Passage 1:Steven TaylorSteven or Steve Taylor may refer to:Steve Taylor (missiologist) (born 1968), New Zealand theologianSteve Taylor (psychologist) (born 1967), English author and lecturer in psychologyStevenJohn Taylor, American singer and keyboardist for the band Rogue WaveSteve Taylor (politician) (born 1956), American politician and Delaware state legislatorSteven W. Taylor (born 1949), American politician andOklahoma Supreme Court justiceSteve Taylor (footballer) (born 1955), English footballer in The Football LeagueSteve Taylor (born 1957), American singer, songwriter and film directorSteve Taylor & The Perfect Foil, asupergroup led by Steve TaylorSteven Taylor (cricketer, born 1963) (born 1963), English cricketerSteve Taylor (Canadian football) (born 1967), quarterbackSteven Taylor (American cricketer) (born 1993), AmericancricketerSteven Taylor (footballer) (born 1986), English footballerSteve Taylor, the narrator for the YouTube channel KurzgesagtJohn Mahan (1851–1883), also known as Steve Taylor, Irish-born American bare-knuckleboxer and pugilistFictional charactersSteven Taylor (Doctor Who), one of the First Doctor's companionsSteve Taylor, a character in the 2008 British slasher movie Eden LakeSee alsoStephen Taylor (disambiguation)Listof people with surname TaylorPassage 2:Steven ParkerSteven Parker may refer to:Steven Parker (defensive back) (born 1995), American football playerSteven Parker, military police officer whose actions were thesubject of the U.S. Supreme Court case Saucier v. KatzSteven Parker, co-creator of the website NeowinSteven Christopher Parker (born 1989), actorSteven J. Parker (died 2009), Boston pediatrician and co-author ofthe 7th edition of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child CareSee alsoStephen Parker (disambiguation)Steve Parker (disambiguation)Passage 3:Steven EllisSteven or Steve Ellis may refer to:Steve Ellis (comics)(born 1971), American comic book artist and illustratorSteve Ellis (musician) (born 1950), English singerSteve Ellis (literary scholar) (born 1952), British literary scholar and poetSteve Ellis (rower) (born 1968), Britishlightweight rowerSteven J. R. Ellis (born 1974), Australian archaeologistSee alsoStephen Ellis (disambiguation)Passage 4:Stephen GriffithsStephen or Steve Griffiths may refer to:Stephen Shaun Griffiths (born 1969),convicted of the Bradford murders in 2010Steve Griffiths (footballer) (1914–1998), English footballerSteve Griffiths (athlete) (born 1964), Jamaican sprinterSteve Griffiths (rugby union) (born 1973), English-bornScotland rugby union playerSteven Griffiths (born 1962), Australian politicianSteven Griffiths (cricketer) (born 1973), English cricketerPassage 5:Stephen PalmerStephen or Steve Palmer is the name of: Steve Palmer(footballer) (born 1968), English footballerStephen Palmer (orienteer), British orienteerStephen Palmer, guitarist with The High StrungPassage 6:Steve BarancikSteve Barancik (born September 23, 1961, in Chicago,Illinois) is a screenwriter whose first screenplay, Buffalo Girls, was filmed and released as The Last Seduction in 1994. The film premiered as an HBO movie before going on shortly after to art house success. ActressLinda Fiorentino received notoriety for playing the movie's femme fatale, Bridget Gregory/Wendy Kroy, and Barancik was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for best mystery/crime screenplay of 1994.Barancikreceived critical acclaim for his screenplay for The Last Seduction. James Berardinelli called his dialogue "scintillating, often hilarious, and occasionally insightful", while Variety said his development of the narrative "isvery skillful and original". The Washington Post claimed it was "a viciously funny first screenplay" from Barancik, and Kim Newman of Empire called his screenplay "superb". Barancik worked steadily in the industry butwith little to show for it until receiving shared screenplay credit for 2002's No Good Deed. He also received shared story credit for 2005's Domino. Barancik is also the founder and a regular performer in Monolog Cabin, agroup featuring writers performing comedic personal essays, which performs at Club Congress in Tucson, Arizona. He has developed a website devoted to the subject of quality children's books and another to collectingthe experiences of authors who have self-published.Passage 7:Steven RobertsSteven or Steve Roberts may refer to:Steven K. Roberts (born 1952), American journalist, writer, cyclist, archivist, and explorerSteven V.Roberts (born 1943), American journalist and writerSteven Roberts (British Army soldier) (died 2003), first British soldier to die in the 2003 invasion of IraqSteve Roberts (American football) (born 1964), collegefootball coach at Arkansas State UniversitySteve Roberts (comics), British comics artistSteve Roberts (drummer) (died 2022), British drummer (UK Subs)Steven Roberts (Missouri politician), Missouri State SenatorSeealsoStephen Roberts (disambiguation)Passage 8:Stephen ClarkStephen or Steve(n) Clark(e) may refer to:Arts and entertainmentStephen Carlton Clark (1882–1960), art collector and president of the Baseball Hall ofFameSteve Clark (tap dancer) (1924–2017), member of the tap-dancing duo The Clark BrothersStephen Clarke (writer) (born 1958), British journalist and novelistSteve Clarke (drummer) (born 1959), British rock andheavy metal drummerSteve Clark (1960–1991), British guitarist for rock band Def LeppardStephen Clark (playwright), British playwright, librettist and lyricistSteven A. Clark, American pop and R&B singer, active2011–presentStephen Clark (musician), American bassist for heavy metal band DeafheavenSteve Clarke, British rock bassist for DumdumsSteve Clark (animator), animator and director of animated televisionseriesStephen Clarke-Willson, video game and software developerSteve Clarke (EastEnders), fictional character in the British soap opera EastendersPoliticsStephen Clark (New York treasurer) (1792–?), New York StateTreasurer 1856–1857Stephen D. Clark (1916–1997), Canadian politician, New BrunswickStephen P. Clark (1924–1996), Mayor of Miami, FloridaStephen R. Clark (born 1966), American federal judge from MissouriSteveClark (Canadian politician) (born 1960), Canadian politician, OntarioSteve Clark (Arkansas politician), Arkansas Attorney GeneralSportsSteve Clark (swimmer) (born 1943), American swimmerStevan Clark (born 1959),American football defensive endSteve Clark (American football, born 1960), American pro football tackleSteve Clark (defensive back) (born 1962), American football defensive backSteven Clark (Australian footballer)(1961–2005), VFL/AFL player for three clubsSteve Clarke (born 1963), Scottish football player and managerStephen Clarke (swimmer) (born 1973), Canadian swimmerSteven Clark (English footballer) (born 1982),English footballerSteven Clark (cricketer) (born 1982), Leicestershire cricketerSteve Clark (soccer) (born 1986), American soccer playerSteven Clarke (gridiron football) (born 1991), Canadian football defensivebackSteve Clark (referee), rugby refereeOthersStephen C. Clark (bishop) (1892–1950), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of UtahStephen R. L. Clark (born 1945), British philosopherSteven Clarke (born 1949),biochemistStephen Clarke (archaeologist), Welsh archaeologistSee alsoStephen Clark Foster (1822–1898), mayor of New York CityStephen Clark Foster (Maine politician) (1799–1872), U.S. representative fromMaineShooting of Stephon Clark, 2018 shooting in Sacramento, California involving a man similarly named Stephon ClarkPassage 9:Helen CliftonHelen Clifton (née Ashman) (4 May 1948 – 14 June 2011) was a BritishSalvation Army Commissioner. She spent her childhood in London, connected to the Edmonton Corps of The Salvation Army. She was a teacher before entering the International Training College at Denmark Hill,London, to become a full-time Officer of The Salvation Army. She married the 18th General of The Salvation Army, Shaw Clifton, in 1967. He died in May 2023.She held a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Englishlanguage and literature from Westfield College, University of London and a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education from Goldsmiths’ College, University of London.External linksThe Salvation Army internationalhomepage Archived 2007-05-11 at the Wayback MachineGeneral Shaw Clifton and Commissioner Helen Clifton Archived 2017-04-25 at the Wayback MachineWelcome and Dedication Meeting General Shaw Clifton andCommissioner Helen CliftonCliftons elected to leadCommissioner speaks out against traffickingDeath notice of Commissioner Helen Clifton Archived 2011-07-05 at the Wayback MachinePassage 10:Steven BakerStevenor Steve Baker is the name of:SportsmenSteve Baker (baseball) (born 1956), major league pitcherSteve Baker (footballer, born 1962), English footballerSteve Baker (footballer, born 1978), English footballerSteveBaker (ice hockey) (born 1957), American ice hockey goaltenderSteve Baker (motorcyclist) (born 1952), former Grand Prix motorcycle road racerSteve Baker (speedway rider), Australian motorcycle speedwayriderSteven Baker (American football), American football player with the St. Louis RamsSteven Baker (Australian footballer) (born 1980), Australian rules footballerSteven Baker (figure skater), Croatian figure skater,winner of the Golden Bear of ZagrebOthersSteve Baker, designer of the Space Crusade boardgameSteve Baker (illusionist) (1938–2017), American comedian, magician and escape artistSteve Baker (politician) (born1971), British Conservative Party MP for WycombeSteven Baker (producer) (born 1976), Australian arranger, orchestrator and record producerSee alsoStephen Baker (disambiguation)


