossing film of 2016 .   The film was nominated for five BAFTAs , winning for Best Production Design , as well as two Academy Awards , winning Best Costume Design , becoming the first film in J.K. Rowling 's Wizarding World to win an Academy Award .


Chandni is exclusively a children's film.

Chandni Chandni ( Translation : Moonlight ) is a 1989 Indian Hindi language romantic drama film , starring Sridevi as the eponymous lead alongside Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna and Waheeda Rehman . It was directed by Yash Chopra and the screenplay was written by Kamna Chandra , Arun Kaul , Sagar Sarhadi and Umesh Kalbagh .   Chandni was a great success in 1989 and is considered one of the most successful films of all time . The profits of this romantic musical brought an end to Chopra 's lean phase . The platinum success of its music was also instrumental in bringing music back into Hindi films .   For the cast , the film reaffirmed Sridevi 's position as the top female star of the 1980s . It prolonged Rishi Kapoor 's fading career and showed that he was still profitable as a leading hero . Chandni provided a boost for Vinod Khanna 's career and reunited Kapoor and Khanna , who were last seen together in the popular Amar Akbar Anthony ( 1977 ) . Sridevi 's white costumes became popular as the ` Chandni Look ' and the songs of the film are still a rage . Though this was not the first time Yash Chopra shot a film in Switzerland , the extensive scenes shot there made it a popular tourist destination for Indians .   Chandni won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film of 1989 and is regarded as one of the Yash Chopra 's best films.द


Jon Watts has only ever had a book released.

Cop Car (film) Cop Car is a 2015 American road thriller film directed by Jon Watts , written by Watts and Christopher Ford and starring Kevin Bacon , Shea Whigham , Camryn Manheim , James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford .   The film follows two young boys who come across the abandoned police car of a corrupt sheriff . It was released on August 7 , 2015 , by Focus World .


Jon Watts Jon Watts ( born June 28 , 1981 ) is an American film director , producer and screenwriter . Watts directed and co-wrote the upcoming Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures produced Spider-Man : Homecoming , slated for a July 7 , 2017 release .  He directed the films Clown and Cop Car and episodes of the Onion News Network .


Clown (film) Clown is a 2014 American 3D supernatural horror film directed by Jon Watts , produced by Mac Cappuccino , Eli Roth and Cody Ryder , and written by Christopher D. Ford and Watts . The film stars Laura Allen , Andy Powers , and Peter Stormare . The visual effects for the clown monster were done by Alterian , Inc. and Tony Gardner . Principal photography began in November 2012 , in Ottawa . The film was released in Italy on November 13 , 2014 , and was released in the UK on March 2 , 2015 , and in the United States on June 17 , 2016 , by Dimension Films .


Sally Field obtained the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field ( born November 6 , 1946 ) is an American actress and director . Field began her career on television , starring on the sitcoms Gidget ( 1965 -- 66 ) , The Flying Nun ( 1967 -- 70 ) , and The Girl with Something Extra ( 1973 -- 74 ) . She ventured into movies with Smokey and the Bandit ( 1977 ) and later Norma Rae ( 1979 ) , for which she received the Academy Award for Best Actress . She later received Golden Globe Award nominations for her performances in Absence of Malice ( 1981 ) and Kiss Me Goodbye ( 1982 ) , before receiving her second Academy Award for Best Actress for Places in the Heart ( 1984 ) . Field received further nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Murphy 's Romance ( 1985 ) and Steel Magnolias ( 1989 ) .   In the 1990s , Field appeared in a wide range of films , including Not Without My Daughter ( 1991 ) and Mrs. Doubtfire ( 1993 ) , before being nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Forrest Gump ( 1994 ) . In the 2000s , she returned to television with a recurring role on the NBC medical drama ER , for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2001 . From 2006 to 2011 , she portrayed the lead role of Nora Walker on the ABC television drama Brothers & Sisters , for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007 . Field later starred as Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln ( 2012 ) , for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress , among other accolades . She also appeared as Aunt May in The Amazing Spider-Man ( 2012 ) and reprised the role in the 2014 sequel .   As a director , Field is known for the television film The Christmas Tree ( 1996 ) , an episode of the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon as well as the feature film Beautiful ( 2000 ) . In 2014 , she was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .


