Puerto Rico Puerto Rico ( Spanish for `` Rich Port '' ) , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico , `` Free Associated State of Puerto Rico '' ) and briefly called Porto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea .   It is an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller ones such as Mona , Culebra , and Vieques . The capital and most populous city is San Juan . Its official languages are Spanish and English , though Spanish predominates . The island 's population is approximately 3.4 million . Puerto Rico 's rich history , tropical climate , diverse natural scenery , traditional cuisine , and attractive tax incentives make it a popular destination for travelers from around the world .   Originally populated by the indigenous Taíno people , the island was claimed in 1493 by Christopher Columbus for the Crown of Castile , and it later endured invasion attempts from the French , Dutch , and British . Four centuries of Spanish colonial government transformed the island 's ethnic , cultural and physical landscapes primarily with waves of African slaves , and Canarian , and Andalusian settlers . In the Spanish imperial imagination , Puerto Rico played a secondary , but strategic role when compared to wealthier colonies like Peru and Mexico . Such a distant administrative control continued right up until the end of the 19th century helping to produce a distinctive creole Hispanic culture and language that combined elements from the Natives , Africans , and Iberian people . In 1898 , following the Spanish -- American War , the United States appropriated Puerto Rico together with most former Spanish colonies under the terms of the Treaty of Paris .   Puerto Ricans are considered natural-born citizens of the United States . However , Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the United States Congress , which governs the territory with full jurisdiction under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950 . As a U.S. territory , American citizens residing on the island are disenfranchised at the national level and may not vote for president and vice president of the United States . However , Congress approved a local constitution , allowing U.S. citizens on the territory to elect a governor . A 2012 referendum showed a majority ( 54 % of those who voted ) disagreed with `` the present form of territorial status '' , with full statehood as the preferred option among those who voted for a change of status , although a significant number of people did not answer the second question from the referendum . A fifth referendum will be held in June 2017 , and `` Statehood '' and `` Independence/Free Association '' were initially the only available options . However , at the recommendation of the Department of Justice , a `` current territorial status '' option will be added .   In early 2017 , the Puerto Rican government-debt crisis posed serious problems for the government . The outstanding bond debt had climbed to $ 70 billion at a time with 12.4 % unemployment . The debt had been increasing during a decade long recession . This was the second major financial crisis to affect the island after the Great Depression when the U.S. government , in 1935 , provided relief efforts through the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration . On May 3 , 2017 , Puerto Rico 's financial oversight board in the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico filed the debt restructuring petition which was made under Title III of PROMESA .


Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg ( -LSB- ˈɡɪnzbərɡ -RSB- June 3 , 1926 -- April 5 , 1997 ) was an American poet of Jewish origin , and one of the leading figures of both the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the counterculture that soon would follow . He vigorously opposed militarism , economic materialism and sexual repression and was known as embodying various aspects of this counterculture , such as his views on drugs , hostility to bureaucracy and openness to Eastern religions . He was one of many influential American writers of his time known as the Beat Generation , which included famous writers such as Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs .   Ginsberg is best known for his poem `` Howl '' , in which he denounced what he saw as the destructive forces of capitalism and conformity in the United States . In 1956 , `` Howl '' was seized by San Francisco police and US Customs . In 1957 , it attracted widespread publicity when it became the subject of an obscenity trial , as it described heterosexual and homosexual sex at a time when sodomy laws made homosexual acts a crime in every U.S. state . `` Howl '' reflected Ginsberg 's own homosexuality and his relationships with a number of men , including Peter Orlovsky , his lifelong partner . Judge Clayton W. Horn ruled that `` Howl '' was not obscene , adding , `` Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms ? ''   Ginsberg was a practicing Buddhist who studied Eastern religious disciplines extensively . He lived modestly , buying his clothing in second-hand stores and residing in downscale apartments in New York 's East Village . One of his most influential teachers was the Tibetan Buddhist the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa , the founder of the Naropa Institute in Boulder , Colorado . At Trungpa 's urging , Ginsberg and poet Anne Waldman started The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics there in 1974 .   Ginsberg took part in decades of non-violent political protest against everything from the Vietnam War to the War on Drugs . His poem `` September on Jessore Road , '' calling attention to the plight of Bangladeshi refugees , exemplifies what the literary critic Helen Vendler described as Ginsberg 's tireless persistence in protesting against `` imperial politics , and persecution of the powerless . ''   His collection The Fall of America shared the annual U.S. National Book Award for Poetry in 1974 . In 1979 he received the National Arts Club gold medal and was inducted into the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters . Ginsberg was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1995 for his book Cosmopolitan Greetings : Poems 1986 -- 1992 .


BYD Auto BYD Auto Co. , Ltd. is a Chinese automobile manufacturer based in Xi'an , Shaanxi Province , and a wholly owned subsidiary of BYD Company . It was founded in 2003 , following BYD Company 's acquisition of Tsinchuan Automobile Company in 2002 . Its principal activity is the design , development , manufacture and distribution of passenger cars and buses sold under the BYD brand . It also has a 50:50 joint venture with Daimler AG , Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. , Ltd. , which develops and manufactures luxury electric cars sold under the Denza brand .   BYD Auto sold a total of 506,189 passenger cars in China in 2013 , making it the tenth-largest selling brand and the largest selling Chinese brand . In 2015 , BYD Auto was the best selling global electric vehicle brand , ahead of General Motors and Nissan . For a second year running , BYD was the world 's top selling plug-in electric car manufacturer with over 100,000 units delivered in 2016 , followed by Tesla , Inc. . In October 2016 , BYD Auto became the all-time second largest global plug-in car manufacturer after the Renault-Nissan Alliance .


Iceland Iceland ( -LSB- ˈaɪslənd -RSB- -LSB- ˈistlant -RSB- ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean . It has a population of and an area of 103000 km2 , making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe . The capital and largest city is Reykjavík . Reykjavík and the surrounding areas in the southwest of the country are home to over two-thirds of the population . Iceland is volcanically and geologically active . The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields , mountains and glaciers , while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands . Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate , despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle . Its high latitude and marine influence still keeps summers chilly , with most of the archipelago having a tundra climate .   According to the ancient manuscript Landnámabók , the settlement of Iceland began in the year 874 AD when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first permanent settler on the island . In the following centuries , Norwegians , and to a lesser extent other Scandinavians , emigrated to Iceland , bringing with them thralls of Gaelic origin . The island was governed as an independent commonwealth under the Althing , one of the world 's oldest functioning legislative assemblies . Following a period of civil strife , Iceland acceded to Norwegian rule in the 13th century . The establishment of the Kalmar Union in 1397 united the kingdoms of Norway , Denmark and Sweden . Iceland thus followed Norway 's integration to that Union and came under Danish rule after Sweden 's secession from that union in 1523 . Although the Danish kingdom introduced Lutheranism forcefully in 1550 , Iceland remained a distant semi-colonial territory in which Danish institutions and infrastructures were conspicuous by their absence . In the wake of the French revolution and the Napoleonic wars , Iceland 's struggle for independence took form and culminated in independence in 1918 and the founding of a republic in 1944 . Until the 20th century , Iceland relied largely on subsistence fishing and agriculture , and was among the poorest in Europe . Industrialisation of the fisheries and Marshall Plan aid following World War II brought prosperity , and Iceland became one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the world . In 1994 , it became a part of the European Economic Area , which further diversified the economy into sectors such as finance , biotechnology , and manufacturing .   Iceland has a market economy with relatively low taxes compared to other OECD countries . It maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens . Iceland ranks high in economic , political and social stability and equality . In 2013 , it was ranked as the 13th most-developed country in the world by the United Nations ' Human Development Index . Iceland runs almost completely on renewable energy . Affected by the ongoing worldwide financial crisis , the nation 's entire banking system systemically failed in October 2008 , leading to a severe depression , substantial political unrest , the Icesave dispute , and the institution of capital controls . Some bankers were jailed . Since then , the economy has made a significant recovery , in large part due to a surge in tourism .   Icelandic culture is founded upon the nation 's Scandinavian heritage . Most Icelanders are descendants of Germanic and Gaelic settlers . Icelandic , a North Germanic language , is descended from Old Norse and is closely related to Faroese and West Norwegian dialects . The country 's cultural heritage includes traditional Icelandic cuisine , Icelandic literature and medieval sagas . Iceland has the smallest population of any NATO member and is the only one with no standing army , its lightly armed coast guard being in charge of defence .


Felicity Huffman has always been passed over for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman ( born December 9 , 1962 ) is an American film , stage , and television actress .   Huffman began her acting career in theatre and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television . She starred as executive producer Dana Whitaker in the critically acclaimed ABC comedy-drama Sports Night from 1998 to 2000 , which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination . She is best known for her role as Lynette Scavo in the long-running ABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives ( 2004 -- 2012 ) , for which she earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the debut season of the series and three Screen Actors Guild Awards overall .   Huffman drew critical praise for her performance as a transgender woman in the independent film Transamerica ( 2005 ) . The role earned her a Golden Globe Award , Independent Spirit Award , National Board of Review , and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress . Huffman has also starred in such films as Reversal of Fortune ( 1990 ) , The Spanish Prisoner ( 1997 ) , Magnolia ( 1999 ) , Path to War ( 2002 ) , Georgia Rule ( 2007 ) , Phoebe in Wonderland ( 2008 ) , Rudderless ( 2014 ) and Cake ( 2014 ) . Since 2015 , she has started in a third ABC series , the anthology crime drama American Crime , for which she has received critical acclaim including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie nomination . Additionally , she has been nominated on three more occasions for a Golden Globe Award , and has also won an Obie .