Passage 1:Ian Barry (director)Ian Barry is an Australian director of film and TV.Select creditsWaiting for Lucas (1973) (short)Stone (1974) (editor only)The Chain Reaction (1980)Whose Baby? (1986)(mini-series)Minnamurra (1989)Bodysurfer (1989) (mini-series)Ring of Scorpio (1990) (mini-series)Crimebroker (1993)Inferno (1998) (TV movie)Miss Lettie and Me (2002) (TV movie)Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild,Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008) (documentary)The Doctor Blake Mysteries (2013)Passage 2:Peter LevinPeter Levin is an American director of film, television and theatre.CareerSince 1967, Levin has amassed alarge number of credits directing episodic television and television films. Some of his television series credits include Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, James at 15, The Paper Chase, Family, Starsky & Hutch, Lou Grant,Fame, Cagney & Lacey, Law & Order and Judging Amy.Some of his television film credits include Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case (1980), A Reason to Live (1985), Popeye Doyle (1986), A Killer Among Us (1990),Queen Sized (2008) and among other films. He directed "Heart in Hiding", written by his wife Audrey Davis Levin, for which she received an Emmy for Best Day Time Special in the 1970s.Prior to becoming a director,Levin worked as an actor in several Broadway productions. He costarred with Susan Strasberg in "[The Diary of Ann Frank]" but had to leave the production when he was drafted into the Army. He trained at theCarnegie Mellon University. Eventually becoming a theatre director, he directed productions at the Long Wharf Theatre and the Pacific Resident Theatre Company. He also co-founded the off-off-Broadway Theatre [theHardware Poets Playhouse] with his wife Audrey Davis Levin and was also an associate artist of The Interact Theatre Company.Passage 3:John Farrell (businessman)John Farrell is the director of YouTube in LatinAmerica.EducationFarrell holds a joint MBA degree from the University of Texas at Austin and Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM).CareerHis business career began at Skytel, and later atIridium as head of Business Development, in Washington DC, where he supported the design and launched the first satellite location service in the world and established international distribution agreements.Heco-founded Adetel, the first company to provide internet access to residential communities and businesses in Mexico. After becoming General Manager of Adetel, he developed a partnership with TV Azteca in order tocreate the first internet access prepaid card in the country known as the ToditoCard.  Later in his career, John Farrell worked for Televisa in Mexico City as Director of Business Development for Esmas.com. There heestablished a strategic alliance with a leading telecommunications provider to launch co-branded Internet and telephone services. He also led initial efforts to launch social networking services, leveraging Televisa’scontent and media channels.GoogleFarrel joined Google in 2004 as Director of Business Development for Asia and Latin America. On April 7, 2008, he was promoted to the position of General Manager for GoogleMexico, replacing Alonso Gonzalo. He is now director of YouTube in Latin America, responsible for developing audiences, managing partnerships and growing Google’s video display business. John is also part of Google’sLatin America leadership management team and contributes to Google’s strategy in the region. He is Vice President of the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), a member of the AMIPCI (Mexican Internet Association)Advisory Board, an active Endeavor mentor, and member of YPO.Passage 4:Brian Kennedy (gallery director)Brian Patrick Kennedy (born 5 November 1961) is an Irish-born art museum director who has worked inIreland and Australia, and now lives and works in the United States.  He was the director of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem for 17 months, resigning December 31, 2020. He was the director of the Toledo Museumof Art in Ohio from 2010 to 2019. He was the director of the Hood Museum of Art from 2005 to 2010, and the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra) from 1997 to 2004.CareerBrian Kennedy currently lives and worksin the United States after leaving Australia in 2005 to direct the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. In October 2010 he became the ninth Director of the Toledo Museum of Art. On 1 July 2019, he succeeded DanMonroe as the executive director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum.Early life and career in IrelandKennedy was born in Dublin and attended Clonkeen College. He received B.A. (1982), M.A. (1985) and PhD (1989)degrees from University College-Dublin, where he studied both art history and history.He worked in the Irish Department of Education (1982), the European Commission, Brussels (1983), and in Ireland at the ChesterBeatty Library (1983–85), Government Publications Office (1985–86), and Department of Finance (1986–89). He married Mary Fiona Carlin in 1988.He was Assistant Director at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublinfrom 1989 to 1997. He was Chair of the Irish Association of Art Historians from 1996 to 1997, and of the Council of Australian Art Museum Directors from 2001 to 2003. In September 1997 he became Director of theNational Gallery of Australia.National Gallery of Australia (NGA)Kennedy expanded the traveling exhibitions and loans program throughout Australia, arranged for several major shows of Australian art abroad, increasedthe number of exhibitions at the museum itself and oversaw the development of an extensive multi-media site.  Although he oversaw several years of the museum's highest ever annual visitation, he discontinued theemphasis of his predecessor, Betty Churcher, on showing "blockbuster" exhibitions.During his directorship, the NGA gained government support for improving the building and significant private donations and corporatesponsorship. However, the initial design for the building proved controversial generating a public dispute with the original architect on moral rights grounds.  As a result, the project was not delivered during DrKennedy's tenure, with a significantly altered design completed some years later.  Private funding supported two acquisitions of British art, including David Hockney's A Bigger Grand Canyon in 1999, and Lucian Freud'sAfter Cézanne in 2001. Kennedy built on the established collections at the museum by acquiring the Holmgren-Spertus collection of Indonesian textiles; the Kenneth Tyler collection of editioned prints, screens, multiplesand unique proofs; and the Australian Print Workshop Archive. He was also notable for campaigning for the construction of a new "front" entrance to the Gallery, facing King Edward Terrace, which was completed in2010 (see reference to the building project above).Kennedy's cancellation of the "Sensation exhibition" (scheduled at the NGA from 2 June 2000 to 13 August 2000) was controversial, and seen by some as censorship.He claimed that the decision was due to the exhibition being "too close to the market" implying that a national cultural institution cannot exhibit the private collection of a speculative art investor. However, there wereother exhibitions at the NGA during his tenure, which could have raised similar concerns. The exhibition featured the privately owned Young British Artists works belonging to Charles Saatchi and attracted largeattendances in London and Brooklyn. Its most controversial work was Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary, a painting which used elephant dung and was accused of being blasphemous. The then-mayor of New York,Rudolph Giuliani, campaigned against the exhibition, claiming it was "Catholic-bashing" and an "aggressive, vicious, disgusting attack on religion." In November 1999, Kennedy cancelled the exhibition and stated thatthe events in New York had "obscured discussion of the artistic merit of the works of art". He has said that it "was the toughest decision of my professional life, so far."Kennedy was also repeatedly questioned on hismanagement of a range of issues during the Australian Government's Senate Estimates process - particularly on the NGA's occupational health and safety record and concerns about the NGA's twenty-year-oldair-conditioning system. The air-conditioning was finally renovated in 2003. Kennedy announced in 2002 that he would not seek extension of his contract beyond 2004, accepting a seven-year term as had his twopredecessors.He became a joint Irish-Australian citizen in 2003.Toledo Museum of ArtThe Toledo Museum of Art is known for its exceptional collections of European and American paintings and sculpture, glass,antiquities, artist books, Japanese prints and netsuke. The museum offers free admission and is recognized for its historical leadership in the field of art education.  During his tenure, Kennedy has focused the museum'sart education efforts on visual literacy, which he defines as "learning to read, understand and write visual language."   Initiatives have included baby and toddler tours, specialized training for all staff, docents,volunteers and the launch of a website, www.vislit.org. In November 2014, the museum hosted the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) conference, the first Museum to do so. Kennedy has been a frequentspeaker on the topic, including 2010 and 2013 TEDx talks on visual and sensory literacy.Kennedy has expressed an interest in expanding the museum's collection of contemporary art and art by indigenous peoples.Works by Frank Stella, Sean Scully, Jaume Plensa, Ravinder Reddy and Mary Sibande have been acquired.  In addition, the museum has made major acquisitions of Old Master paintings by Frans Hals and LucaGiordano.During his tenure the Toledo Museum of Art has announced the return of several objects from its collection due to claims the objects were stolen and/or illegally exported prior being sold to the museum.  In2011 a Meissen sweetmeat stand was returned to Germany followed by an Etruscan Kalpis or water jug to Italy (2013), an Indian sculpture of Ganesha (2014) and an astrological compendium to Germany in 2015.HoodMuseum of ArtKennedy became Director of the Hood Museum of Art in July 2005. During his tenure, he implemented a series of large and small-scale exhibitions and oversaw the production of more than 20 publicationsto bring greater public attention to the museum's remarkable collections of the arts of America, Europe, Africa, Papua New Guinea and the Polar regions. At 70,000 objects, the Hood has one of the largest collections onany American college of university campus. The exhibition, Black Womanhood: Images, Icons, and Ideologies of the African Body, toured several US venues. Kennedy increased campus curricular use of works of art,with thousands of objects pulled from storage for classes annually. Numerous acquisitions were made with the museum's generous endowments, and he curated several exhibitions: including Wenda Gu: Forest of StoneSteles: Retranslation and Rewriting Tang Dynasty Poetry, Sean Scully: The Art of the Stripe, and Frank Stella: Irregular Polygons.PublicationsKennedy has written or edited a number of books on art, including:AlfredChester Beatty and Ireland 1950-1968: A study in cultural politics, Glendale Press (1988), ISBN 978-0-907606-49-9Dreams and responsibilities: The state and arts in independent Ireland, Arts Council of Ireland (1990),ISBN 978-0-906627-32-7Jack B Yeats: Jack Butler Yeats, 1871-1957 (Lives of Irish Artists), Unipub (October 1991), ISBN 978-0-948524-24-0The Anatomy Lesson: Art and Medicine (with Davis Coakley), NationalGallery of Ireland (January 1992), ISBN 978-0-903162-65-4Ireland: Art into History (with Raymond Gillespie), Roberts Rinehart Publishers (1994), ISBN 978-1-57098-005-3Irish Painting, Roberts Rinehart Publishers(November 1997),  ISBN 978-1-86059-059-7Sean Scully: The Art of the Stripe, Hood Museum of Art (October 2008), ISBN 978-0-944722-34-3Frank Stella: Irregular Polygons, 1965-1966, Hood Museum of Art(October 2010), ISBN 978-0-944722-39-8Honors and achievementsKennedy was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal in 2001 for service to Australian Society and its art. He is a trustee and treasurer of theAssociation of Art Museum Directors, a peer reviewer for the American Association of Museums and a member of the International Association of Art Critics. In 2013 he was appointed inaugural eminent professor at theUniversity of Toledo and received an honorary doctorate from Lourdes University. Most recently, Kennedy received the 2014 Northwest Region, Ohio Art Education Association award for distinguished educator for arteducation.== Notes ==Passage 5:Dana BlanksteinDana Blankstein-Cohen (born March 3, 1981) is the executive director of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School. She was appointed by the board of directors  inNovember 2019.  