John Wayne Gacy Jr. was involved in crime.

John Wayne Gacy John Wayne Gacy Jr. ( March 17 , 1942 -- May 10 , 1994 ) was an American serial killer and rapist . He sexually assaulted , tortured and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978 in Cook County , Illinois ( a part of metropolitan Chicago ) .   All of Gacy 's known murders were committed inside his Norwood Park ranch house . His victims were typically lured to his address by force or deception , and all but one of his victims were murdered by either asphyxiation or strangulation with a makeshift tourniquet ; his first victim was stabbed to death . Gacy buried 26 of his victims in the crawl space of his home . Three other victims were buried elsewhere on his property , while the bodies of his last four known victims were discarded in the Des Plaines River .   Convicted of 33 murders , Gacy was sentenced to death on March 13 , 1980 for 12 of those killings . He spent 14 years on death row before he was finally executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10 , 1994 .   Gacy became known as the `` Killer Clown '' because of his charitable services at fundraising events , parades , and children 's parties where he would dress as `` Pogo the Clown '' , a character he devised himself .


Dangerous Liaisons is based on the play of a British playwright born in 1946.

Christopher Hampton Christopher James Hampton , CBE , FRSL ( born 26 January 1946 ) is a British playwright , screenwriter , translator and film director . He is best known for his play based on the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses and the film version Dangerous Liaisons ( 1988 ) and also more recently for writing the nominated screenplay for the film adaptation of Ian McEwan 's Atonement .


Dangerous Liaisons Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 American historical drama film based upon Christopher Hampton 's play Les liaisons dangereuses , which in turn was a theatrical adaptation of the 18th-century French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos .   The film was directed by Stephen Frears . The performances of Glenn Close , John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer , the cinematography of Philippe Rousselot , the costume design by James Acheson , and the screenplay by Christopher Hampton , garnered critical acclaim . Swoosie Kurtz , Mildred Natwick and Peter Capaldi appeared in supporting roles , as did the young , and then-relatively unknown , actors Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman .   The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards , including Best Picture ; it won those for Best Adapted Screenplay , Best Costume Design , and Best Art Direction .


Our Revolution Our Revolution is an American progressive political action organization spun out of Senator Bernie Sanders ' 2016 presidential campaign to continue its work . The organization 's mission is to educate voters about issues , get people involved in the political process , and work to organize and elect progressive candidates . Our Revolution is also the title of a book by Sanders released in November 2016 .


Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders ( born September 8 , 1941 ) is an American politician who has been the junior United States Senator from Vermont since 2007 . Sanders is the longest serving independent in U.S. congressional history . Since his election to the House of Representatives in 1991 , he has caucused with the Democratic Party , which has entitled him to congressional committee assignments and at times given Democrats a majority . Sanders became the ranking minority member on the Senate Budget Committee in January 2015 ; he had previously been chair of the Senate Veterans ' Affairs Committee for two years . Since January 2017 , he has been Chair of the Senate Democratic Outreach Committee . Sanders 's campaign against Hillary Clinton for the party 's 2016 U.S. presidential nomination raised more money in small , individual contributions than any other in American history , and helped him rise to international recognition . A self-described democratic socialist , Sanders is pro-labor and emphasizes reversing economic inequality . Many scholars consider his views to be more in line with social democracy and New Deal-era American progressivism than democratic socialism .   Sanders was born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964 . While a student he was an active protest organizer for the Congress of Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the Civil Rights Movement . After settling in Vermont in 1968 , Sanders ran unsuccessful third-party campaigns for governor and U.S. senator in the early to mid-1970s . As an independent , he was elected mayor of Burlington -- Vermont 's most populous city of 42,417 in 2010 -- in 1981 , by a margin of ten votes . He went on to be reelected as mayor three times . In 1990 , he was elected to represent Vermont 's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives , where he co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus in 1991 . He served as a congressman for 16 years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 . In 2012 , he was reelected with 71 % of the popular vote . Polls indicate that he is among the senators most popular with their constituents , ranking third in 2014 and first in both 2015 and 2016 .   Sanders rose to national prominence following his 2010 filibuster against the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 , which extended the Bush tax cuts that favored the wealthiest Americans . He has built a reputation as a leading progressive voice on issues such as campaign finance reform , corporate welfare , global warming , income inequality , LGBT rights , parental leave , and universal healthcare . Sanders has long been critical of U.S. foreign policy and was an early and outspoken opponent of the Iraq War , the First Gulf War , and U.S. support for the Contras in Nicaragua . He is also outspoken on civil liberties and civil rights , particularly criticizing racial discrimination in the criminal justice system as well as advocating for privacy rights against mass surveillance policies such as the USA PATRIOT Act and the NSA surveillance programs .   Sanders announced his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 30 , 2015 . Initially considered a long shot , Sanders won 23 primaries and caucuses and approximately 43 % of pledged delegates to Clinton 's 55 % . His campaign was noted for the enthusiasm of its supporters , as well as his rejection of large donations from corporations , the financial industry , and any associated Super PAC . On July 12 , 2016 , Sanders formally endorsed Clinton against her Republican general election opponent Donald Trump , while urging his supporters to continue the `` political revolution '' his campaign had begun . In November 2016 , Sanders 's book Our Revolution : A Future to Believe In was released ; upon its release , it was on The New York Times best-seller list at number 3 . In 2016 Sanders formed a political organization , Our Revolution , to educate voters about issues , get people involved in the political process , and work to organize and elect progressive candidates . In February 2017 , Sanders began webcasting The Bernie Sanders Show on Facebook .


Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( -LSB- ( t ) ʃaˈkiɾa isaˈβel meβaˈɾak riˈpol -RSB- ; -LSB- langʃəˈki : rə -RSB- born 2 February 1977 ) is a Colombian singer , songwriter , dancer , and record producer . Born and raised in Barranquilla , she began performing in school , demonstrating Latin American , Arabic , and rock and roll influences and belly dancing abilities . Shakira 's first studio albums , Magia and Peligro , failed to attain commercial success in the 1990s ; however , she rose to prominence in Latin America with her major-label debut , Pies Descalzos ( 1996 ) , and her fourth album , Dónde Están los Ladrones ? ( 1998 ) .   Shakira entered the English-language market with her fifth album , Laundry Service . Its lead single , `` Whenever , Wherever '' , became one of the most successful singles of 2002 . Her success was solidified with her sixth and seventh albums Fijación Oral , Volumen Uno and Oral Fixation , Volume Two ( 2005 ) , the latter of which spawned one of the best-selling songs of the 21st century , `` Hips Do n't Lie '' . Shakira 's eighth and ninth albums , She Wolf ( 2009 ) and Sale el Sol ( 2010 ) , received critical praise . Her official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup , `` Waka Waka ( This Time for Africa ) '' , became the biggest-selling World Cup song of all time . With over 1.3 billion views , it is one of the most-watched music videos on YouTube . Shakira served as a coach on the fourth and sixth seasons of the American version of The Voice in 2013 and 2014 , respectively . Her tenth album , Shakira ( 2014 ) , is preceded by its lead single , `` Ca n't Remember to Forget You '' .   Shakira has won many awards , including five MTV Video Music Awards , two Grammy Awards , eight Latin Grammy Awards , seven Billboard Music Awards , 28 Billboard Latin Music Awards and has been Golden Globe-nominated . She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , and has sold between 70 and 125 million records worldwide ( depending on the source ) , making her the best selling South American singer and one of the best selling Latin artists of all time . She carries out well-known philanthropic activities through charity work most notably through her Pies Descalzos Foundation . In 2014 , she was listed as the 58th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes .


My Everything peaked in the top ten of twenty countries worldwide.