Glen Campbell has won three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards.

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


Chester Bennington Chester Charles Bennington ( born March 20 , 1976 ) is an American musician , singer , songwriter and actor . He is best known as the lead vocalist of rock bands Linkin Park , Dead by Sunrise , and live rock cover band Bucket of Weenies . He was originally the lead vocalist for Sean Dowdell And His Friends ? and Grey Daze . Bennington was the lead vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots from 2013 to 2015 .   Bennington became known as a vocalist with Linkin Park 's debut album , Hybrid Theory , in 2000 , which was a massive commercial success . The album was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 , making it the best-selling debut album of the decade , as well as one of the few albums to ever hit that many sales . Linkin Park 's following studio albums , Meteora ( 2003 ) , Minutes to Midnight ( 2007 ) , A Thousand Suns ( 2010 ) , Living Things ( 2012 ) , and The Hunting Party ( 2014 ) , continued the band 's success . Bennington formed his own band , Dead by Sunrise , as a side project in 2005 . The band 's debut album , Out of Ashes , was released on October 13 , 2009 . He worked on new material with Stone Temple Pilots in 2013 to release the EP High Rise on October 8 , 2013 via their own record label , Play Pen . Bennington has been ranked in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists by Hit Parader ( No. 46 ) .


Cosmopolitan as of 2011 only contains content which includes articles on dogs.

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


James Bond The James Bond series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming , who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections . Since Fleming 's death in 1964 , eight other authors have written authorised Bond novels or novelizations : Kingsley Amis , Christopher Wood , John Gardner , Raymond Benson , Sebastian Faulks , Jeffery Deaver , William Boyd and Anthony Horowitz . The latest novel is Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz , published in September 2015 . Additionally Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond , and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character , Moneypenny .   The character has also been adapted for television , radio , comic strip , video games and film . The films are the longest continually running film series of all time and have grossed over $ 7.040 billion in total , making it the fourth-highest-grossing film series to date , which started in 1962 with Dr. No , starring Sean Connery as Bond . As of , there have been twenty-four films in the Eon Productions series . The most recent Bond film , Spectre ( 2015 ) , stars Daniel Craig in his fourth portrayal of Bond ; he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series . There have also been two independent productions of Bond films : Casino Royale ( a 1967 spoof ) and Never Say Never Again ( a 1983 remake of an earlier Eon-produced film , Thunderball ) . In 2015 , the franchise was estimated to be worth $ 19.9 billion , making James Bond one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time .   The Bond films are renowned for a number of features , including the musical accompaniment , with the theme songs having received Academy Award nominations on several occasions , and two wins . Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bond 's cars , his guns , and the gadgets with which he is supplied by Q Branch . The films are also noted for Bond 's relationships with various women , who are sometimes referred to as `` Bond girls '' .


Janet Varney Janet Maureen Varney ( born February 16 , 1976 ) is an American actress and comedian best known for hosting TBS 's Dinner and a Movie and as the voice of Korra in The Legend of Korra .


Asteroid Day was founded exclusively by Steve Jobs.

Asteroid Day Asteroid Day ( also known as International Asteroid Day ) is an annual global event that aims to raise awareness about asteroids and what can be done to protect the Earth , its families , communities , and future generations . Asteroid Day is held on the anniversary of the June 30 , 1908 Siberian Tunguska event , the most harmful known asteroid-related event on Earth in recent history . The United Nations has proclaimed that Asteroid Day will be observed globally on June 30 every year in its resolution .   It was co-founded by filmmaker Grigorij Richters , B612 Foundation COO Danica Remy , Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart and Brian May , Queen guitarist and astrophysicist . Over 200 astronauts , scientists , technologists and artists , including Richard Dawkins , Bill Nye , Peter Gabriel , Jim Lovell , Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins , Alexei Leonov , Bill Anders , Kip Thorne , Lord Martin Rees , Chris Hadfield , Rusty Schweickart and Brian Cox co-signed the Asteroid Day Declaration . Asteroid Day was officially launched on December 3 , 2014 .


George W. Romney was the parent of a former governor.

George W. Romney George Wilcken Romney ( July 8 , 1907 -- July 26 , 1995 ) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician . He was chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962 , the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969 , and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973 . He was the father of former Governor of Massachusetts and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and the husband of former Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Lenore Romney .   Romney was born to American parents living in the Mormon colonies in Mexico ; events during the Mexican Revolution forced his family to flee back to the United States when he was a child . The family lived in several states and ended up in Salt Lake City , Utah , where they struggled during the Great Depression . Romney worked in a number of jobs , served as a Mormon missionary in the United Kingdom , and attended several colleges in the U.S. but did not graduate from any of them . In 1939 he moved to Detroit and joined the American Automobile Manufacturers Association , where he served as the chief spokesman for the automobile industry during World War II and headed a cooperative arrangement in which companies could share production improvements . He joined Nash-Kelvinator in 1948 , and became the chief executive of its successor , American Motors Corporation , in 1954 . There he turned around the struggling firm by focusing all efforts on the compact Rambler car . Romney mocked the products of the `` Big Three '' automakers as `` gas-guzzling dinosaurs '' and became one of the first high-profile , media-savvy business executives . Devoutly religious , he presided over the Detroit Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .   Having entered politics by participating in a state constitutional convention to rewrite the Michigan Constitution during 1961 -- 1962 , Romney was elected Governor of Michigan in 1962 . Re-elected by increasingly large margins in 1964 and 1966 , he worked to overhaul the state 's financial and revenue structure , greatly expanding the size of state government and introducing Michigan 's first state income tax . Romney was a strong supporter of the American Civil Rights Movement . He briefly represented moderate Republicans against conservative Republican Barry Goldwater during the 1964 U.S. presidential election . He requested the intervention of federal troops during the 1967 Detroit riot .   Initially a front runner for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in the 1968 election , he proved an ineffective campaigner and fell behind Richard Nixon in polls . After a mid-1967 remark that his earlier support for the Vietnam War had been due to a `` brainwashing '' by U.S. military and diplomatic officials in Vietnam , his campaign faltered even more and he withdrew from the contest in early 1968 . After Nixon 's election as president , he appointed Romney as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development . Romney 's ambitious plans for housing production increases for the poor , and for open housing to desegregate suburbs , were modestly successful but often thwarted by Nixon . Romney left the administration at the start of Nixon 's second term in 1973 . Returning to private life , he advocated volunteerism and public service , and headed the National Center for Voluntary Action and its successor organizations from 1973 through 1991 . He also served as a regional representative of the Twelve within his church .


In San Francisco, Bill Cosby began his stand-up career.

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( born July 12 , 1937 ) is an American stand-up comedian , actor , and author . His start in stand-up comedy began at the hungry i in San Francisco and was followed by his landing a starring role in the 1960s television show I Spy . He was also a regular on the children 's television series The Electric Company during the show 's first two seasons .   Using the Fat Albert character developed during his stand-up routines , Cosby created , produced , and hosted the animated comedy television series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids , a show that ran from 1972 to 1985 , centering on a group of young friends growing up in an urban area . Throughout the 1970s , Cosby starred in a number of films , and he occasionally returned to film later in his career . After attending Temple University in the 1960s , he received his bachelor 's degree there in 1971 . In 1973 , he received a master 's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst , and in 1976 , he earned his Doctor of Education degree , also from UMass . His dissertation discussed the use of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as a teaching tool in elementary schools .   Beginning in the 1980s , Cosby produced and starred in a television sitcom , The Cosby Show , which aired from 1984 to 1992 and was rated as the number one show in America for five years , 1984 through 1989 . The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family . Cosby produced the Cosby Show spin-off sitcom A Different World , which aired from 1987 to 1993 , starred in The Cosby Mysteries from 1994 to 1995 , starred in the sitcom Cosby from 1996 to 2000 ; and hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things for two seasons , from 1998 to 2000 .   Cosby has been the subject of sexual assault allegations , the earliest of which date back decades but becoming highly publicized since about 2014 . He has been accused by 51 women of rape , drug facilitated sexual assault , sexual battery , child sexual abuse , and sexual misconduct , with the earliest alleged incidents taking place in the mid-1960s and the most recent in 2008 . He has denied the allegations . Numerous related lawsuits against Cosby are pending ; and although most of the acts alleged by his accusers fall outside the statutes of limitations for criminal legal proceedings , one notable case has been ruled actionable , and he has been charged with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault in Montgomery County , Pennsylvania . He surrendered to authorities on December 30 , 2015 , and was released on $ 1 million bail . Cosby is scheduled to go on trial on or before June 5 , 2017 .


The Titanic had a wreck and was discovered.