Previously she was the CEO of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. She is a film director, and an Israeli culture entrepreneur.BiographyDana Blankstein was born in Switzerland in 1981 totheatre director Dedi Baron and Professor Alexander Blankstein. She moved to Israel in 1983 and grew up in Tel Aviv.Blankstein graduated from the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Jerusalem in 2008 with highhonors. During her studies she worked as a personal assistant to directors Savi Gabizon on his film Nina's Tragedies and to Renen Schorr on his film The Loners.  She also directed and shot 'the making of' film onGavison's film Lost and Found. Her debut film Camping competed at the Berlin International Film Festival, 2007.Film and academic careerAfter her studies, Dana founded and directed the film and television departmentat the Kfar Saba municipality. The department encouraged and promoted productions filmed in the city of Kfar Saba, as well as the established cultural projects, and educational community activities.Blankstein directedthe mini-series "Tel Aviviot" (2012). From 2016-2019 was the director of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television.In November 2019 Dana Blankstein Cohen was appointed the new director of the Sam Spiegel Filmand Television School where she also oversees the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab. In 2022, she spearheaded the launch of the new Series Lab and the film preparatory program for Arabic speakers in eastJerusalem.FilmographyTel Aviviot (mini-series; director, 2012)Growing Pains (graduation film, Sam Spiegel; director and screenwriter, 2008)Camping (debut film, Sam Spiegel; director and screenwriter, 2006)Passage6:John DonatichJohn Donatich is the Director of Yale University Press.Early lifeHe received a BA from New York University in 1982, graduating magna cum laude. He also got a master's degree from NYU in 1984,graduating summa cum laude.CareerDonatich worked as director of National Accounts at Putnam Publishing Group from 1989 to 1992.His writing has appeared in various periodicals including Harper's, The AtlanticMonthly and The Village Voice.He worked at HarperCollins from 1992 to 1996, serving as director of national accounts and then as vice president and director of product and marketing development.From 1995 to 2003,Donatich served as publisher and vice president of Basic Books. While there, he started the Art of Mentoring series of books, which would run from 2001 to 2008.  While at Basic Books, Donatich published such authorsas Christopher Hitchens, Steven Pinker, Samantha Power, Alan Dershowitz, Sir Martin Rees and Richard Florida.In 2003, Donatich became the director of the Yale University Press.  At Yale, Donatich published suchauthors as Michael Walzer, Janet Malcolm, E. H. Gombrich, Michael Fried, Edmund Morgan and T. J.  Clark.  Donatich began the Margellos World Republic of Letters, a literature in translation series that published suchauthors as Adonis, Norman Manea and Claudio Magris. He also launched the digital archive platform, The Stalin Digital Archive and the Encounters Chinese Language multimedia platform.In 2009, he briefly gainedmedia attention when he was involved in the decision to expunge the Muhammad cartoons from the Yale University Press book The Cartoons that Shook the World, for fear of Muslim violence.He is the author of amemoir, Ambivalence, a Love Story, and a novel, The Variations.BooksAmbivalence, a Love Story: Portrait of a Marriage (memoir), St. Martin's Press, 2005.The Variations (novel), Henry Holt, March, 2012ArticlesWhyBooks Still Matter, Journal of Scholarly Publishing, Volume 40, Number 4, July 2009, pp. 329–342, E-ISSN 1710-1166 Print ISSN 1198-9742Personal lifeDonatich is married to Betsy Lerner, a literary agent and author;together they have a daughter, Raffaella.Passage 7:Dell HendersonGeorge Delbert "Dell" Henderson (July 5, 1877 – December 2, 1956) was a Canadian-American actor, director, and writer. He began his long andprolific film career in the early days of silent film.BiographyBorn in the southwestern Ontario city of St. Thomas, Dell Henderson started his acting career on the stage, but appeared in his first movie Monday Morning in aConey Island Police Court in 1908. Henderson was a frequent associate of film pioneer D.W. Griffith since 1909 and appeared in numerous early Griffith shorts in Hollywood. Henderson also acted on a less prolific basisin the movies of producer Mack Sennett at Keystone Studios. In addition to acting, Henderson directed nearly 200 silent films between 1911 and 1928. Most of those films are forgotten or lost, but he also directedmovies with silent stars like Harry Carey and Roscoe Arbuckle. Henderson also worked as a writer on numerous screenplays.After retiring from directing in 1927, Henderson returned to acting full time and playedimportant supporting roles in King Vidor's The Crowd (1928) and as General Marmaduke Pepper in Show People (1928). The advent of sound film damaged Henderson's acting career, and he often had to play smallerroles. In the 1930s, he appeared on several occasions as a comic foil for such comedians as The Three Stooges, W. C. Fields and Laurel and Hardy. He often played somewhat pompous figures like judges, businessmen,detectives or mayors. Modern audiences will remember Henderson as the annoyed hospital president Dr. Graves in The Three Stooges film Men in Black (1934) and the put-upon chaperone in the Our Gang filmChoo-Choo! (1932). He also appeared as a night court judge in Laurel and Hardy's Our Relations (1936) and as a friendly car salesman in Leo McCarey's drama Make Way for Tomorrow (1937). Henderson ended his filmcareer after numerous small roles in 1950.  He did make one final appearance on NBC-TV's "This Is Your Life" on March 10, 1954, during a tribute to Mack Sennett.Henderson died at the age of 79 of a heart attack inHollywood. He was married to actress Florence Lee until his death. The couple made several silent films together.Selected filmographyPassage 8:Olav AaraasOlav Aaraas (born 10 July 1950) is a Norwegian historian andmuseum director.He was born in Fredrikstad. From 1982 to 1993 he was the director of Sogn Folk Museum, from 1993 to 2010 he was the director of Maihaugen and from 2001 he has been the director of theNorwegian Museum of Cultural History. In 2010 he was decorated with the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.Passage 9:The Shark (1920 film)The Shark is a lost 1920 American silent film produced and distributed byFox Film Corporation. It was directed by Dell Henderson and starred George Walsh.CastGeorge Walsh as Shark RawleyRobert Broderick as Rodman SelbyWilliam Nally as SanchezJames T. Mack as Hump LoganHenryPemberton as Juan NajeraMarie Pagano as CarlottaMary Hall as Doris SelbyPlotThe story revolves around Shark Rawley, a sailor on a tramp steamer who saves a woman by the name of Doris Hall from the crew of theship and its captain Sanchez. The film climaxes with the ship burning when a fire breaks out. Rawley and Hall escape and while waiting for the rescue boat they fall in love with each other.See alsoList of Fox Filmfilms1937 Fox vault firePassage 10:Michael GovanMichael Govan (born 1963) is the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Prior to his current position, Govan worked as the director of the Dia Art Foundationin New York City.Early life and educationGovan was born in 1963 in North Adams, Massachusetts, and was raised in the Washington D.C. area, attending Sidwell Friends School.He majored in art history and fine arts atWilliams College, where he met Thomas Krens, who was then director of the Williams College Museum of Art. Govan became closely involved with the museum, serving as acting curator as an undergraduate. Afterreceiving his B.A. from Williams in 1985, Govan began an MFA in fine arts from the University of California, San Diego.CareerAs a twenty-five year old graduate student, Govan was recruited by his former mentor at


Passage 1:Ahmet BozerAhmet C. Bozer (born 1960) is a Turkish business executive. He is executive vice president and president of Coca-Cola International, which consists of The Coca-Cola Company's Asia Pacific,Europe, Eurasia & Africa, and Latin America operations.Early yearsBozer was born to Ali Bozer, an academic of Commercial Law and politician, 1960 in Istanbul, Turkey. He finished TED Ankara Koleji and studiedBusiness Administration at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. Later, he earned a MBA degree in Business Information Systems from Georgia State University.CareerAfter beginning as a consultant andinstructor, Bozer was employed by Coopers and Lybrand, where he had various roles in audit, consultancy and management in the five years there.In 1990, he joined Coca-Cola USA as Financial Control Manager at thecompany's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Bozer was appointed Region Finance Manager at the Turkish Enterprise in 1992.He was Finance Director and Deputy Managing Director of The Coca-Cola Company BottlingOperations in Turkey from 1994 to 1999. After serving as the Managing Director of Coca-Cola Bottlers of Turkey (CCBT), Bozer became the President of Eurasia & Middle East Division based in Istanbul, Turkey onJanuary 1, 2006. On July 1, 2007, he was appointed President of the Eurasia and Africa Group, which comprises a total of more than 90 countries, and served until December 31, 2012. In 2013, he became ExecutiveVice President and President of Coca-Cola International.Passage 2:Carl WareCarl Ware (born 1943, Newnan, Georgia) is an American businessman. He is a retired executive vice-president of The Coca-ColaCompany.BiographyEarly lifeCarl Ware holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Clark College, a master's degree in Public Administration from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, and is a 1991 graduate of the Harvard Business School's International Senior Management Program.CareerHe was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1973 and served as president of theCouncil from 1976 until 1979.In 1979, he was named Vice President of Special Markets for Coca-Cola USA, with responsibility for expanding African-American and Hispanic marketing and advertising programs. In 1982,Ware was promoted to Vice President of Urban Affairs. In 1986, he was elected Senior Vice President of Coca-Cola. Ware was named Deputy Group President, Northeast Europe and Africa in 1991, and was appointedpresident of the Africa Group in 1993.He was elected a director of Chevron Corporation in 2001. He is a former senior adviser to the chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Co., a position he held from 2003 to 2006. Healso sits on the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and Georgia Power.Passage 3:Frank Mason RobinsonFrank Mason Robinson (September 12, 1845 – July 8, 1923) was an important early marketerand advertiser of what became known as Coca-Cola.CareerDuring the winter of 1885, Robinson and his business partner, David Doe, came to the South in order to sell a machine they invented called a "chromaticprinting device" which had the capability to produce two colors in one imprint. Upon arrival in Atlanta, Robinson and David Doe approached Dr. John S. Pemberton, a chemist and pharmacist, and struck a deal. In 1886Frank Robinson officially settled in Atlanta where a new business was made called the Pemberton Chemical Company consisting of Robinson, Pemberton, David Doe and Pemberton's old partner, EdHolland.Coca-ColaPemberton was experimenting with a medicinal formula which included coca leaves and kola nuts as sources of its ingredients. Robinson, who served as bookkeeper and partner to Pemberton, gavethe syrup formula the name Coca-Cola, where Coca came from the coca leaves used and Cola for the kola nuts. The name Coca-Cola was also chosen "because it was euphonious, and on account of my familiarity withsuch names as 'S.S.S; and 'B.B.B'" said Robinson himself. He was also responsible for writing the Coca-Cola name in Spencerian script which was popular with bookkeepers of the era and remains one of the mostrecognized trademarks in the world. The formula was introduced in May 1886 at the Jacobs Pharmacy in Atlanta. It sold 25 US gallons (95 L) the first year. The next year sales increased to 1,049 US gallons (3,970 L).In 1888 Pemberton sold the formula to Asa G. Candler, another Atlanta pharmacist and businessman, for a total investment of $2,300 before Pemberton died. Coca-Cola was granted a charter in 1892 and became theofficial Georgia Corporation named the Coca-Cola Company with Asa G. Candler, his brother John S. Candler, Frank M. Robinson and two other associates.  