My Everything (Ariana Grande album) My Everything is the second studio album by American singer Ariana Grande , released on August 25 , 2014 by Republic Records . Grande wanted My Everything to sound as `` an evolution '' from her debut album , Yours Truly ( 2013 ) ; it explores more mature themes and genres . In the album 's production , Ariana worked with a host of producers -- including Max Martin , Shellback , Benny Blanco , Ryan Tedder , Darkchild , Ilya Salmanzadeh , Zedd , and David Guetta . Upon its release , the album debuted atop the Billboard 200 , selling 169,000 copies in its first week . It debuted at number one in Australia and Canada as well , and peaked in the top ten of twenty countries worldwide . As of March 2016 , the album has sold 692,000 copies in the United States .   My Everything was preceded by the lead single `` Problem '' , which features Australian rapper Iggy Azalea . After its release on April 28 , 2014 , the single debuted at number three the week of May 17 , selling over 400,000 copies in its first week and eventually peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 . `` Break Free '' , featuring German-Russian musician and producer Zedd , was released as the second single on July 2 , and peaked at the fourth position on the Hot 100 . The fourth single , `` Love Me Harder '' , featuring The Weeknd , was released on September 30 , 2014 and peaked at number seven . At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015 , My Everything was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album .


Ulysses S. Grant worked with Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant ( born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27 , 1822 -- July 23 , 1885 ) was the 18th President of the United States ( 1869 -- 77 ) . As Commanding General ( 1864 -- 69 ) , Grant worked closely with President Abraham Lincoln to lead the Union Army to victory over the Confederacy in the American Civil War . Supported by Congress , Grant implemented Reconstruction , often at odds with President Andrew Johnson . Twice elected president , Grant led the Republicans in their effort to remove the vestiges of Confederate nationalism and slavery , protect African-American citizenship , and support economic prosperity . His presidency has often been criticized for tolerating corruption and for the economic depression in his second term .   Grant graduated in 1843 from the United States Military Academy at West Point , then served in the Mexican -- American War . After the war he married Julia Boggs Dent in 1848 , their marriage producing four children . Grant initially retired from the Army in 1854 . He struggled financially in civilian life . When the Civil War began in 1861 , he rejoined the U.S. Army . In 1862 , Grant took control of Kentucky and most of Tennessee , and led Union forces to victory in the Battle of Shiloh , earning a reputation as an aggressive commander . In July 1863 , after a series of coordinated battles , Grant defeated Confederate armies and seized Vicksburg , giving the Union control of the Mississippi River and dividing the Confederacy in two . After his victories in the Chattanooga Campaign , Lincoln promoted him to lieutenant general and Commanding General of the Army in March 1864 . Grant confronted Robert E. Lee in a series of bloody battles , trapping Lee 's army in their defense of Richmond . Grant coordinated a series of devastating campaigns in other theaters , as well . In April 1865 , Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox , effectively ending the war . Historians have hailed Grant 's military genius , and his strategies are featured in military history textbooks , but a minority contend that he won by brute force rather than superior strategy .   After the Civil War , Grant led the army 's supervision of Reconstruction in the former Confederate states . Elected president in 1868 , he stabilized the nation during that turbulent period , prosecuted the Ku Klux Klan , and enforced civil rights and voting rights laws using the army and the newly created Department of Justice . He also used the army to build the Republican Party in the South . After the disenfranchisement of some former Confederates , Republicans gained majorities , and African Americans were elected to Congress and high state offices . The Democrats and Liberal Republicans united behind Grant 's opponent in the presidential election of 1872 , but were unable to defeat his reelection . In his second term , the Republican coalitions in the South splintered and were defeated one by one as redeemers ( conservative whites ) regained control using coercion and violence . In response , Grant signed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 into law . In May 1875 , Grant authorized his Secretary of Treasury Benjamin Bristow to prosecute the corrupt Whiskey Ring . Grant 's Indian Peace Policy , incorporating Christian missionaries , initially reduced frontier violence , but it is best known for the Great Sioux War of 1876 . Grant 's administration faced charges of corruption more than that of any other 19th Century president . He appointed the first Civil Service Commission and signed legislation ending the corrupt moiety system .   In foreign policy , Grant was uneven , having sought to increase trade and influence while remaining at peace with the world . When Grant relied on his Secretary of State Hamilton Fish , his administration successfully resolved the Alabama claims by the Treaty of Washington with Great Britain , ending wartime tensions . Additionally , Grant and Fish avoided war with Spain over the Virginius Affair negotiating a peaceful resolution . Congress rejected Grant 's own attempted annexation of the Dominican Republic initiative , creating a rift among Republicans . His administration implemented a gold standard and sought to strengthen the dollar . Corruption charges escalated during his second term , while his response to the Panic of 1873 proved ineffective nationally in halting the five-year industrial depression that produced high unemployment , low prices , low profits , and bankruptcies . Grant left office in 1877 and embarked on a two-year diplomatic world tour that captured the nation 's attention .   In 1880 , Grant was unsuccessful in obtaining the Republican presidential nomination for a third term . Facing severe investment reversals and dying of throat cancer , he wrote his memoirs , which proved to be a major literary work and financial success . His death in 1885 prompted an outpouring in support of national unity . Historical assessment of Grant 's legacy has varied considerably over the years . Early historical evaluations were negative about Grant 's presidency , often focusing on the corruption charges against his associates . This trend began to change in the later 20th century . Scholars in general rank his presidency below the average , but modern research , in part focusing on civil rights , evaluates his administration more positively .