RMS Titanic RMS Titanic ( -LSB- taɪˈtænɪk -RSB- ) was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early morning of 15 April 1912 , after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City . Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard , more than 1,500 died , making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history . The largest ship afloat at the time it entered service , the RMS Titanic was the second of three s operated by the White Star Line , and was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast . Thomas Andrews , her architect , died in the disaster .   Under the command of Edward Smith , who went down with the ship , Titanic carried some of the wealthiest people in the world , as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland , Scandinavia and elsewhere throughout Europe seeking a new life in North America . The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury , with an on-board gymnasium , swimming pool , libraries , high-class restaurants and opulent cabins . A high-power radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger `` marconigrams '' and for the ship 's operational use . Although Titanic had advanced safety features such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors , there were not enough lifeboats to accommodate all of those aboard , due to outdated maritime safety regulations . Titanic only carried enough lifeboats for 1,178 people -- slightly more than half of the number on board , and one third of her total capacity .   After leaving Southampton on 10 April 1912 , Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown ( now Cobh ) in Ireland before heading west to New York . On 14 April , four days into the crossing and about 375 mi south of Newfoundland , she hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. ship 's time . The collision caused the ship 's hull plates to buckle inwards along her starboard ( right ) side and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea ; she could only survive four flooding . Meanwhile , passengers and some crew members were evacuated in lifeboats , many of which were launched only partially loaded . A disproportionate number of men were left aboard because of a `` women and children first '' protocol for loading lifeboats . At 2:20 a.m. , she broke apart and foundered -- with well over one thousand people still aboard . Just under two hours after Titanic sank , the Cunard liner arrived at the scene , where she brought aboard an estimated 705 survivors .   The disaster was greeted with worldwide shock and outrage at the huge loss of life and the regulatory and operational failures that had led to it . Public inquiries in Britain and the United States led to major improvements in maritime safety . One of their most important legacies was the establishment in 1914 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS ) , which still governs maritime safety today . Additionally , several new wireless regulations were passed around the world in an effort to learn from the many missteps in wireless communications -- which could have saved many more passengers .   The wreck of Titanic , first discovered over 70 years after the sinking , remains on the seabed , split in two and gradually disintegrating at a depth of 12415 ft. Since her discovery in 1985 , thousands of artefacts have been recovered and put on display at museums around the world . Titanic has become one of the most famous ships in history ; her memory is kept alive by numerous works of popular culture , including books , folk songs , films , exhibits , and memorials . Titanic is the second largest ocean liner wreck in the world , only beaten by her sister , the largest ever sunk .


Statue of Liberty does not hold a torch above her head.

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty ( Liberty Enlightening the World ; -LSB- La Liberté éclairant le monde , links = no -RSB- ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City , in the United States . The copper statue , a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States , was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel . The statue was dedicated on October 28 , 1886 .   The Statue of Liberty is a robed female figure representing Libertas , the Roman goddess . She holds a torch above her head , and in her left arm carries a tabula ansata inscribed in Roman numerals with `` JULY IV MDCCLXXVI '' ( July 4 , 1776 ) , the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence . A broken chain lies at her feet . The statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States , and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad .   Bartholdi was inspired by French law professor and politician Édouard René de Laboulaye , who is said to have commented in 1865 that any monument raised to U.S. independence would properly be a joint project of the French and U.S. peoples . Due to the post-war instability in France , work on the statue did not commence until the early 1870s . In 1875 , Laboulaye proposed that the French finance the statue and the U.S. would provide the site and build the pedestal . Bartholdi completed the head and the torch-bearing arm before the statue was fully designed , and these pieces were exhibited for publicity at international expositions .   The torch-bearing arm was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 , and in Madison Square Park in Manhattan from 1876 to 1882 . Fundraising proved difficult , especially for the Americans , and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened due to lack of funds . Publisher Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World started a drive for donations to complete the project that attracted more than 120,000 contributors , most of whom gave less than a dollar . The statue was constructed in France , shipped overseas in crates , and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe 's Island . The statue 's completion was marked by New York 's first ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland .   The statue was administered by the United States Lighthouse Board until 1901 and then by the Department of War ; since 1933 it has been maintained by the National Park Service . Public access to the balcony surrounding the torch has been barred for safety reasons since 1916 .


James and the Giant Peach includes Susan Sarandon.

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


Mauritius was a British colony until 1968, when Britain relinquished the territory.

Mauritius Mauritius ( -LSB- məˈrɪʃəs -RSB- or -LSB- məˈrɪʃiːəs -RSB- Maurice ) , officially the Republic of Mauritius ( République de Maurice ) , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2000 km off the southeast coast of the African continent . The country includes the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues -LSB- 560 km east of Mauritius -RSB- , and the outer islands ( Agaléga , St. Brandon and two disputed territories ) . The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues form part of the Mascarene Islands , along with nearby Réunion , a French overseas department . The area of the country is 2,040 km2 . The capital and largest city is Port Louis . Formerly a Dutch colony ( 1638 -- 1710 ) and a French colony ( 1715 -- 1810 ) , Mauritius became a British colonial possession in 1810 and remained so until 1968 , the year in which it attained independence . The government uses English as its main language .   The sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is disputed between Mauritius and the United Kingdom ( UK ) . The UK excised the archipelago from Mauritian territory in 1965 , three years prior to Mauritian independence . The UK gradually depopulated the archipelago 's indigenous population and leased its biggest island , Diego Garcia , to the United States . Access to the archipelago is prohibited to casual tourists , the media , and its former inhabitants . Mauritius also claims sovereignty over Tromelin Island from France .   The people of Mauritius are multiethnic , multi-religious , multicultural and multilingual . The island 's government is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system , and Mauritius is highly ranked for democracy and for economic and political freedom . Along with the other Mascarene Islands , Mauritius is known for its varied flora and fauna , with many species endemic to the island . The island is widely known as the only known home of the dodo , which , along with several other avian species , was made extinct by human activities relatively shortly after the island 's settlement . Mauritius is the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the largest religion .


Brittany Murphy was incapable of starring in Don't Say a Word.

Brittany Murphy Brittany Murphy-Monjack ( born Brittany Anne Bertolotti ; November 10 , 1977 -- December 20 , 2009 ) , known professionally as Brittany Murphy , was an American film and stage actress , singer , and voice artist . A native of Atlanta , Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and pursued a career in acting . Her breakthrough role was as Tai Frasier in Clueless ( 1995 ) , followed by supporting roles in independent films such as Freeway ( 1996 ) and Bongwater ( 1998 ) . She made her stage debut in a Broadway production of Arthur Miller 's A View from the Bridge in 1997 , before appearing as Daisy Randone in Girl , Interrupted ( 1999 ) and as Lisa Swenson in Drop Dead Gorgeous ( 1999 ) .   The 2000s saw Murphy with roles in Do n't Say a Word ( 2001 ) alongside Michael Douglas , and alongside Eminem in 8 Mile ( 2002 ) , for which she gained critical recognition . Her later roles included Riding in Cars with Boys ( 2001 ) , Spun ( 2002 ) , Uptown Girls ( 2003 ) , Sin City ( 2005 ) , and Happy Feet ( 2006 ) . Murphy also voiced Luanne Platter on the animated television series King of the Hill ( 1997 -- 2009 ) . Her final film , Something Wicked , was released in April 2014 .   In December 2009 , Murphy died of pneumonia at the age of 32 . When her widower Simon Monjack died from the same illness six months later , the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services considered toxic mold in their home as a possible cause for their deaths , but this was dismissed by the Coroner 's Office . In 2011 , Murphy 's mother Sharon filed a lawsuit against the attorneys who represented her in an earlier suit against the builders of the home where her daughter and son-in-law died .


Eliza Dushka was in the film The New Guy.

Eliza Dushku Eliza Patricia Dushku ( -LSB- ˈdʊʃkuː -RSB- born December 30 , 1980 ) is an American actress and model known for her television roles , including starring as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel . She starred in two Fox series , Tru Calling and Dollhouse . She is also known for her roles in films , including True Lies , The New Guy , Bring It On , Wrong Turn and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back , as well as her voice work on video games .


The Blue Lagoon is part of a series of three related works that also contains The Gates of Morning.

The Blue Lagoon (novel) The Blue Lagoon is a romance novel written by Henry De Vere Stacpoole and was first published by T. Fisher Unwin in 1908 . It is the first novel of the Blue Lagoon trilogy , which also includes The Garden of God ( 1923 ) and The Gates of Morning ( 1925 ) . The novel has inspired several film adaptations , most notably The Blue Lagoon starring Brooke Shields as Emmeline and Christopher Atkins as Richard ( `` Dicky '' in the book ) .


Snowden (film) Snowden is a 2016 American-German biographical political thriller film directed by Oliver Stone and written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald , based on the books The Snowden Files by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena . The cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the title character , Edward Snowden , with Shailene Woodley , Melissa Leo , Zachary Quinto , Tom Wilkinson , Scott Eastwood , Logan Marshall-Green , Timothy Olyphant , Ben Schnetzer , LaKeith Lee Stanfield , Rhys Ifans and Nicolas Cage also starring . Filming began on February 16 , 2015 in Munich , Germany .   Snowden screened at Comic-Con on July 21 , 2016 , before premiering at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9 , 2016 . The film was theatrically released in the United States on September 16 , 2016 , by Open Road Films and on September 22 in Germany . It received mixed reviews and was a box office disappointment , grossing $ 37.3 million worldwide against its $ 40 million budget .


Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt ( -LSB- ˈlɛvᵻt -RSB- born February 17 , 1981 ) is an American actor and filmmaker . As a child actor , he appeared in the films A River Runs Through It , Angels in the Outfield and 10 Things I Hate About You , and as Tommy Solomon in the TV series 3rd Rock from the Sun . He took a break from acting to study at Columbia University , but dropped out in 2004 to pursue acting again . He has since starred in 500 Days of Summer , Inception , Hesher , 50/50 , Premium Rush , The Dark Knight Rises , Brick , Looper , The Lookout , Manic , Lincoln , Mysterious Skin and G.I. Joe : The Rise of Cobra . He starred as Philippe Petit in the Robert Zemeckis-directed film The Walk ( 2015 ) , and as Edward Snowden in the Oliver Stone film Snowden ( 2016 ) .   He also founded the online production company hitRECord in 2004 and has hosted his own TV series , HitRecord on TV , since January 2014 . In 2013 , Gordon-Levitt made his feature film directing and screenwriting debut with Don Jon , a comedy film in which he also stars . He previously directed and edited two short films , both of which were released in 2010 : Morgan M. Morgansen 's Date with Destiny and Morgan and Destiny 's Eleventeenth Date : The Zeppelin Zoo .


Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared in a film.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ( -LSB- ˈʃwɔːrtsənˌɛɡər -RSB- -LSB- ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈalɔʏs ˈʃvaɐ̯tsn̩ˌɛɡɐ -RSB- ; born July 30 , 1947 ) is an Austrian-American actor , producer , businessman , investor , author , philanthropist , activist , politician and former professional bodybuilder . He served two terms as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 to 2011 .   Schwarzenegger began weight training at the age of 15 . He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times . Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent presence in bodybuilding and has written many books and articles on the sport . He is widely considered to be among the greatest bodybuilders of all time as well as bodybuilding 's biggest icon . Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon . His breakthrough film was the sword-and-sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian in 1982 , a box office hit that resulted in a sequel .   In 1984 , Schwarzenegger appeared in James Cameron 's science-fiction thriller film The Terminator , a critical and commercial success . Schwarzenegger subsequently reprised the Terminator character in the franchise 's later installments : Terminator 2 : Judgment Day ( 1991 ) , Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines ( 2003 ) , and Terminator Genisys ( 2015 ) . He has appeared in a number of successful films , such as Commando ( 1985 ) , The Running Man ( 1987 ) , Predator ( 1987 ) , Twins ( 1988 ) , Total Recall ( 1990 ) , Kindergarten Cop ( 1990 ) , and True Lies ( 1994 ) . In 2015 , it was announced that Schwarzenegger would replace Donald Trump as the host of The Celebrity Apprentice , though he left after one season due to conflicts caused by Trump 's remarks . Schwarzenegger was nicknamed `` the Austrian Oak '' in his bodybuilding days , `` Arnie '' during his acting career , and `` The Governator '' ( a portmanteau of `` Governor '' and `` The Terminator '' ) during his political career .   As a Republican , Schwarzenegger was first elected on October 7 , 2003 , in a special recall election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis . He was sworn in on November 17 , to serve the remainder of Davis ' term . He was then re-elected on November 7 , 2006 , in the 2006 California gubernatorial election , to serve a full term as governor , defeating Democrat Phil Angelides , who was California State Treasurer at the time . Schwarzenegger was sworn in for his second term on January 5 , 2007 . In 2011 , he completed his second term as governor and returned to acting .


Terminator Genisys Terminator Genisys is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier . The fifth installment in the Terminator franchise , it serves as a soft reboot to the film series that features the main characters from the first two films , portrayed by a new cast with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger , who reprises his role as the eponymous character . The film stars Schwarzenegger , Jason Clarke , Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney . The plot follows soldier Kyle Reese in the war against Skynet ; Kyle is sent from the year 2029 to 1984 by John Connor , leader of the Human Resistance , to protect Connor 's mother Sarah from Skynet 's android agent . When Kyle arrives in the past , he discovers that the timeline has been altered and Sarah has been raised by his quarry 's reprogrammed facsimile , and must travel to 2017 to stop a dangerous scheme from Skynet and face its advanced enforcer , the T-3000 , with his new allies .   Megan Ellison and her production company , Annapurna Pictures , acquired the franchise rights in May 2011 . The following year , production of another installment in the series was set up in collaboration with Skydance Productions ( owned by Ellison 's brother , David ) . The Ellisons consulted Terminator creator James Cameron in the hope of returning to the spirit of the original film , The Terminator , and its sequel , Terminator 2 : Judgment Day . Principal photography was primarily in New Orleans , with some in the on-screen setting of San Francisco . Six companies handled the film 's visual effects ; its prosthetic make-up and animatronics were created by Legacy Effects , a studio founded by Terminator veteran Stan Winston .   The film was released by Paramount Pictures on July 1 , 2015 , in standard digital format , RealD 3D , and IMAX 3D . Terminator Genisys was not well received by critics , who found the story and performances unsatisfactory , although Schwarzenegger 's return to the franchise was praised . It grossed over $ 440 million worldwide , making it the second-highest-grossing film of the franchise and Schwarzenegger 's career ( after Terminator 2 : Judgment Day ) .


Tori Kelly Victoria Loren `` Tori '' Kelly ( born December 14 , 1992 ) is an American singer , songwriter , record producer and voice actress who slowly gained recognition after starting to post videos on YouTube at the age of 14 . When she was 16 , Kelly auditioned for the singing competition television series American Idol . After being eliminated from the show , Kelly began to work on her own music . In 2012 , she independently released her first EP that she produced , wrote , and mixed herself , titled Handmade Songs By Tori Kelly . The following year , Scooter Braun became her manager after seeing her videos on YouTube and introduced her to Capitol Records , with whom she signed in September . Kelly 's second EP Foreword came out in October 2013 as her first major label release . On June 23 , 2015 , Kelly 's debut album , Unbreakable Smile , was released . The lead single , `` Nobody Love '' , was released in the spring and became her first US Billboard Hot 100 appearance . Kelly was nominated for Best New Artist at the 58th Grammy Awards . She voiced a shy teenage elephant named Meena in the 2016 animated film Sing .


Mankatha grossed the first biggest opening of all time.

Mankatha Mankatha is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language black comedy action-heist film , written and directed by Venkat Prabhu . It features Ajith Kumar in the lead role , starring in his 50th film , along with an ensemble cast including Arjun Sarja , Trisha Krishnan , Vaibhav Reddy , Lakshmi Rai , Andrea Jeremiah , Premji Amaren , Mahat Raghavendra and Anjali . It was produced by Dhayanidhi Alagiri 's Cloud Nine Movies while Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the musical score and soundtrack , with Sakthi Saravanan working as the cinematographer and the duo Praveen K. L. and N. B. Srikanth as editors . The story , set in Mumbai , revolves around a heist of cricket betting money , executed by a gang of four thieves , who are joined by a fifth unknown man , and its aftermath.The film became a blockbuster very soon and became the first salt and pepper hit for Ajith after which he continued the same style in all his upcoming films .   The film was formally launched in August 2010 , with its principal photography beginning on 25 October 2010 . Filming was held for more than eight months and took place primarily across Chennai , the Dharavi slum in Mumbai and Bangkok , Thailand . Following speculations regarding the film 's release , Sun Pictures acquired the theatrical rights and distributed the film via Raadhika Sarathkumar 's Radaan Mediaworks . Mankatha released on 31 August 2011 worldwide to generally positive reviews and grossed the second biggest opening of all time after Endhiran at the time of release . The film was also dubbed into Telugu as Gambler and released in Andhra Pradesh ten days later while it was a box-office hit in Kerala as well .


Lightning Point was filmed in a state in Australia.

Lightning Point Lightning Point is an Australian television teen drama set in the modern day with fantasy elements . It was filmed on location at the Gold Coast in 2011 . The half-hour series is produced by Jonathan M. Shiff for Network Ten in association with Nickelodeon and German public broadcaster ZDF . It was re-broadcast on Network Ten in Australia on 22 June 2012 , and again on the same network from 5 July 2014 .   The series premiered on TeenNick in the United States under its international title of Alien Surf Girls on 29 May 2012 , and aired on Nickelodeon in the United Kingdom from 23 July 2012 also as Alien Surf Girls .   It was announced by co-star Jessica Green that the series will not return for a second season .