Robinson served as treasurer and secretary and changed theCoca-Cola syrup formula so as not to include any faint traces of cocaine by the time of the Pure Food and Drug Act initiated by the Federal Government in 1906. The starting capitalization for the company was at$100,000.Robinson overall was responsible for the early advertising of Coca-Cola before and after Candler bought the name and syrup formula from Pemberton, the first ads appearing in The Atlanta Journal in 1887.While still working with Pemberton, Robinson had the initial ads display short phrases such as "Coca-Cola! Delicious! Refreshing! Exhilarating! Invigorating! The new and popular soda fountain drink containing theproperties of the wonderful Coca plant and the famous Cola nut." Marketing for the drink showed the syrup beverage with medicinal properties curing headaches but with a unique taste. The initial ads distributed invitedcitizens to try "the new and popular soda fountain drink." Hand painted oil cloth signs were put outside stores displaying the Coca-Cola brand name with catchy words such as "Drink" in order to inform customers andother people passing by about the new medicinal beverage that was also a soda fountain drink. First year sales showed an average of nine bottles sold per day.Robinson later retired in 1914, but remained one of thecompany's directors. In The Columbus Enquirer-Sun a newspaper founded in 1874, published an article in 1906 praising Robinson's work with Coca-Cola: "there is one person to whom particular credit is due for the factthat the Coca-Cola formula remained, in the hands of the Georgians, and the further fact that the drink soon became so popular. He is Mr. Robinson, and the present secretary of the Coca-Cola Company...In developingthe drink, Mr. Robinson has also developed. He is said to be one of the best posted experts on advertising in America today, all due to his experience in advertising and pushing Coca-Cola."Personal lifeOriginally fromMaine, as a young man he was in Iowa where he married Laura Clapp. Robinson had a home in Druid Hills, an early suburb of Atlanta. He also had a 40-acre (160,000 m2) country home on the Cobb County banks ofthe Chattahoochee River. The property had been a southern fortification defending the railroad bridge. The property is currently the Frank Mason Robinson Nature Preserve. He owned six residences which were occupiedrent free by family and friends.Robinson taught a large Bible class at the First Christian Church of Atlanta. A large English stained glass window dedicated to his memory is above the pulpit of Peachtree Christian Church.He was a Republican in national politics but a Democrat in state and local politics.Robinson died in July 1923 and was buried in Atlanta's Westview Cemetery.Passage 4:Douglas IvesterDouglas Ivester (born 1947) is anAmerican businessman. He served as the chairman and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company from 1997 to 2000.Early lifeMelvin Douglas Ivester was born in 1947 in New Holland, Georgia. He attended NewHolland Elementary School, where he met Kay Grindle in the third grade.  He grew up to marry her.  He attended North Hall High School and went on to the University of Georgia, where he earned a degree inaccounting, graduating with honors in 1969.CareerIvester began his career with the accounting firm of Ernst and Ernst.In 1979, Ivester joined Coca-Cola as assistant controller and director of corporate auditing, and in1981 he became the youngest vice president in the company's history. Two years later he was elected senior vice president of finance, and in 1985 he was elected CFO at the age of 37. Ivester was elected chairman ofthe board and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company on October 23, 1997.  Ivester received a retirement package estimated to be worth $166 million. Ivester received the FIFA Order of Merit in 1996.Ivesterserves on the board of director of SunTrust Banks.In 1996 Ivester was honored with an Edison Achievement Award for his commitment to innovation throughout his career.PhilanthropyIvester contributes to theUniversity of Georgia, Terry College of Business as Executive-at-Large through the "Deer Run Fellows" program.Passage 5:Ayul KaithiAyul Kaithi (transl. Life sentence prisoner) is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language crimedrama film written and directed by K. Subash, starring Prabhu and Revathi. The film revolves around an escaped prisoner seemingly seeking to kill his ex-girlfriend. It was released on 29 June 1991.PlotChandrasekhar,a prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment, escapes from prison to seemingly kill his ex-girlfriend Nithiya. Sudharshan, a police officer, tries to catch him.CastSoundtrackThe music was composed by Shankar–Ganesh,with lyrics by Vaali.ReceptionSundarji of Kalki lauded the cinematography and Prabhu's performance.Passage 6:The Coca-Cola KidThe Coca-Cola Kid is a 1985 Australian romantic comedy film. It was directed by DušanMakavejev and stars Eric Roberts and Greta Scacchi. The film is based on the short stories The Americans, Baby, and The Electrical Experience by Frank Moorhouse, who wrote the screenplay. It was entered into the1985 Cannes Film Festival.PlotBecker, a hotshot American marketing executive (played by Roberts) from The Coca-Cola Company, visits their Australian operations in Sydney and tries to figure out why a tiny corner ofAustralia (the fictional town of Anderson Valley) has so far resisted all of Coke's products. He literally bumps into the secretary (played by Scacchi) who is assigned to help him.Becker discovers that a local producer ofsoft drinks run by an old eccentric has been successfully fending off the American brand name products. The executive vows an all out marketing war with the eccentric but eventually comes to reconsider his role as acog in Coca-Cola's giant corporate machinery. Along the way there are humorous subplots involving the office manager's violent ex-husband, Becker's attempt to find the 'Australian sound', and an odd waiter who isunder the mistaken belief that Becker is a secret agent.CastProductionDavid Stratton gave a copy of Frank Moorhouse's book The Americans, Baby to Dusan Makavejev when he attended the Sydney Film Festival in1975 with Sweet Movie. Production of the movie was difficult in part because of Makavejev's work methods, which were different from the way films were normally made in Australia. Denny Lawrence came on board thefilm as a consultant.The Coca-Cola Kid was shot on location in Sydney–various city landmarks can be seen briefly throughout the film.ReceptionRotten Tomatoes gives The Coca-Cola Kid a rating of 47% from 17reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and said that the movie was "filled with moments of inspiration," but believed that "the last half of the film [...] does not quite deliver on the promises of the firsthalf."Box officeThe Coca-Cola Kid grossed $36,365 at the box office in Australia.Home mediaMGM Home Entertainment released the Region 1 DVD in the United States on 16 April 2002. Umbrella Entertainment releaseda region free version in May 2009. The DVD includes special features such as the theatrical trailer, and an interview with Greta Scacchi and David Roe titled The Real Thing. Fun City Edition released the film on Blu-ray inthe United States on 16 June 2022. In addition to the features included in the 2009 DVD, the Blu-ray contains an interview with Eric Roberts and a new audio commentary.AccoladesSee alsoCinema of AustraliaPassage7:Rebecca SmartRebecca Elizabeth Smart (born 30 January 1976) is an Australian actress, who began acting for television at the age of eight. Her first movie role was one year later in The Coca-Cola Kid. She playedthe lead in the 1988 film Celia and went on to do many more supporting roles in movies and television shows, including miniseries and soap operas. Smart has worked with Australian directors of film, television andtheatre. Companies include Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir St Theatre.Early life and educationSmart was born in Tamworth, New South Wales, and was educated at St Catherine's School, Waverley, anindependent, Anglican, day and boarding school for girls, located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.Awards and nominationsSmart won the Most Popular Actress in a Miniseries/Telemovie Silver Logie at the Logie Awardsfor her performance in the 1987 Australian Miniseries The Shiralee.  