The Oprah Winfrey Show has won at least one award.

The Oprah Winfrey Show The Oprah Winfrey Show , often referred to simply as Oprah , is an American syndicated tabloid talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8 , 1986 to May 25 , 2011 in Chicago , Illinois . Produced and hosted by its namesake , Oprah Winfrey , it remains the highest-rated talk show in American television history .   The show has been highly influential , and many of its topics have penetrated into the American pop-cultural consciousness . Winfrey has used the show as an educational platform , featuring book clubs , interviews , self-improvement segments , and philanthropic forays into world events . The show does not attempt to profit off the products it endorses ; it has had no licensing agreement with retailers when products were promoted , nor has the show made any money from endorsing books for its book club .   Oprah is one of the longest-running daytime television tabloid talk shows in history . The show received 47 Daytime Emmy Awards before Winfrey chose to stop submitting it for consideration in 2000 .   In 2002 , TV Guide ranked it at # 49 on TV Guide 's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time . In 2013 , they ranked it as the 19th greatest TV show of all time .


Tom Cruise was in the university Vanilla Sky.

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 , 1962 ) , known professionally as Tom Cruise , is an American actor and producer . He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards . He started his career at age 19 in the film Endless Love ( 1981 ) . After portraying supporting roles in Taps ( 1981 ) and The Outsiders ( 1983 ) , his first leading role was in the romantic comedy Risky Business , released in August 1983 . Cruise became a full-fledged movie star after starring as Pete `` Maverick '' Mitchell in the action drama Top Gun ( 1986 ) . One of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood , Cruise starred in several more successful films in the 1980s , including the dramas The Color of Money ( 1986 ) , Cocktail ( 1988 ) , Rain Man ( 1988 ) , and Born on the Fourth of July ( 1989 ) .   In the 1990s , he starred in a number of hit films , including the romance Far and Away ( 1992 ) , the drama A Few Good Men ( 1992 ) , the legal thriller The Firm ( 1993 ) , the drama horror film Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) , the romantic comedy-drama sports film Jerry Maguire ( 1996 ) , the erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut , and the drama Magnolia ( both 1999 ) . Since 1996 , Cruise has been well known for his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission : Impossible film series , whose most recent film , Mission : Impossible -- Rogue Nation , was released in 2015 .   In the 2000s , Cruise starred in a number of successful films , including the science fiction thrillers Vanilla Sky ( 2001 ) and Minority Report ( 2002 ) , the epic war film The Last Samurai ( 2003 ) , the crime film Collateral ( 2004 ) , the science fiction disaster thriller War of the Worlds ( 2005 ) , and the historical thriller Valkyrie ( 2008 ) .   In the 2010s , he has starred in the action comedy Knight and Day ( 2010 ) , the thriller Jack Reacher ( 2012 ) , the post-apocalyptic science fiction film Oblivion ( 2013 ) , and the military science fiction film Edge of Tomorrow ( 2014 ) . In 2012 , Cruise was Hollywood 's highest-paid actor . 16 of his films grossed over $ 100 million domestically ; 22 have grossed in excess of $ 200 million worldwide .   He has won Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in Drama in 1990 for Born on the Fourth of July ; Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in Comedy/Musical in 1997 for Jerry Maguire ; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in 2000 for Magnolia . In 2002 , Cruise won the Saturn Award for Best Actor for Vanilla Sky . In 2003 , he won an AFI Movie of the Year Award for The Last Samurai and an Empire Award for Best Actor for Minority Report .   Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology and its associated social programs , and credits it with helping him overcome dyslexia . In the 2000s , his criticisms of psychiatry and anti-depressant drugs , particularly therapy for 9/11 rescue workers , and efforts to promote Scientology as a religion in Europe , sparked controversies , as did a leaked video interview of him promoting Scientology .