Gold Coast, Queensland Gold Coast is a coastal city in the Australian state of Queensland , approximately 66 km south-southeast of the state capital Brisbane and immediately north of the border with New South Wales . With a census-estimated 2016 population of 638,090 , The Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia , making it the largest non-capital city , and the second-largest city in Queensland .   The first settlement in what is now South East Queensland was as a penal colony at Redcliffe . The Gold Coast region remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach . The hinterland 's red cedar supply attracted people to the area in the mid-19th century . Later in 1875 , Southport was surveyed and established and grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for wealthy Brisbane residents .   The Gold Coast region grew significantly after the establishment of the Surfers Paradise hotel in the late 1920s . The area boomed in the 1980s as a leading tourist destination and in 1994 , the City of Gold Coast local government area was expanded to encompass the majority of Gold Coast 's metropolitan area , becoming the second most populous local government area in Australia after the City of Brisbane .   Today it is a major tourist destination with its sunny subtropical climate and has become widely known for its surfing beaches , high-rise dominated skyline , theme parks , nightlife , and rainforest hinterland . It is also the major film production hub for Queensland . Gold Coast will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games .


The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) The Four Seasons ( Le quattro stagioni ) is a group of four violin concerti by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi , each of which gives a musical expression to a season of the year . They were written around 1721 and were published in 1725 in Amsterdam , together with eight additional violin concerti , as Il cimento dell ` armonia e dell ` inventione ( `` The Contest Between Harmony and Invention '' ) .   The Four Seasons is the best known of Vivaldi 's works . Unusually for the time , Vivaldi published the concerti with accompanying poems ( possibly written by Vivaldi himself ) that elucidated what it was about those seasons that his music was intended to evoke . It provides one of the earliest and most-detailed examples of what was later called program music -- music with a narrative element .   Vivaldi took great pains to relate his music to the texts of the poems , translating the poetic lines themselves directly into the music on the page . In the middle section of the Spring concerto , where the goatherd sleeps , his barking dog can be marked in the viola section . Other natural occurrences are similarly evoked . Vivaldi separated each concerto into three movements , fast-slow-fast , and likewise each linked sonnet into three sections .


Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi ( -LSB- anˈtɔːnjo ˈluːtʃo viˈvaldi -RSB- ; 4 March 1678 -- 28 July 1741 ) was an Italian Baroque composer , virtuoso violinist , teacher and cleric . Born in Venice , he is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers , and his influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe . He composed many instrumental concertos , for the violin and a variety of other instruments , as well as sacred choral works and more than forty operas . His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons .   Many of his compositions were written for the female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà , a home for abandoned children where Vivaldi ( who had been ordained as a Catholic priest ) was employed from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740 . Vivaldi also had some success with expensive stagings of his operas in Venice , Mantua and Vienna . After meeting the Emperor Charles VI , Vivaldi moved to Vienna , hoping for preferment . However , the Emperor died soon after Vivaldi 's arrival , and Vivaldi himself died less than a year later in poverty .


Timon & Pumbaa is a TV series in the Lion King universe.

Timon & Pumbaa (TV series) The Lion King 's Timon & Pumbaa , often simply referred to as Timon & Pumbaa , is an American animated television series created by Walt Disney Television Animation . It centers on Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog from Disney 's 1994 film The Lion King . The show ran for three seasons on CBS , Disney Channel , Toon Disney , and in syndication as a part of The Disney Afternoon . It aired from September 8 , 1995 to September 24 , 1999 . It is also the first Lion King related media to show humans , as humans were not present in the movie . It is the first of two television series to be based on the film , the second being The Lion Guard .   In 2004 , Timon and Pumbaa starred in their own released feature film The Lion King 1 1/2 , a direct-to-video adaptation of the television series to the first of two films . Robert Guillaume , Matthew Broderick , Cam Clarke , Julie Kavner and Estelle Harris , Nathan Lane , Quinton Flynn , Kevin Schon , Ernie Sabella , Scott Bullock and Jerry Stiller , provided the voices of Rafiki , Simba , Timon 's Mother , Timon , Pumbaa , Fred and Uncle Max respectively in The Lion King 1 1/2 , and two seasons of television series episodes Mombasa-In-Law/The Laughing Hyenas : TV Dinner , Once Upon a Timon .


Lymelife Lymelife is a 2008 independent comedy-drama film written by brothers Derick Martini and Steven Martini , and directed by Derick Martini , depicting aspects of their life in 1970s Long Island from the perspective of a teenager . The film stars Alec Baldwin , Rory Culkin , and Emma Roberts . Martin Scorsese served as an executive producer .   The film debuted at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival , in September 2008 and won the International Federation of Film Critics Award ( FIPRESCI ) . After its theatrical release in 2009 , writer director Derick Martini was nominated for a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Director .


Yamaha Corporation exclusively produces fur coats.

Yamaha Corporation ( -LSB- jəˈmɑːhə -RSB- or -LSB- ˈjɑːməhə -RSB- -LSB- jamaha -RSB- ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate based in Japan with a very wide range of products and services , predominantly musical instruments , electronics , motorcycles and power sports equipment . It is one of the constituents of Nikkei 225 and is the world 's largest piano manufacturing company .


A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels and it is by an American.

A Dance with Dragons A Dance with Dragons is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin . In some areas the paperback edition was published in two parts titled Dreams and Dust and After the Feast . It was the first novel in the series to be published following the commencement of the HBO series adaptation , Game of Thrones , and runs to 1,040 pages .   On March 3 , 2011 , publishing imprint Bantam Spectra announced that the novel would be released on July 12 , 2011 . Martin delivered the manuscript to his editor on April 27 , 2011 ; however , as early as 2006 , Martin made sample chapters available on his website and at Amazon.co.uk . Additionally , the German branch of Amazon.com ( Amazon.de ) released a reported 180 copies two weeks early by mistake . The US hardcover was officially published on July 12 , 2011 , having gone back to press for six printings ( totaling more than 650,000 copies ) prior to the 1,000 + page novel being available ; 298,000 copies in print , digital , and audio formats were sold that first day alone , becoming publishing giant Random House 's biggest book of 2011 and a runaway bestseller . The book was the second in the series to debut at the # 1 position on the New York Times Best Seller list . A few weeks after publication , A Dance with Dragons went on to be # 1 on both Publishers Weekly and USA Today Bestsellers lists .   The novel , along with A Feast for Crows , has been adapted for television as the fifth season of Game of Thrones , although elements of the book have also appeared in the series ' third , fourth and sixth seasons .


A Song of Ice and Fire A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin . He began the first volume of the series , A Game of Thrones , in 1991 and had it published in 1996 . Martin , who initially envisioned the series as a trilogy , has published five out of a planned seven volumes . The fifth and most recent volume of the series published in 2011 , A Dance with Dragons , took Martin five years to write . He is still writing the sixth novel , The Winds of Winter .   A Song of Ice and Fire takes place on the fictional continents Westeros and Essos . The point of view of each chapter in the story is a limited perspective of a range of characters growing from nine , in the first novel , to thirty-one by the fifth . Three main stories interweave a dynastic war among several families for control of Westeros , the rising threat of the supernatural Others in the northernmost reaches of Westeros , and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen , the deposed king 's exiled daughter , to assume the Iron Throne .   Martin 's inspirations included the Wars of the Roses and the French historical novels The Accursed Kings by Maurice Druon . A Song of Ice and Fire received praise for its diverse portrayal of women and religion , as well as its realism . An assortment of disparate and subjective points of view confronts the reader , and the success or survival of point of view characters is never assured . Within the often morally ambiguous world of A Song of Ice and Fire , questions concerning loyalty , pride , human sexuality , piety , and the morality of violence frequently arise .   As of April 2015 , the books have sold more than 60 million copies worldwide and , as of January 2017 , have been translated into 47 languages . The fourth and fifth volumes reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller lists upon their releases . Among the many derived works are several prequel novellas , a TV series , a comic book adaptation , and several card , board , and video games .


The Republic of Ireland elects its head of state.

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( -LSB- ˈaɪərlənd -RSB- Éire -LSB- ˈeːɾʲə -RSB- ) , also described as the Republic of Ireland ( Poblacht na hÉireann ) , is a sovereign state in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland . The capital and largest city is Dublin , which is located on the eastern part of the island , and whose metropolitan area is home to around a third of the country 's 4.75 million inhabitants . The state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland , a part of the United Kingdom . It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the Celtic Sea to the south , Saint George 's Channel to the south-east , and the Irish Sea to the east . It is a unitary , parliamentary republic . The legislature , the Oireachtas , consists of a lower house , Dáil Éireann , an upper house , Seanad Éireann , and an elected President ( Uachtarán ) who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state , but with some important powers and duties . The head of government is the Taoiseach ( Prime Minister , literally ` Chief ' , a title not used in English ) , who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President ; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers .   The state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty . It had the status of dominion until 1937 when a new constitution was adopted , in which the state was named `` Ireland '' and effectively became a republic , with an elected non-executive president as head of state . It was officially declared a republic in 1949 , following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 . Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955 . It joined the European Economic Community ( EEC ) , the predecessor of the European Union , in 1973 . The state had no formal relations with Northern Ireland for most of the twentieth century , but during the 1980s and 1990s the British and Irish governments worked with the Northern Ireland parties towards a resolution to `` the Troubles '' . Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 , the Irish government and Northern Ireland Executive have co-operated on a number of policy areas under the North-South Ministerial Council created by the Agreement .   Ireland ranks among the top twenty-five wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita , and as the tenth most prosperous country in the world according to The Legatum Prosperity Index 2015 . After joining the EEC , Ireland enacted a series of liberal economic policies that resulted in rapid economic growth . The country achieved considerable prosperity between the years of 1995 and 2007 , which became known as the Celtic Tiger period . This was halted by an unprecedented financial crisis that began in 2008 , in conjunction with the concurrent global economic crash . However , as the Irish economy was the fastest growing in the EU in 2015 , Ireland is again quickly ascending league tables comparing wealth and prosperity internationally . For example , in 2015 , Ireland was ranked as the joint sixth ( with Germany ) most developed country in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index . It also performs well in several national performance metrics , including freedom of the press , economic freedom and civil liberties . Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a founding member of the Council of Europe and the OECD . The Irish government has followed a policy of military neutrality through non-alignment since immediately prior to World War II and the country is consequently not a member of NATO , although it is a member in Partnership for Peace .


Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( -LSB- ˈaɪnstaɪn -RSB- -LSB- ˈalbɛɐ̯t ˈaɪnʃtaɪn -RSB- ; 14 March 1879 -- 18 April 1955 ) was a German-born theoretical physicist . He developed the theory of relativity , one of the two pillars of modern physics ( alongside quantum mechanics ) . Einstein 's work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science . Einstein is best known by the general public for his mass -- energy equivalence formula ( which has been dubbed `` the world 's most famous equation '' ) . He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics `` for his services to theoretical physics , and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect '' , a pivotal step in the evolution of quantum theory .   Near the beginning of his career , Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field . This led him to develop his special theory of relativity during his time at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern ( 1902 -- 1909 ) , Switzerland . He realized , however , that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields , and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916 , he published a paper on general relativity . He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory , which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules . He also investigated the thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light . In 1917 , Einstein applied the general theory of relativity to model the large-scale structure of the universe .   Between 1895 and 1914 he lived in Switzerland ( except for one year in Prague , 1911 -- 12 ) , where he received his academic diploma from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zürich ( later the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule , ETH ) in 1900 . He later taught there at the same institute as a professor of theoretical physics between 1912 and 1914 before he left for Berlin . In 1901 , after being stateless for more than five years , Einstein acquired Swiss citizenship , which he kept for the rest of his life . In 1905 , Einstein was awarded a PhD by the University of Zürich . The same year , his annus mirabilis ( miracle year ) , he published four groundbreaking papers , which were to bring him to the notice of the academic world , at the age of 26 .   He was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 and , being Jewish , did not go back to Germany , where he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences . He settled in the United States , becoming an American citizen in 1940 . On the eve of World War II , he endorsed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential development of `` extremely powerful bombs of a new type '' and recommending that the U.S. begin similar research . This eventually led to what would become the Manhattan Project . Einstein supported defending the Allied forces , but generally denounced the idea of using the newly discovered nuclear fission as a weapon . Later , with the British philosopher Bertrand Russell , Einstein signed the Russell -- Einstein Manifesto , which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons . Einstein was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton , New Jersey , until his death in 1955 .   Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers along with over 150 non-scientific works . Einstein 's intellectual achievements and originality have made the word `` Einstein '' synonymous with `` genius '' .


In 2015, Harry Styles released an album.

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles ( born 1 February 1994 ) is an English singer and songwriter . He is known as a member of the pop boy band One Direction . He made his debut as a singer with his band White Eskimo , who performed locally in Holmes Chapel , Cheshire . In 2010 , Styles auditioned as a solo artist for the British television series The X Factor . After being eliminated as a solo performer , Styles was brought back into the competition , along with four other contestants , Niall Horan , Zayn Malik , Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson , to form One Direction .   Styles and his bandmates have released the albums Up All Night ( 2011 ) , Take Me Home ( 2012 ) , Midnight Memories ( 2013 ) , Four ( 2014 ) , and Made in the A.M. ( 2015 ) . They have also performed on two worldwide tours , one featured on concert film One Direction : This Is Us , and won several awards , including five Brit Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards .   On 23 June 2016 it was reported by Billboard that Styles had signed a three-album solo recording deal with Columbia Records , the same label behind One Direction . Styles will make his acting debut in the war film Dunkirk in July 2017 . Preceded by its first solo single `` Sign of the Times '' , his self-titled debut album was released on 12 May 2017 .


Moses Malone signed as a free agent with a basketball team.

Moses Malone Moses Eugene Malone ( March 23 , 1955 -- September 13 , 2015 ) was an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association ( ABA ) and the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) from 1974 through 1995 . The center was named the NBA Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) three times and was a 12-time NBA All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA selection . Malone won his only NBA championship in 1983 , when he was both the league and Finals MVP with the Philadelphia 76ers . He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001 .   Malone began his pro career out of high school after he was selected in the third round of the 1974 ABA Draft by the Utah Stars . He was named an ABA All-Star as a rookie and played two seasons in the league until it merged with the NBA in 1976 . He landed in the NBA with the Buffalo Braves , who traded him after two games to the Houston Rockets . Malone became a five-time All-Star in six seasons with the Rockets . After leading the NBA in rebounding in 1979 , he was named league MVP for the first time . He led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 , and won his second MVP award in 1982 . Malone was traded to Philadelphia the following season , when he repeated as MVP and led the 76ers to a championship in his first year . In his first of two stints with Philadelphia , he was an All-Star in each of his four seasons . Following another trade , Malone was an All-Star in his only two seasons with the Washington Bullets ( known later as the Wizards ) . He signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks , earning his 12th straight and final All-Star selection in his first season . In his later years , he played with the Milwaukee Bucks before returning to the 76ers and completing his career with the San Antonio Spurs .   Malone led the NBA in rebounding six times , including a then-record five straight seasons ( 1981 -- 1985 ) . He finished his career as the all-time leader in offensive rebounds after leading both the ABA and NBA in the category a combined nine times . Malone was nicknamed `` Chairman of the Boards '' for his rebounding prowess . Combining his ABA and NBA statistics , he ranks seventh all-time in career points ( 29,580 ) and third in total rebounds ( 17,834 ) . He was named to both the ABA All-Time Team and the NBA 's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team .


Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are a professional basketball team based in Atlanta , Georgia . The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) as a member of the league 's Eastern Conference Southeast Division . The team plays its home games at Philips Arena .   The team 's origins can be traced to the establishment of the Buffalo Bisons in 1946 in Buffalo , New York , a member of the National Basketball League ( NBL ) and owned by Ben Kerner and Leo Ferris . After 38 days in Buffalo , the team moved to Moline , Illinois , where they were renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks . In 1949 , they joined the NBA as part of the merger between the NBL and the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) , and had Red Auerbach as coach briefly . In 1951 , Kerner moved the team to Milwaukee , where they changed their name to the Hawks . Kerner and the team moved again in 1955 to St. Louis , where they won their only NBA championship in 1958 and qualified to play in the NBA Finals in 1957 , 1960 and 1961 . The Hawks played the Boston Celtics in all four of their trips to the NBA Finals . The St. Louis Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968 , when Kerner sold the franchise to Thomas Cousins and former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders .   The Hawks currently own the second-longest drought ( behind the Sacramento Kings ) of not winning an NBA championship at 57 seasons . The franchise 's lone NBA championship , as well as all four NBA Finals appearances , occurred when the team was based in St. Louis . Meanwhile , they went 48 years without advancing past the second round of the playoffs in any format , until finally breaking through in 2015 . Much of the failure they 've experienced in the postseason can be traced back to their poor history in the NBA draft . Since 1980 , the Hawks have drafted only four players who have been chosen to play in an NBA All-Star Game ( Doc Rivers , Kevin Willis , Al Horford , and Jeff Teague ) . Dominique Wilkins was actually selected by the Utah Jazz and traded to the Hawks a few months after the draft . Horford and Teague are the only All-Star Hawks to have been drafted since Willis was selected in 1984 , and Horford is also the only first-rounder the Hawks selected in their nine-year playoff drought to play in an NBA All-Star Game .


Romelu Lukaku Romelu Menama Lukaku ( born 13 May 1993 ) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Everton and the Belgium national team . He is one of only five players to score 50 Premier League goals before his 23rd birthday , and the first foreign player to score 80 before his 24th birthday .   Lukaku started his career with local side Rupel Boom , before joining Lierse , where he earned a move to Anderlecht of the Belgian Pro League in 2006 . Lukaku made his professional debut while still at school at the age of 16 , and became the 2009 -- 10 top scorer in Belgium as Anderlecht won the Belgian championship . He also won the Belgian Ebony Shoe in 2011 . In the 2011 summer transfer window , Lukaku joined Premier League club Chelsea . He did not appear regularly in his first season there , and spent the following two seasons on loan at West Bromwich Albion and Everton respectively , signing permanently for the latter for a club record # 28 million in 2014 .   Lukaku made his senior international debut for Belgium in 2010 , and has since earned over 50 caps . He has also represented the country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016 .


Pixar uses CGI animation to create films.