She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Australian Film Institute Awards and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards for herperformance in Blackrock.FilmographyFilmographyFILMTelevisionTELEVISIONPassage 8:The KidThe Kid or The Kids may refer to:Fictional charactersThe kid (Blood Meridian), a character in Cormac McCarthy's 1985novel Blood MeridianThe Kid (The Matrix), a character in the Matrix film seriesThe Kid (The Stand), a character in Stephen King's 1978 novel The StandMarshall Eriksen or The Kid, a character in How I Met YourMotherThe Kid, a character in the 1984 film Purple Rain, played by PrinceThe Kid, the narrator of Samuel R. Delany's 1975 novel DhalgrenThe Kid, a character in BastionThe Kid, a character in Driver: Parallel LinesTheKid, a character in Freedom FightersThe Kid, a character in I Wanna Be the GuyThe Kid, a character in Jak IIFilmsThe Kid (1910 film), a film by Frank PowellThe Kid (1921 film), a Charlie Chaplin filmThe Kid (1950 film),a Hong Kong film that stars a young Bruce LeeThe Kid (1997 film), a film  featuring Rod SteigerThe Kid (1999 film), a Hong Kong filmDisney's The Kid, a 2000 film starring Bruce WillisThe Kid (2001 film), an animatedTV film based on a story by Gahan WilsonThe Kid (2010 film), an adaptation by Nick Moran of Kevin Lewis's bookThe Kids (film), a 2015 Taiwanese filmThe Kid (2019 film), a film by Vincent D'OnofrioMusicThe Kid(musical), a 2010 musical based on the book by Dan SavageThe Kids (Belgian band), a punk rock bandThe Kids (Norwegian band), a rock bandThe Kids (garage rock band), a 1960s band whose song "Nature's Children"is included on the compilation album Pebbles, Volume 10The Kids, a South Florida rock band that included Johnny Depp"The Kids", a song by B.o.B from B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray"The Kid", a songby Eric Burdon from Survivor"The Kids", a song by Eminem from The Marshall Mathers LP"The Kids", a song by Hollywood Undead"The Kids", a song by Lou Reed from BerlinNickname or ring nameFrank Bourne(1854–1945), British soldier, last known survivor of the Battle of Rorke's DriftBilly the Kid (1859–1881), American Old West outlawTed Williams (1918–2002), Major League Baseball playerStu Ungar (1953–1998),professional poker and gin rummy playerGary Carter (1954-2012), Major League Baseball playerRobin Yount (born 1955), Major League Baseball playerMark Ryan (guitarist) (1959-2011), English punk rock guitaristand playwrightCarlos Valderrama (footballer) (born 1961), Colombian footballerGary Jacobs (boxer) (born 1965), professional Scottish boxerKen Griffey Jr. (born 1969), American retired Major League BaseballplayerSean Waltman (born 1972), professional wrestlerJohn Higgins (born 1975), professional snooker playerKevin Garnett (born 1976), National Basketball Association playerJulian Gardner (poker player) (born 1978),professional poker playerYossi Benayoun (born 1980), Israeli footballerKerby Raymundo (born 1981), Filipino professional basketball playerFernando Torres (born 1984), Spanish footballerSidney Crosby (born 1987),National Hockey League playerJoseph Marquez (born 1991), professional Super Smash Bros. Melee playerOther usesThe Kid (artist), contemporary artistThe Kid (book), a book by Dan SavageThe Kids (book), a 2021poetry book by Hannah Lowe, Costa Book of the YearHaedi or the Kids, a pair of stars in the constellation AurigaSee alsoKid (disambiguation)Kidd (disambiguation)Kydd (disambiguation)All pages with titles beginningwith The KidPassage 9:Dušan MakavejevDušan Makavejev (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Макавејев, pronounced [dan makaěje]; 13 October 1932 – 25 January 2019) was a Serbian film director and screenwriter,famous for his groundbreaking films of Yugoslav cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s—many of which belong to the Black Wave. Makavejev's most internationally successful film was the 1971 political satire W.R.:Mysteries of the Organism, which he both directed and wrote.CareerMakavejev's first three feature films, Man Is Not a Bird (1965, starring actress and icon of the "Black Wave" period in film, Milena Dravić), Love Affair,or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator (1967, starring actress and icon of the "Black Wave" period in film, Eva Ras) and Innocence Unprotected (1968), all won him international acclaim. The last-mentionedwon  the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1970 he was a member of the jury at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1991 he was a member of the juryat the 17th Moscow International Film Festival.His 1971 movie W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism (starring Milena Dravić, Jagoda Kaloper, and Ivica Vidović) was banned in Yugoslavia due to its sexual and politicalcontent. He described authoritarian figures in the film as people who are not in control of themselves striving to control others. The political scandal surrounding Makavejev's film was symptomatic of an increasinglyoppressive political climate in Yugoslavia that effectively ended the director's domestic career and resulted in his leaving Yugoslavia to live and work abroad in Europe and North America. Makavejev's next film, SweetMovie (1974), was the first feature work that the director produced entirely outside of Yugoslavia (the film was made in Canada). The film's explicit depiction of sex together with its bold treatment of the more taboodimensions of sexuality reduced the size of its audience (i.e. it was largely confined to the art house context) and also resulted in the film's being censored in several countries. Makavejev said: "After Sweet Movie it wasas if I had burned all my bridges. I just lost the chance to talk to producers."After a seven-year hiatus in feature film production, Makavejev released the comparatively more conventional black comedy entitledMontenegro (1981). The director's next feature film, The Coca-Cola Kid (1985), which was based on short stories by Frank Moorhouse and featured performances by Eric Roberts and Greta Scacchi, is arguably his mostaccessible picture.Makavejev appears as one of the narrators in the 2007 Serbian documentary film Zabranjeni bez zabrane (Banned without being banned), which gives profound insight into the history and the natureof Yugoslav film censorship through its investigation of the country's distinctive political-cultural mechanisms for unofficially banning politically controversial films. The film contains original interviews with keyfilmmakers from the communist era.He published two books of selected articles: Poljubac za drugaricu parolu (1960) and 24 sličice u sekundi (1965).ViewsIn 1993 Makavejev wrote and appeared in a half hour televisedOpinions lecture in Britain, produced by Open Media for Channel 4 and subsequently published in The Times. Makavejev speaks of himself as a citizen of the world but "of the leftovers of Yugoslavia too". He citesJacques Tourneur's Hollywood horror classic Cat People as one of the rare films in the history of the cinema that mention Serbs, "a people from an obscure region who were haunted by evil; when hurt they turn intoferocious cats, like panthers, and killed those whom they thought to be the source of hurt of rejection". He comments on the division of Bosnia on ethnic lines:"Creators of nationalist myths, both Serbs and Croats, camefrom the same mountainous region that was probably the source of this Hollywood story. Before the armed conflict, these people were whipping up nationalist fever and indoctrination until conflict became inevitable andboth nations were trapped in a bloody embrace...How long will it take for an ethnically "clean" state for every single person who miraculously stays alive? A state for each family, a state for the father in case he is a


Passage 1:Michael NozikMichael Nozik is an American film producer. He won a BAFTA award for The Motorcycle Diaries in the category of 'Best Film Not in the English Language' in 2004. His credits also include Love inthe Time of Cholera, Syriana, Quiz Show, and The Legend of Bagger Vance.FilmographyHe was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.FilmProduction managerLocation managementSecond unit director orassistant directorThanksTelevisionProduction managerPassage 2:The Legend of Ero of ArmenteiraThe legend of Saint Ero of Armenteira. The romanic monastery of Armenteira has always been related to the legend of itsfounder, the abbot Ero.The miracle of Saint MaryOnce upon a time in the 12th century, a knight named Don Ero lived with his wife in his palace in Armenteira, a beautiful natural setting located in the slopes of MountCastrove, in the Province of Pontevedra (Galicia, Spain).Don Ero and his wife were not able to have children, so they kept asking God to send them some descendants. God answered their prayers with the revelationthat they would only have spiritual descent. For this reason they decided to found their own monasteries. Don Ero founded Santa María de Armenteira, right there in his lands.He requested help from Saint Bernard ofClairvaux, the founder of the Cistercian order, who sent him four monks to start the monastery. Years later, he became the abbot of the monastery himself.Ero the Abbot was always begging the Virgin Mary to show himjust a little vision of what the divine grace would be like. He longed for the day when he would be able to understand the concept of paradise bliss, however he lived under the impression that his beloved Virgin did notlisten to his prayers.One day, he decided to go for a walk around the woods that surrounded the monastery,  a beautiful setting full of pine trees, oaks and other native species. He took a rest and sat on a stone.Suddenly, the joyous chirp of a bird caught his attention. He sat there for a while, listening,  entranced by the peace and beauty that the bird's singing brought to his soul.Not long after that, he headed back to hismonastery, since it was already getting dark and he did not want his brethren to worry about him. When he knocked at the door of the monastery, he was received by a monk completely unknown to him. Distrustful,the monk asked him who he was. When he answered him that he was the abbot Ero, the monk, bewildered, started to call his brothers, not sure if the man was in his right mind. Ero told them who he was and what hehad been doing. When the brethren explained what year they were in, Ero realized to his astonishment that three hundred years had passed by! And suddenly, he became aware that what he thought to have been onlythree minutes listening to a bird sing, had really been three hundred  years contemplating the glory of paradise. Virgin Mary had finally granted him his wish.Popularity of the legendThis legend, related to others ofsimilar content related to the Celtic tradition, became really popular in the 13th century when the King Alfonso X the Wise included it in his famous Cantigas de Santa Maria, a recompilation of miracles attributed toVirgin Mary. He dedicated his cantiga (poem or song)  number 103 to the legend of Saint Ero.The great Galician writer Ramón María del Valle Inclán also contributed to spreading the legend by including it in his work“Aromas de Leyenda” (1907), a collection of 14 poems inspired in several Galician traits like scenery, traditions and superstitions.Passage 3:The Odd Couple IIThe Odd Couple II is a 1998 American buddy comedy filmand the sequel to the 1968 film The Odd Couple. It was the final film written and produced by Neil Simon, and starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Released nearly three decades later, it is unique among sequelsfor having one of the longest gaps between the release of both films in which all leads return. The Odd Couple II premiered on April 10, 1998, and was a critical and commercial failure, grossing less than half than itspredecessor at the box office.PlotIt has been seventeen years since Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar have seen one another. Oscar is still hosting a regular poker game and is still an untidy slob, now living in Sarasota,Florida, but still a sportswriter. One day, he is called by his son Brucey with an invitation to California for his wedding the following Sunday. A second shock for Oscar—the woman his son is marrying is Felix's daughter,Hannah.On the flight from New York to Los Angeles, it becomes clear that Felix has not changed his ways—he is still a fussy, allergy-suffering neat freak nuisance. Oscar and Felix are reunited at the airport and veryhappy to be together again after 17 years of separation—at least for a couple of minutes. They share a rental car to San Malina for the wedding. however the trip begins with Oscar forgetting Felix's suitcase at theBudget car rental, including wedding gifts and wardrobe inside. On the trip, Felix falls asleep and Oscar takes a wrong turn onto the freeway, then loses the directions to San Malina when his cigar ashes burn them.Heand Felix become hopelessly lost, and cannot remember the name of the town where they are headed, so many California cities sounding alike. They end up in a rural area and argue about Felix's lost suitcase, when therental car rolls off a cliff and catches fire. If that were not enough, they get arrested several times by the same local police in Santa Menendez, first for catching a ride in a truck carrying illegal Mexicanimmigrants.  