Brian Eno attended an institution in the 1960s.

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , RDI ( -LSB- ˈiːnoʊ -RSB- born 15 May 1948 and originally christened Brian Peter George Eno ) is an English musician , composer , record producer , singer , writer , and visual artist . He is best known for his pioneering work in rock , ambient , pop , and electronic music . A self-described `` non-musician '' , Eno has helped to introduce a variety of unique conceptual approaches and recording techniques into contemporary music , advocating a methodology of `` theory over practice '' throughout his career . He has been described as one of popular music 's most influential and innovative figures .   Born in Suffolk , Eno studied painting and experimental music at art school in the late 1960s before joining glam rock group Roxy Music as synthesizer player in 1971 . After recording two albums with the band , he departed in 1973 to record a number of solo albums , contributing to and ultimately coining the concept of ambient music with works such as Another Green World ( 1975 ) , Discreet Music ( 1975 ) , and Music for Airports ( 1978 ) . He took part in frequent collaborations with artists such as Robert Fripp , Harold Budd , Cluster , David Bowie on his `` Berlin Trilogy '' , and David Byrne on 1981 's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts . During the 1970s , Eno would also begin a parallel career as a producer , which included work on albums by Talking Heads and Devo , the no wave compilation No New York ( 1978 ) , and recordings by avant-garde artists such as John Cale , Jon Hassell , Laraaji , and Harold Budd , among others .   In subsequent decades , Eno continued to record solo albums , collaborate , and produce for other artists , including U2 , Coldplay , Laurie Anderson , James , Grace Jones , and Slowdive . Dating back to his time as a student , he has also pursued a variety of multimedia projects in parallel with his music career , including sound installations and his mid-70s co-development of Oblique Strategies , a deck of cards featuring cryptic aphorisms  intended to spur creative thinking . He continues to release music , produce , and write , and maintains a regular column in Prospect Magazine .


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


Minnesota was avoided by Europeans when they settled America.

German Americans The German American ethnic group ( Deutschamerikaner ) consists of Americans who have full or partial German ancestry . With an estimated size of approximately 46 million in 2014 , German Americans are the largest of the ancestry groups reported by the US Census Bureau in its American Community Survey . The group accounts for about of the total ethnic German population in the world .   None of the German states had American colonies . In the 1670s the first significant groups of German immigrants arrived in the British colonies , settling primarily in New York and Pennsylvania . Immigration continued in very large numbers during the 19th century , with eight million arrivals from Germany . Between 1820 and 1870 over seven and a half million German immigrants came to the United States -- more than doubling the entire population of the country . By 2010 , their population grew to 49.8 million immigrants , reflecting a jump of 6 million people since 2000 .   There is a `` German belt '' that extends all the way across the United States , from eastern Pennsylvania to the Oregon coast . Pennsylvania has the largest population of German-Americans in the U.S. and is home to one of the group 's original settlements , Germantown ( Philadelphia ) , founded in 1683 and the birthplace of the American antislavery movement in 1688 , as well as the revolutionary Battle of Germantown . The state of Pennsylvania has 3.5 million people of German ancestry .   They were pulled by the attractions of land and religious freedom , and pushed out of Europe by shortages of land and religious or political oppression . Many arrived seeking religious or political freedom , others for economic opportunities greater than those in Europe , and others for the chance to start fresh in the New World . The arrivals before 1850 were mostly farmers who sought out the most productive land , where their intensive farming techniques would pay off . After 1840 , many came to cities , where `` Germania '' -- German-speaking districts -- soon emerged .   German Americans established the first kindergartens in the United States , introduced the Christmas tree tradition , and introduced popular foods such as hot dogs and hamburgers to America .   The great majority of people with some German ancestry have become Americanized and hardly can be distinguished ; fewer than 5 % speak German . German-American societies abound , as do celebrations that are held throughout the country to celebrate German heritage of which the German-American Steuben Parade in New York City is one of the most well-known and is held every third Saturday in September . Traditional Oktoberfest celebrations and the German-American Day are popular festivities . There are major annual events in cities with German heritage including Chicago , Cincinnati , Milwaukee , Pittsburgh , San Antonio , and St. Louis .