Pixar Pixar ( -LSB- ˈpɪksɑr -RSB- ) , also referred to as Pixar Animation Studios , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville , California that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company . Pixar began in 1979 as the Graphics Group , part of the Lucasfilm computer division , before its spin-out as a corporation in 1986 , with funding by Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs , who became the majority shareholder . Disney purchased Pixar in 2006 at a valuation of $ 7.4 billion , a transaction that resulted in Jobs becoming Disney 's largest single shareholder at the time . Pixar is best known for CGI-animated feature films created with RenderMan , Pixar 's own implementation of the industry-standard RenderMan image-rendering application programming interface , used to generate high-quality images .   Pixar has produced seventeen feature films , beginning with Toy Story ( 1995 ) , which was the first-ever computer-animated feature film , and its most recent being Finding Dory ( 2016 ) . All 17 of its films have debuted with CinemaScore ratings of at least an `` A − , '' indicating positive receptions with audiences . The studio has also produced several short films . , its feature films have earned approximately $ 10.8 billion at the box office worldwide , with an average worldwide gross of $ 634 million per film . Finding Dory , along with its predecessor Finding Nemo ( 2003 ) , as well as Toy Story 3 ( 2010 ) are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time , with the lattermost film being the third all-time highest-grossing animated film with a gross of $ 1.063 billion . Fourteen of Pixar 's films are also among the 50 highest-grossing animated films of all time .   The studio has earned sixteen Academy Awards , seven Golden Globe Awards , and eleven Grammy Awards , among many other awards and acknowledgments . Many of Pixar 's films have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature since its inauguration in 2001 , with eight winning ; this includes Finding Nemo and Toy Story 3 , along with The Incredibles ( 2004 ) , Ratatouille ( 2007 ) , WALL-E ( 2008 ) , Up ( 2009 ) , Brave ( 2012 ) , and Inside Out ( 2015 ) . Monsters , Inc. ( 2001 ) and Cars ( 2006 ) are the only two films that were nominated for the award without winning it , while Cars 2 ( 2011 ) , Monsters University ( 2013 ) , The Good Dinosaur ( 2015 ) , and Finding Dory have not been nominated . Up and Toy Story 3 were also the respective second and third animated films to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture , the first being Walt Disney Animation Studios ' Beauty and the Beast ( 1991 ) . Luxo Jr. , a character from the studio 's 1986 short film of the same name , is the studio 's mascot .   On September 6 , 2009 , Pixar executives John Lasseter , Brad Bird , Pete Docter , Andrew Stanton , and Lee Unkrich were presented with the Golden Lion award for Lifetime Achievement by the biennial Venice Film Festival . The award was presented by Lucasfilm 's founder George Lucas .


Sachin Tendulkar received a civilian award.

Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar ( -LSB- sətʃɪn_tɛnˈduːlkər -RSB- born 24 April 1973 ) is a former Indian cricketer and captain , widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time . He took up cricket at the age of eleven , made his Test debut on 15 November 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi at the age of sixteen , and went on to represent Mumbai domestically and India internationally for close to twenty-four years . He is the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries , the first batsman to score a double century in a One Day International , the holder of the record for the number of runs in both ODI and Test cricket , and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in international cricket .   In 2002 , just halfway through his career , Wisden Cricketers ' Almanack ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time , behind Don Bradman , and the second greatest ODI batsman of all time , behind Viv Richards . Later in his career , Tendulkar was a part of the Indian team that won the 2011 World Cup , his first win in six World Cup appearances for India . He had previously been named `` Player of the Tournament '' at the 2003 edition of the tournament , held in South Africa . In 2013 , he was the only Indian cricketer included in an all-time Test World XI named to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers ' Almanack .   Tendulkar received the Arjuna Award in 1994 for his outstanding sporting achievement , the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 1997 , India 's highest sporting honour , and the Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan awards in 1999 and 2008 , respectively , India 's fourth and second highest civilian awards . After a few hours of his final match on 16 November 2013 , the Prime Minister 's Office announced the decision to award him the Bharat Ratna , India 's highest civilian award . He is the youngest recipient to date and the first ever sportsperson to receive the award . He also won the 2010 Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for cricketer of the year at the ICC awards . In 2012 , Tendulkar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha , the upper house of the Parliament of India . He was also the first sportsperson and the first person without an aviation background to be awarded the honorary rank of group captain by the Indian Air Force . In 2012 , he was named an Honorary Member of the Order of Australia .   In December 2012 , Tendulkar announced his retirement from ODIs . He retired from Twenty20 cricket in October 2013 and subsequently announced his retirement from all forms of cricket , retiring on 16 November 2013 after playing his 200th and final Test match , against the West Indies in Mumbai 's Wankhede Stadium . Tendulkar played 664 international cricket matches in total , scoring 34,357 runs .


Christian Bale starred in the biographical film The Fighter.

The Fighter The Fighter is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell , and starring Mark Wahlberg , Christian Bale , Amy Adams and Melissa Leo . The film centers on the lives of professional boxer Micky Ward ( Wahlberg ) and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund ( Bale ) . The film also stars Amy Adams as Micky 's girlfriend Charlene Fleming , and Melissa Leo as Micky and Dicky 's mother , Alice Eklund-Ward . The film was inspired by the 1995 documentary that features the Eklund-Ward family , titled High on Crack Street : Lost Lives in Lowell .   The film was released in select North American theaters on December 17 , 2010 and was released in the United Kingdom on February 4 , 2011 . It was nominated for seven Academy Awards , including Best Picture and Best Director , winning the awards for Best Supporting Actor ( Christian Bale ) and Best Supporting Actress ( Melissa Leo ) . It was the first film to win both awards since Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986 .


Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale ( born 30 January 1974 ) is an English actor . He has starred both in blockbuster films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses .   Bale first caught the public eye at the age of 13 , when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg 's Empire of the Sun ( 1987 ) . Based on the original story by J. G. Ballard , Bale played an English boy who is separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself lost in a Japanese internment camp during World War II . In 2000 , he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho . He is known for going to great lengths to portray characters in films , notably for the psychological thriller The Machinist ( 2004 ) , where he lost 63 pounds ( 28.5 kg ) to play the role of Trevor Reznik .   Bale went on to receive greater commercial recognition for his starring role as Batman in Christopher Nolan 's Batman Begins ( 2005 ) , The Dark Knight ( 2008 ) and The Dark Knight Rises ( 2012 ) . His portrayal of Dicky Eklund in the David O. Russell-directed biographical film The Fighter ( 2010 ) , earned him critical acclaim and a number of awards , including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . He has since gained further acclaim as well as subsequent Academy Award , Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe nominations for his roles in Russell 's American Hustle ( 2013 ) and Adam McKay 's The Big Short ( 2015 ) .


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


Avengers: Age of Ultron is based on American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Avengers (comics) The Avengers are a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The team made its debut in The Avengers # 1 ( cover-dated Sept. 1963 ) , created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby , inspired by the success of DC Comics ' Justice League of America .   Labeled `` Earth 's Mightiest Heroes '' , the Avengers originally consisted of Ant-Man , the Hulk , Iron Man , Thor , and the Wasp . Ant-Man had become Giant-Man by issue # 2 . The original Captain America was discovered trapped in ice in issue # 4 , and joined the group after they revived him . A rotating roster became a hallmark of the series , although one theme remained consistent : the Avengers fight `` the foes no single superhero can withstand . '' The team , famous for its battle cry of `` Avengers Assemble ! '' , has featured humans , mutants , Inhumans , androids , aliens , supernatural beings , and even former villains .   The team has appeared in a wide variety of media outside of comic books including a number of different animated television series and direct-to-video films . The 2012 live-action feature film The Avengers , directed by Joss Whedon , set numerous records during its box office run , including one of the biggest opening debuts in North America , with a weekend gross of $ 207.4 million . A second Avengers film titled Avengers : Age of Ultron was released on May 1 , 2015 .


Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe ( MCU ) is an American media franchise and shared universe that is centered on a series of superhero films , independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics . The franchise has expanded to include comic books , short films , television series and digital series . The shared universe , much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books , was established by crossing over common plot elements , settings , cast , and characters . Phil Coulson , portrayed by Clark Gregg , is an original character to the MCU and the only character to appear across all the different media of the MCU .   The first film released in the MCU was Iron Man ( 2008 ) , which began the first phase of films culminating in the crossover film Marvel 's The Avengers ( 2012 ) . Phase Two began with Iron Man 3 ( 2013 ) , and concluded with Ant-Man ( 2015 ) . The films are currently in Phase Three , which began with the release of Captain America : Civil War ( 2016 ) . Marvel Television expanded the universe further , first to network television with Marvel 's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC in the 2013 -- 14 television season , followed by online streaming with Marvel 's Daredevil on Netflix in 2015 , and then to cable television with Marvel 's Cloak & Dagger , which is scheduled to air in 2018 on Freeform . Marvel Television has also produced the digital series Marvel 's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. : Slingshot , which is a supplement to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Soundtrack albums have been released for all of the films , along with many of television series , as well as the release of compilation albums containing existing music heard in the films . The MCU also includes tie-in comics published by Marvel Comics , while Marvel Studios has also produced a series of direct-to-video short films and a viral marketing campaign for its films and the universe with the faux news program WHIH Newsfront .   The franchise has been commercially successful as a multimedia shared universe , though some critics have found that some of its films and television series have suffered in service of the wider universe . It has inspired other film and television studios with comic book character adaptation rights to attempt to create similar shared universes . The MCU has also been the focus of other media , outside of the shared universe , including attractions at the Disneyland Resort and Discovery Times Square , two television specials , guidebooks for each film , a Lego video game , and a commercial with Coca-Cola .