They are released after the truck driver confesses, and learn the name of the town where the wedding will take place.  At a bar in town, they meet two extroverted women, Thelma and Holly, and buy themdrinks. Accepting an offer of a ride from a stranger even older than themselves, Felix and Oscar end up inside a $150,000 vintage Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith and trapped on the wrong side of the road when the strangerdies unexpectedly. Felix and Oscar are arrested a second time by the same Santa Menendez police, but again are released when it is discovered that the elderly man died of natural causes.  Frustrated that this is secondtime they have been arrested in Santa Menendez, the police chief advises Oscar and Felix to take a bus to San Malina.On the bus, they meet Thelma and Holly, who are running away from their redneckhusbands.  However, the bus gets stopped by the husbands, who take their wives, along with Oscar and Felix, at gunpoint, and in their car tell them that they are going to "cook a couple of fine geezers" in the woods forflirting with their wives.Somehow the bus driver is able to inform the police of the husbands' use of a gun on a public vehicle, and their car is stopped at a police roadblock before anything happens to Oscar and Felix.Everyone is again taken into custody by the Santa Menendez police.After meeting with the police chief for the third time, the boys are freed and driven directly to the local airport by the police, who are only too pleasedto be rid of them, especially the chief, who tells his deputies not to arrest them again even if they were to commit notorious crimes. A woman boarding the airplane is also en route to the wedding and recognizes them.She is Felice Adams, the sister of Oscar's ex-wife, Blanche. Felix's eyes light up when he learns that her husband died of a heart attack, and they are mutually attracted. He calls her "Lise," which causes Oscar to askFelix if she calls him "Lix." They arrive at the wedding house, only to find that Brucey is having second thoughts about the wedding due to his parents' bad history with marriage. Felix and Oscar argue with theirex-wives, after which Oscar persuades his son to go through with it. Felix's suitcase is returned and the wedding goes off without a hitch.The next day, Felix and Felice leave together on one flight to her home in SanFrancisco, and part ways with Oscar, who returns to Florida. Oscar is telling his poker friends about the wedding when the doorbell rings. It is Felix, who says things with Felice didn't work out. Felix wonders if he couldmove in with Oscar until he finds his own place. Oscar refuses, but eventually relents, insisting their days of being roommates will be over if Oscar catches Felix matching any of his socks, to which Felix very happilyagrees. Before long Felix cleans up the apartment and Oscar is overcome with a sense of having been through all this before.CastProductionHoward W. Koch, the producer of the original 1968 film by writer Neil Simon,had frequently discussed his desire for a sequel. Koch was unsuccessful in convincing Paramount Pictures to approve a sequel, despite the original film's success and the return of Simon as the writer. Simon had 37pages written for The Odd Couple 2, which he said were left "sitting in the drawer" for 10 years. John Goldwyn and Paramount studio chairman Sherry Lansing began serious consideration of a sequel in July 1996,before announcing it on March 30, 1997, without the involvement of Koch; instead, Paramount chose Robert W. Cort and Dave Madden as producers for the project. Silverman, Baranski, and Hughes were cast in May1997.Filming began on June 9, 1997, in Los Angeles, California. Filming continued throughout the summer in various southern and central California cities, including Arcadia, Guadalupe, Lancaster, Palmdale, Pomona,San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, and Shafter. In August 1997, filming was underway at the same Paramount Studios stage where the original film had been shot. Filming also took place at Hidden Valley, located in VenturaCounty, California. The film was shot with the title The Odd Couple II — Travelin' Light. The film marked the tenth and final collaboration between Lemmon and Matthau. Jean Smart described the characters of Thelmaand Holly as "a bad '90s version of the Pigeon sisters," characters who appeared in the original film.ReceptionThe Odd Couple II  was a critical and commercial failure. Despite the fact Lemmon and Matthau had successwith similar roles in their Grumpy Old Men films in the mid-1990s, this project was not as successful as expected. The film grossed $18 million at the North American domestic box office, and although Lemmon andMatthau's previous film Out to Sea also disappointed, it was better received by critics and had a slightly higher box office gross.It holds a total of 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. Stephen Holden of The New York Times calledit "a dispiriting, flavorless travesty, the equivalent of moldy tofu mystery meat".Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on scale of A+ to F.At the 1998 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the filmwas nominated for Worst Sequel and Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy.Passage 4:Je suis né d'une cigogneJe suis né d'une cigogne (English: Children of the Stork) is a 1999 French road movie directed by Tony Gatlif,starring Romain Duris, Rona Hartner, Ouassini Embarek, Christine Pignet and Marc Nouyrigat. Following its French release, it received mixed reviews but was nominated for a Golden Bayard at the International Festivalof Francophone Film in Namur, Belgium.The film deals with themes like social exclusion and illegal immigration, along with references to the Romani, as in the other films by the director. Gatlif has also employed theFrench director Jean-Luc Godard's New Wave techniques in this film.PlotTwo French pals, one an unemployed young man named Otto (Romain Duris) living with his mother in state housing, and the other his girlfriendLouna (Rona Hartner), who is a hairdresser and has the bailiffs after her, reflect on the lack of meaning in their lives, their society and the system. In a spirit of rebellion against everything, they hit the road and whatfollows is an anarchic adventure. A teenage Arab immigrant named Ali (Ouassini Embarek) enters the story. Ali's family tries to hide its ethnic origins by going to extreme measures in switching to French customs.Thetrio start wreaking havoc, robbing shops and stealing cars. On their way, they come across an injured stork with a broken wing. The stork speaks to them and says that it is an Algerian refugee, on its way to Germany toreunite with its family. The trio adopt the stork as their father, name it Mohammed, and forge a passport to enable the stork to cross the French–German border.Casting and characterisationThe film's four maincharacters represent the "most vulnerable sections" of society, in tune with Gatlif's earlier films portraying "social outcasts and racial minorities".  Otto represents the section of unemployed youth who are neither richnor qualified, with no hopes for a job in the future. Louna represents the underpaid who are exploited by their employers. The above characters are played by the same duo, Romain Duris and Rona Hartner, who playedthe leading roles in Gatlif's previous film, Gadjo dilo.  The third character, the Arab immigrant, Ali (played by Ouassini Embarek), is going through an identity crisis and has run away from his family, who are trying todistance themselves from their ethnic origins by, for example, adopting French names. Ali is shown to be interested in current affairs and is also shown reading Karl Marx. The other character, the stork, representsillegal immigrants.The film encountered production problems due to a quarrel between Rona Hartner and Gatlif which led to her walking out midway. This resulted in her abrupt disappearance from the plot in the middleuntil they patched up much later.Themes and analysisThe film adopts the "New Wave" technique of early films by Godard, to explore themes of border crossings and social alienation.Gatlif's take on the New WaveThereviewer in Film de France remarked that with its themes like absurdity and nonconformity, making use of characters like a speaking stork,  and also its filming techniques like jump cuts and multiple exposures, the filmfeels like "a blatant homage to the works of Jean-Luc Godard", and the plot "looks like a crazy mélange of Godard's À bout de souffle, Pierrot le Fou and Weekend". In the reviewer's opinion, Gatlif has overdone thesetechniques, leading to the film's ending up "far more substantial and worthy than a shameless appropriation of another director's technique". ACiD remarked that with his boldness and unconventional style, Gatlif hasstarted a new New Wave trend, which would serve as a notice for both amateur filmmakers and professional film-makers. Chronic'art remarked that the film can be placed between the worse and the better among theworks inspired by Godard. Though the filming techniques are similar to Godard's, the film falls short in its dealing with the unconventional themes, avoiding providing solutions, and rather ending up being a mere"passive acquiescence" reflecting on the works of revolutionaries of the era, which is far from rising up to revolt as one would expect in a Godard movie. Time Out London was also critical of Gatlif's attempts at Godard,calling it "offbeam".Satirical elementsThe film is packed with a number of references to "social issues and political theory", especially on the border crossings. Yet a reviewer for Films de France found it to be not so"heavy", thanks to the unintentional flaws in the techniques used. He observed that the film treats them using "black comedy and surrealism". The stork character is a "metaphorical stand-in" for the illegal immigrant,he added. "While birds can cross international borders at ease, human beings generally cannot": Tony Gatlif deals with this lesser freedom that human beings possess with his "well intended irony", using the stork. Onforging the passports for the stork and the need for 'papers' while crossing borders, Gatlif said mockingly in an interview that "in France there are 1.5 million birds and 1.5 million foreigners. The difference is that thebird is free, because he has no ID. He flies to Africa, to the wealthy countries and to developing countries. It makes no