Scandinavian Americans Scandinavian Americans or Nordic Americans are Americans of Scandinavian ( in the broad sense ) , or part-Scandinavian ancestry , defined in this article to include Danish Americans ( estimate : 1,453,897 ) , Faroese Americans ( no estimates ) , Finnish Americans ( estimate : 677,27 ) , Greenlandic Americans ( estimate : 352 ) , Icelandic Americans ( estimate : 51,234 ) , Norwegian Americans ( estimate : 4,602,337 ) , Sami Americans ( estimate : 30,000 ) , Swedish Americans ( estimate : 4,293,208 ) . Also included are persons who reported ` Northern European ' ancestry ( estimate : 230,027 ) or ` Scandinavian ' ancestry ( estimate : 582,549 ) . According to 2010 census data , there are approximately 11,890,524 people of Scandinavian ancestry in the United States .   Finns are not linguistically Scandinavian , with the exception of Swedish-speaking Finns . Americans of Sami descent can be classed as either Norwegian , Finnish or Swedish , however , the Sami are not linguistically Scandinavian either . Despite originating outside of Europe , Greenlandic Americans can be classed as Scandinavian American due to close historical ties with Scandinavia , and because Greenland is one of the three constituent countries of the Kingdom of Denmark .


Minnesota Minnesota ( -LSB- -LSB- ˌmɪnəˈso̞ɾɐ -RSB- help = no -RSB- ) is a state in the midwestern and northern regions of the United States . Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd U.S. state on May 11 , 1858 , created from the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory . The state has a large number of lakes , and is known by the slogan `` Land of 10,000 Lakes '' . Its official motto is L'Étoile du Nord ( French : Star of the North ) .   Minnesota is the 12th largest in area and the 21st most populous of the U.S. states ; nearly 60 percent of its residents live in the Minneapolis -- Saint Paul metropolitan area ( known as the `` Twin Cities '' ) , the center of transportation , business , industry , education , and government and home to an internationally known arts community . The remainder of the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture ; deciduous forests in the southeast , now partially cleared , farmed and settled ; and the less populated North Woods , used for mining , forestry , and recreation .   Minnesota is known for its progressive political orientation and its high rate of civic participation and voter turnout . Until European settlement , Minnesota was inhabited by the Dakota and Ojibwe/Anishinaabe . During the 19th and early 20th centuries , a large number of European settlers entered the state who had mainly emigrated from Scandinavia and Germany . The state remains today a center of Scandinavian American and German American culture . In recent decades , immigration from Asia , the Horn of Africa , and Latin America has broadened its historic demographic and cultural composition . Minnesota 's standard of living index is among the highest in the United States , and the state is also among the best-educated and wealthiest in the nation .


Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson ( August 29 , 1958 -- June 25 , 2009 ) was an American singer , songwriter , record producer , dancer , actor , and philanthropist . Called the `` King of Pop '' , his contributions to music , dance , and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades .   The eighth child of the Jackson family , Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5 . He began his solo career in 1971 . In the early 1980s , Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music . His music videos , including those of `` Beat It '' , `` Billie Jean '' , and `` Thriller '' from his 1982 album Thriller , are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool . The popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame . Jackson 's 1987 album Bad spawned the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles `` I Just Ca n't Stop Loving You '' , `` Bad '' , `` The Way You Make Me Feel '' , `` Man in the Mirror '' , and `` Dirty Diana '' , becoming the first album to have five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 . He continued to innovate with videos such as `` Black or White '' and `` Scream '' throughout the 1990s , and forged a reputation as a touring solo artist . Through stage and video performances , Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques , such as the robot and the moonwalk , to which he gave the name . His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous artists of various music genres .   Thriller is the best-selling album of all time , with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide . Jackson 's other albums , including Off the Wall ( 1979 ) , Bad ( 1987 ) , Dangerous ( 1991 ) , and HIStory ( 1995 ) , also rank among the world 's best-selling albums . He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records . Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice , and was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame as the only dancer from pop and rock music . His other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records , 13 Grammy Awards , the Grammy Legend Award , the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award , 26 American Music Awards -- more than any other artist -- including the `` Artist of the Century '' and `` Artist of the 1980s '' , 13 number-one singles in the United States during his solo career -- more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era -- and estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide . Jackson won hundreds of awards , making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music . He became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when `` Love Never Felt So Good '' reached number nine on May 21 , 2014 . Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism , and , in 2000 , the Guinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities , more than any other entertainer .   Aspects of Jackson 's personal life , including his changing appearance , personal relationships , and behavior , generated controversy . In 1993 , he was accused of child sexual abuse , but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount and no formal charges were brought . In 2005 , he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts . While preparing for his comeback concert series , This Is It , Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25 , 2009 , after suffering from cardiac arrest . The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide , and his personal physician , Conrad Murray , was convicted of involuntary manslaughter . Jackson 's death triggered a global outpouring of grief , and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world . Forbes ranks Jackson the top-earning dead celebrity , with earnings of $ 825 million in 2016 , the highest yearly amount ever recorded by the publication .


Patrick Dempsey is in one of the Transformers movies.

Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey ( born January 13 , 1966 ) is an American actor and race car driver , best known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek `` McDreamy '' Shepherd on Grey 's Anatomy . He saw early success as an actor , starring in a number of films in his early 20s , including Ca n't Buy Me Love ( 1987 ) and Loverboy ( 1989 ) . In the 1990s , he mostly appeared in smaller roles in film , such as Outbreak ( 1995 ) , and television , before landing a lead role in Sweet Home Alabama ( 2002 ) , a surprise box office hit . He has since then starred in a number of other films , including Enchanted ( 2007 ) , Made of Honor ( 2008 ) , Valentine 's Day ( 2010 ) , Flypaper ( 2011 ) , Freedom Writers ( 2007 ) , Transformers : Dark of the Moon ( 2011 ) and Bridget Jones 's Baby ( 2016 ) .   Dempsey , who maintains a sports car and vintage car collection , also enjoys auto racing in his spare time . He has competed in pro-am events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans , Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race , and Ensenada SCORE Baja 1000 off-road race . Prior to the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans , Dempsey declared that he would `` walk away '' from acting if he could and dedicate himself full-time to motorsports .


Dodecanese The Dodecanese ( -LSB- doʊdɪkəˈniːz -RSB- Δωδεκάνησα , Dodekánisa , -LSB- ðoðeˈkanisa -RSB- , literally `` twelve islands '' ) are a group of 15 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea , off the coast of Asia Minor ( Turkey ) , of which 26 are inhabited . Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete . They belong to the wider Southern Sporades island group .   The most historically important and well-known is Rhodes , which has been the area 's dominant island since Antiquity . Of the others , Kos and Patmos are historically the more important ; the remaining eleven are Agathonisi , Astypalaia , Kalymnos , Karpathos , Kasos , Leipsoi , Leros , Nisyros , Symi , Tilos , and Kastellorizo . Other islands in the chain include Alimia , Arkoi , Chalki , Farmakonisi , Gyali , Kinaros , Levitha , Marathos , Nimos , Pserimos , Saria , Strongyli , Syrna and Telendos .


Juliette Binoche was an actor in French film.

Hail Mary (film) Hail Mary ( Je vous salue , Marie ) is a 1985 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard . The film is a modern retelling of the story of a virgin birth . It was entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival . All screenings of the film in its initial theatrical distribution were accompanied by the short film The Book of Mary ( Le livre de Marie ) by Godard 's longtime companion and collaborator Anne-Marie Miéville .