Avengers: Age of Ultron Avengers : Age of Ultron is a 2015 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers , produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures . It is the sequel to 2012 's The Avengers and the eleventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ( MCU ) . The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Hemsworth , Mark Ruffalo , Chris Evans , Scarlett Johansson , Jeremy Renner , Don Cheadle , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Elizabeth Olsen , Paul Bettany , Cobie Smulders , Anthony Mackie , Hayley Atwell , Idris Elba , Stellan Skarsgård , James Spader , and Samuel L. Jackson . In Avengers : Age of Ultron , the Avengers fight Ultron , an artificial intelligence obsessed with causing human extinction .   The sequel was announced in May 2012 , after the successful release of The Avengers . Whedon , the director of the first film , was brought back on board in August and a release date was set . By April 2013 , Whedon had completed a draft of the script , and casting began in June with the re-signing of Downey . Second unit filming began in February 2014 in South Africa with principal photography taking place between March and August 2014 . The film was primarily shot at Shepperton Studios in Surrey , England , with additional footage filmed in Italy , South Korea , Bangladesh , New York City , and various locations around England . While in post production , the film was converted to 3D and over 3,000 visual effects shots were added .   Avengers : Age of Ultron premiered in Los Angeles on April 13 , 2015 , and was released on May 1 , 2015 , in North America , in 3D and IMAX 3D . The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $ 1.4 billion worldwide , making it the seventh-highest-grossing film in history and the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2015 . A sequel , Avengers : Infinity War , is scheduled to be released on May 4 , 2018 , and another untitled sequel is scheduled for May 3 , 2019 .


Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is the common name and primary imprint of Marvel Worldwide Inc. , formerly Marvel Publishing , Inc. and Marvel Comics Group , an American publisher of comic books and related media . In 2009 , The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment , Marvel Worldwide 's parent company .   Marvel started in 1939 as Timely Publications , and by the early 1950s had generally become known as Atlas Comics . Marvel 's modern incarnation dates from 1961 , the year that the company launched The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee , Jack Kirby , Steve Ditko and many others .   Marvel counts among its characters such well-known superheroes as Iron Man , Captain America , Hulk , Thor , Doctor Strange , Spider-Man , Deadpool , Wolverine , Daredevil , Ms. Marvel and Ant-Man , such teams as the Avengers , the Guardians of the Galaxy , the Inhumans , the Fantastic Four , and the X-Men , and antagonists such as Doctor Doom , Red Skull , Green Goblin , Thanos , Ultron , Doctor Octopus , Magneto , Venom and Loki . Most of Marvel 's fictional characters operate in a single reality known as the Marvel Universe , with locations that mirror real-life cities . Characters such as Spider-Man , the Fantastic Four , the Avengers , Daredevil and Doctor Strange are based in New York City , whereas the X-Men have historically been based in Salem Center , New York and Hulk 's stories often have been set in the Southwestern United States .


Cheyenne Jackson has appeared in a number of films.

Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne David Jackson ( born July 12 , 1975 ) is an American actor and singer-songwriter . His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles , as well as film and television roles , concert singing , and music recordings .   After beginning his acting career in regional theatre in Seattle , he moved to New York and was an understudy in Thoroughly Modern Millie ( 2002 ) and Aida ( 2003 ) . He next originated the role of Matthew in Altar Boyz ( 2004 ) . Jackson 's first leading role on Broadway was in All Shook Up ( 2005 ) , which earned him a Theatre World Award for `` Outstanding Broadway Debut . '' Since then , on the New York stage , he has starred in The Agony & the Agony ( 2006 ) , Xanadu ( 2007 ; Drama League , Drama Desk nominations ) , Damn Yankees ( 2008 ) , Finian 's Rainbow ( 2010 ; Drama Desk nomination ) , 8 ( 2011 ) , The Heart of the Matter ( 2012 ) and The Performers ( 2013 ) .   He has also appeared in a number of films , including the 2006 Academy Award-nominated United 93 , in which his portrayal of Mark Bingham earned him the Boston Society of Film Critics 2006 award for Best Ensemble Cast . He also had a leading role in the 2014 independent romantic comedy ensemble , Mutual Friends , and guest roles in television series such as NBC 's 30 Rock and Fox 's Glee . Most recently , Jackson starred in the FX Horror-anthology , American Horror Story , in its fifth and sixth seasons .   In concert , Jackson has sold out Carnegie Hall twice : The Power of Two in 2010 and Music of the Mad Men Era in 2011 . He also performs in cabaret . In addition to his Broadway cast albums , he has released three albums of popular music , including a joint album called The Power of Two with Michael Feinstein in 2008 . In 2012 , Jackson released two singles , `` Drive '' and `` Before You '' , from his 2013 album I 'm Blue , Skies . In 2016 , Jackson released his latest album , Renaissance , an album adapted and expanded from his solo concert Music of the Mad Men Era .


IPhone 3G The iPhone 3G is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. . It is the second generation of iPhone , and was introduced on June 9 , 2008 , at the WWDC 2008 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco , United States .   The iPhone 3G is internally similar to its predecessor , but included several new hardware features , such as GPS , 3G data and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA . The device was originally loaded with the concurrently launched iPhone OS 2.0 . In addition to other features ( including push email and turn-by-turn navigation ) , this new operating system introduced the App StoreApple 's new distribution platform for third-party applications .


A Fine Romance was written solely by Stephen King.

A Fine Romance (1981 TV series) A Fine Romance is a British situation comedy starring husband-and-wife team Judi Dench and Michael Williams . Dench 's sister and brother-in-law were played by Susan Penhaligon and Richard Warwick . It was produced by London Weekend Television and written by Bob Larbey . It was first broadcast on 8 November 1981 . It lasted for 26 episodes over four series ; the final episode being broadcast on 17 February 1984 . The series takes its name from a song in the 1936 film Swing Time , starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers , which Dench recorded as the theme music .   The series was nominated for nine BAFTA British Academy Television Awards and a winner of two , both for Dench 's performance in 1982 and 1985 .


Snooki Nicole Elizabeth `` Snooki '' LaValle ( née Polizzi ; born November 23 , 1987 ) is an American reality television personality , author , dancer and professional wrestler who is best known for being a cast member of the MTV reality show Jersey Shore and starring in Snooki & Jwoww . Since the show 's debut in 2009 , Polizzi has gained popularity by appearing on talk shows including The View , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , Jimmy Kimmel Live ! , Late Show with David Letterman , and The Wendy Williams Show . She earned $ 150,000 per Jersey Shore episode for the last two seasons . She also appeared as the guest hostess for WWE Raw in 2011 and competed at WrestleMania XXVII that same year .


Klute Klute is a 1971 American neo-noir crime-thriller film directed and produced by Alan J. Pakula , written by Andy and Dave Lewis , and starring Jane Fonda , Donald Sutherland , Charles Cioffi , and Roy Scheider . It tells the story of a high-priced prostitute who assists a detective in solving a missing person case .   Klute is the first installment of what informally came to be known as Pakula 's `` paranoia trilogy '' . The other two films in the trilogy are The Parallax View ( 1974 ) and All the President 's Men ( 1976 ) .   The film includes a cameo appearance by Warhol superstars actress Candy Darling , and another by All in the Family costar Jean Stapleton . The music was composed by Michael Small .   Jane Fonda won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film .


Macaulay Culkin and Christopher Lloyd were in a movie together.

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Carson Culkin ( born August 26 , 1980 ) is an American actor . He became famous as a child actor for his role as Kevin McCallister in the family comedy Home Alone ( 1990 ) and its sequel Home Alone 2 : Lost in New York ( 1992 ) . He is also known for his roles in Uncle Buck ( 1989 ) , My Girl ( 1991 ) , The Good Son ( 1993 ) , The Pagemaster ( 1994 ) , Richie Rich ( 1994 ) , Party Monster ( 2003 ) , and the music video for Michael Jackson 's `` Black or White '' . At the height of his fame , he was regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple . Culkin ranked at number two on VH1 's list of the `` 100 Greatest Kid-Stars '' and E! 's list of the `` 50 Greatest Child Stars '' .


The Pagemaster The Pagemaster is a 1994 American live-action/animated fantasy adventure film starring Macaulay Culkin , Christopher Lloyd , Whoopi Goldberg , Patrick Stewart , Leonard Nimoy , and Frank Welker . The film was produced by Turner Pictures and released by 20th Century Fox on November 23 , 1994 .   The film was written for the screen by David Casci , based on a six-page pitch by writer Charles Pogue entitled `` Library Days , '' presented to Casci by producer David Kirschner . The film was directed by Joe Johnston ( live action ) and Pixote Hunt and Glenn Chaika ( animation ) , and produced by David Kirschner and Paul Gertz .