difference to him. He is an alien everywhere". ACiD called this "poetic" while Time Out Londonfound it "woolly and unilluminating". The word cigogne is pronounced very similarly to tsigane which is one of the words used for Romani people. There are also a number of "in-jokes and references to French cinema"which a viewer might miss in the first viewing, observed Films de France, citing scenes such as one which is a parody on an awards ceremony and one of an austere reviewer "rubber stamping films with trite stockphrases". Chronic'art found these scenes heavy because of the limitations of a work in which the director "at his pleasure distills his personal tastes".Political alienationThe film's references to revolutionaries like KarlMarx, Che Guevara and Guy Debord coupled with Godard's techniques give it a 1970s feel, observed a reviewer for Télérama. Though it re-lives the avant-garde of the past, it is a bit retro for the current times, whichbores its viewers, he added. Les Inrockuptibles also found the theme "dated", adding that it could very well have been a documentary by some non-profit organisation like GISTI. Chronic'art remarked that mere quotingof Marx or Che Guevera would not make the film, with its rather common theme of socially disillusioned, unemployed youth in revolt, achieve anything. It also called the depictions of idiotic CRS personnel and militantNF activists clichéd.ReleaseThe film was screened at the 1999 Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, in Belgium, competing against films from Québec, France, Vietnam, Belgium, Sénégal and Egypt forthe Golden Bayard award in the Best Film category, which was won by Christine Carrière's Nur der Mond schaut zu. The film received rave reviews for its rare courage in presenting disconcerting themes such asunemployment and illegal immigration. In 2000, it was screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in the official section and received praise for its unconventional elements, such as the talking stork.TheFestival Internacional de Cine de Río de Janeiro screened the film in the non-competitive Panorama du cinéma mondial section, along with 27 other films from around the world.In 2008, the film was screened atL'Alternativa, Festival de Cine Independiente de Barcelona in the parallels section, La pasión gitana, along with a selection of other films directed by Tony Gatlif with Romani themes.ReceptionCritical receptionTime OutLondon called it "far more fanciful and pretentitious" than Gatlif's earlier films and also regarded Gatlif's treatment of Godard as a failure. ACiD gave it a positive review, lauding Gatlif's bold depiction of absurdity.Romain Duris and Rona Hartner's performance was described as "beautiful" and as complemented by Ouassini Embarek's, which was described as "brilliant". In summary, the reviewer suggested the film be called "TheGood, the Bad and the Ugly", citing the mixed topics dealt with, and added that it takes the viewers "beyond the real, beyond the borders and everything one can imagine".A review by James Travers forFilms de Francecalled it the "most unconventional" of all road movies, with its "insanely anarchic portrait of adolescent rebellion", adding that it is an "ingenious parable of social exclusion and immigration in an uncaring society".Travers also wrote that the film's editing and narrative techniques turn into a plus, making it "refreshingly fresh and original", adding that the "patchwork narrative style" suits the rebellious nature of the characters verywell. Owing to the unconventionality of the film, Louna's disappearance from the plot in the middle does not look very obvious, he added. Les Inrockuptibles called it a "tragicomic fable on the notions of borders and freemovement of people" and added that the film's use of comedy and disjunctive narrative style is only partially successful. Though not conventionally beautiful, the  film impresses the viewers with its "energy, boldnessand humor in places when it doesn't leave them stranded", the reviewer concluded.Passage 5:Mónika Juhász MiczuraMónika Juhász Miczura is a Hungarian Roma singer, also known as Mitsou and Mitsoura. She is aformer member of the folk ensemble Ando Drom, and a founding member of the electronic/world music group Mitsoura. She has contributed to film soundtracks; in Tony Gatlif's film Gadjo dilo (1997) she provided thevoice of an unseen singer pivotal to the story. She has also sung in the films Kísértések (2002), Swing (2002), Vengo (2000) (uncredited), and Je suis né d'une cigogne (1999). She formed the ensemble Mitsoura thatreleased two albums so far:  Mitsoura (2003) and Dura Dura Dura (2008). She has been a guest artist on the albums of other groups, including Fanfare Ciocărlia's Queens and Kings (2007), Bratsch's Rien Dans LesPoches (2000), Besh O Drom's Once I Catch the Devil (2006), GYI! (2005) and Can't Make Me! - Nekemtenemmutogatol (2003). She is a member of the "Global Vocal Meeting" project.Early lifeMónika Miczura was bornin Berettyóújfalu, Hungary on 3 November 1972. She has four sisters. Very early, at the age of 5 she lost her father. She spent her childhood in Békéscsaba. The traditional romani-culture had been part of her daily life,


Passage 1:Kekuiapoiwa IIKekuiapoiwa II was a Hawaiian chiefess and the mother of the king Kamehameha I.BiographyShe was named after her aunt Kekuiapoiwa Nui (also known as Kekuiapoiwa I), the wife of King Kekaulike of Maui.Her father was High Chief Haae, the son of Chiefess Kalanikauleleiaiwi and High Chief Kauaua-a-Mahi of the Mahi family of the Kohala district of Hawaii island, and brother of Alapainui. Her mother was Princess Kekelakekeokalani-a-Keawe (also known as Kekelaokalani), daughter of the same Kalanikauleleiaiwi and Keaweīkekahialiiokamoku, king of Hawaii. Her mother had been sought after by many who wished to marry into the Keawe line. She was the niece of Alapainui through both her father and mother.She married the High Chief Keōua to whom she had been betrothed since childhood. Through her double grandmother Kalanikauleleiaiwi, Keōua's own paternal grandmother, she was the double cousin of Keōua. When her uncle was staying at Kohala superintending the collection of his fleet and warriors from the different districts of the island preparatory to the invasion of Maui, in the month of Ikuwa (probably winter) Kamehameha was born probably in November 1758.: 135–136   He had his birth ceremony at the Mookini Heiau, an ancient temple which is preserved in Kohala Historical Sites State Monument.Many stories are told about the birth of Kamehameha.One says that when Kekuiapoiwa was pregnant with Kamehameha, she had a craving for the eyeball of a chief. She was given the eyeball of a man-eating shark and the priests prophesied that this meant the child would be a rebel and a killer of chiefs. Alapainui, the old ruler of the island of Hawaii, secretly made plans to have the newborn infant killed.Kekuiapoiwa's time came on a stormy night in the Kohala district, when a strange star with a tail of white fire appeared in the western sky. This could have been Halley's Comet which appeared near the end of 1758. According to one legend, the baby was passed through a hole in the side of Kekuiapoiwa's thatched hut to a local Kohala chief named Naeole, who carried the child to safety at Awini  on the island's north coast. By the time the infant in Naeole's care was five, Alapainui had accepted him back into his household.After Kamehameha, Kekuiapoiwa bore a second son, Keliimaikai. A few years later, Keōua died in Hilo, and the family moved with Alapainui to an area near Kawaihae, where she married a chief of the Kona district (and her uncle) Kamanawa.She had one daughter, Piipii Kalanikaulihiwakama, from this second husband, who would later become an important military ally of Kamehameha, who was both step son and cousin through several relationships. Piipii became first the wife of Keholoikalani, the father of her son Kanihonui, and later she married Kaikioewa, who she had a daughter Kuwahine with.: 18Kamehameha dynastyPassage 2:Billy MilanoBilly Milano (born June 3, 1964) is an American heavy metal and hardcore punk musician. He is the singer and occasionally guitarist and bassist of crossover thrash band M.O.D., and was the singer of its predecessor, Stormtroopers of Death. Prior to these bands, Milano played in early New York hardcore band the Psychos, which also launched the career of future Agnostic Front vocalist Roger Miret. Milano was also the singer of United Forces, which included his Stormtroopers of Death bandmate Dan Lilker. Milano managed a number of bands, including Agnostic Front, for whom he also co-produced the 1997 Epitaph Records release Something's Gotta Give and roadie for Anthrax.DiscographyStormtroopers of Death albumsStormtroopers of Death videosMethod of Destruction (M.O.D.)MasteryPassage 3:Bernie BonvoisinBernard Bonvoisin (French pronunciation: [bna b̃vwaz̃]), known as Bernie Bonvoisin (French pronunciation: [bni b̃vwaz̃], born 9 July 1956 in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine), is a French hard rock singer and film director. He is best known for having been the singer of Trust.He was one of the best friends of Bon Scott the singer of AC/DC and together they recorded the song "Ride On" which was one of the last songs by Bon Scott.External linksBernie Bonvoisin at IMDbPassage 4:Robin ThickeRobin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977)  is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 hit single "Blurred Lines" (featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams), which is one of the best-selling singles of all time. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, he received nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.Thicke is a son of actress Gloria Loring and actor Alan Thicke. He has collaborated with numerous artists, such as Nicki Minaj, Nas, 3T, T.I., Christina Aguilera, Jessie J, K. Michelle, Pharrell, DJ Cassidy, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Flo Rida, Brandy, Kid Cudi, Mary J. Blige, Emily Ratajkowski and composed songs for Marc Anthony. He worked on albums such as Usher's Confessions and Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III, while releasing his own R&B singles in the United States including "Lost Without U", "Magic", and " Sex Therapy". He is currently a judge on the Fox musical competition show The Masked Singer.Life and career1977–1998: early years and familyThicke was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 10, 1977. His parents are American actress-singer Gloria Loring, who appeared on the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives, and Canadian actor Alan Thicke (1947–2016), known for his role on the TV sitcom Growing Pains. They divorced when Thicke was 7 years old. He has an older brother, Brennan, who worked as a voice actor and voiced the titular character on the Dennis the Menace cartoon, and a younger half-brother, Carter. Robin Thicke also appeared in small roles on The Wonder Years, The New Lassie, Just the Ten of Us and several episodes of Growing Pains.Thicke's parents were supportive of his musical inclinations; his father helped him to write and structure his first songs. According to Robin Thicke, his father would not pay for him (then in his early teens) and his vocal group, As One, to record a professionally produced demo tape, wanting Robin to focus on his studies and graduate from school before committing to the pursuit of a career in music. The demo ultimately was paid for by jazz vocalist Al Jarreau, an uncle of one of the group members. His demo made its way to R&B singer Brian McKnight, who was impressed enough by Thicke to invite him into the studio to work with him. Thicke was signed to McKnight's production company; "Anyway", a song co-written with Thicke, was featured on McKnight's second album I Remember You. Thicke's peers jokingly nicknamed him "Brian McWhite". It was Thicke's association with McKnight, who Thicke counts as one of his first mentors, that led him to his acquaintance with Jimmy Iovine and helped him to land his first recording contract with Interscope Records at the age of 16. Thicke later joined a hip hop duo with future Beverly Hills 90210 actor Brian Austin Green.Thicke moved out on his own at the age of 17, during his senior year of high school, earning a living and supporting himself as a professional record producer and songwriter. Thicke has noted that while his parents did not attempt to dissuade him from his desire to be in the music industry, their own experience with the nature of the entertainment business made them leery in the beginning. As Thicke's list of credits grew so did his parents' confidence in his decision.While initially signed as a singer and artist in his own right, Thicke first made a name for himself within the industry as a songwriter and producer for other artists before releasing and performing his own music. Among his work for other artists, Thicke co-wrote "Love Is on My Side" on Brandy's eponymous debut album; he also wrote for 3T's Brotherhood, and collaborated with Jordan Knight, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on several songs in Knight's 1999 album Jordan Knight including the Billboard top 10 hit "Give It to You". According to Thicke, Knight also invested in the ability of the young songwriter early on by purchasing studio equipment for him.He also co-wrote the song "When You Put Your Hands on Me" for Christina Aguilera's debut album and co-wrote and produced three songs for Mýa's sophomore release, Fear of Flying. In 1999, Thicke co-wrote the song "Fall Again" with Walter Afanasieff, which was intended to be a track on Michael Jackson's 2001 album Invincible, but it failed to be presented as a completed song. The demo Michael recorded in 1999 was released on November 16, 2004, as an album track of his limited edition box set The Ultimate Collection. As an artist, he recorded and performed solely under his surname, Thicke. He would continue to do so until 2005.1999–2003: A Beautiful World and early successAt the age of 22, after an involvement with Tommy Mottola and Epic Records following the end of his first deal with Interscope, Thicke resolved himself to work chiefly on material for his debut album, initially titled Cherry Blue Skies, planning to use his own money to fund the project. As Thicke told Billboard, "I decided I was going to save money to make my album, and I hoped to offer it to labels–take it or leave it–so I didn't have to negotiate how to make my music." While piecing his album together, Thicke began working with veteran producer and label executive Andre Harrell and, under his guidance, eventually signed with Interscope for a second time as part of Harrell's and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds' Nu America imprint label in 2001.In 2002, Thicke released his debut single "When I Get You Alone". The track samples Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven", which itself is a disco rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The music video for the song received some rotation on MTV2 and BET's Rated Next and was spun moderately on pop and urban radio, peaking at number 49 on Radio & Records Pop chart. Globally, however, "When I Get You Alone" became a chart success when it peaked in the Top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Italy, and reached the Top 10 of the singles charts in New Zealand and the Top 3 in the Netherlands.The moderate success was enough to signal the release of the album in 2003 with its name changed to A Beautiful World. Despite the release of a second single, "Brand New Jones", the album received very little promotion and debuted at number 152 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 119,000 copies as of January 2012. A Beautiful World fell below the label's commercial expectations. The album's under-performance troubled Thicke personally, but it proved enough to make him a wanted collaborator. Thicke has cited Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Lil' Wayne, among others, as those who subsequently reached out to him.Reflecting on A Beautiful World in 2013, Usher stated to The New York Times, "I was blown away — I thought Beatles, Earth Wind & Fire, Shuggie Otis, Marvin Gaye — all in one album. [Robin's] got a soul you can't buy, man."Runner-up Blake Lewis performed "When I Get You Alone" during the 2007 season of American Idol when the Top 3 chose a song to sing. Lewis has often put Robin Thicke in his list of musical influences in interviews and on the American Idol website. The song was also performed by Blaine Anderson (played by Darren Criss) on Glee during the Season 2 episode "Silly Love Songs".2004–07: The Evolution of Robin Thicke and commercial breakthroughFollowing A Beautiful World, Thicke was keen to begin work on his sophomore album but financial and creative disagreements stemming from the performance of his first album led to a several month-long stalemate between Robin and his record label.Regarding this time in his career, Thicke said, "The label pretty much lost faith in my ability to sell. It became a question of, 'Where does he fit? Is he not rock or pop enough? Is he not soul enough?'" Pharrell Williams, having established a distribution deal with Interscope for his record label, Star Trak, expressed to Jimmy Iovine his interest in Thicke, whose talent he thought of highly.Signed to Star Trak in 2005, Thicke continued work on his second album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The first single, "Wanna Love U Girl", featured producer Williams and charted successfully on urban radio in the United Kingdom. In 2006, a remix version of the song was filmed with rapper Busta Rhymes. Nearly a year after the single was released, the album was released on October 3, 2006. To promote it, Thicke toured with India.Arie, then opened for John Legend in late 2006.The video for his second single, the ballad "Lost Without U", was released in fall 2006. The song began appearing on Billboard R&B charts in November of that year. With the assistance of radio airplay, it became Thicke's breakout hit. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending 11 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, making him the first white male artist to top that chart since George Michael did so in 1988 with "One More Try".In the February 24, 2007, issue of Billboard, Thicke concurrently topped four Billboard charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Adult R&B Songs, a feat he would duplicate in the March 17 issue. Following its re-release as a Deluxe Edition (with three new bonus tracks) on February 13, 2007, the album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200. On March 23, 2007, The Evolution of Robin Thicke was certified Platinum by the RIAA. With album sales of over 1.5 million copies sold domestically, The Evolution of Robin Thicke became a commercial success in the United States.Thicke and his record label Interscope soon considered potential tracks to be released as the album's next and third single. Thicke's preference was the track "Can U Believe", which peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. On October 2, 2007, the track "Got 2 Be Down" was released as the album's fourth official single. The single peaked at number 60 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.On April 19, 2007, Thicke performed on The Oprah Winfrey Show, singing "Lost Without U". He returned to the show a month later, on May 29, performing "Complicated" and Oprah's favorite song from the album, "Would That Make U Love Me", while also promoting Beyoncé's tour, on which he would be an opening act. Oprah revealed that Thicke's initial appearance garnered a strong reaction, noting that people called the show to say that they didn't know he would be on. Oprah explained, "So what I wanted to do was to accommodate all of the people who missed it the first time ... In order to do that, I had to do something I've never done before. I got on the phone and asked this very special guest if he would consider coming back."In late 2007, Thicke finished promotion for the album as the featured opening act for the North American leg of Beyoncé's US tour, The Beyoncé Experience. Other notable performances in support of the album and its single "Lost Without U" include the 2007 BET Awards, The 2007 MOBO Awards,American Idol, and the 2007 Soul Train Music Awards. He also performed a one-off UK concert at KOKO in London on September 24, 2007.2008–2010: Something Else and Sex TherapyThicke released his third solo album, titled Something Else, on September 30, 2008. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 charts and sold 137,000 copies in the first week. The first single from the album, "Magic", was a further expansion of the R&B sound that powered his 2006 breakthrough, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. "Magic" went on to peak at number two on the Adult R&B chart, number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He followed this success with the second single, "The Sweetest Love", which peaked at number two on the Adult R&B chart and number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart.On February 8, 2009, at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, Thicke took the stage alongside Lil' Wayne to perform their song "Tie My Hands" from the Grammy-winning album Tha Carter III (the song was also featured on Something Else) which was followed by Thicke and Lil' Wayne participating in a medley of "Big Chief" and "My Feet Can't Fail Me Now" led by jazz musicians Allen Toussaint, Terence Blanchard, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in tribute to New Orleans and the victims of Hurricane Katrina.Thicke appeared on an episode of ABC's The Bachelor to perform "Magic" and "The Sweetest Love" for the remaining female contestants. Thicke wrote and produced a track for the movie Precious in which his wife Paula Patton also starred, though it did not appear on the soundtrack and remains unreleased. He co-headlined a U.S. tour with Jennifer Hudson, which began March 31, 2009, in Albany, New York, and wrapped up 25 shows later in Biloxi, Mississippi. At the start of the tour, Thicke released "Dreamworld" as the official third single from Something Else. As of April 2009, Something Else has shifted over 435,000 units in the U.S.Seven months after the release of Something Else, Billboard.com announced that Thicke would release his fourth studio album in the fall of 2009, his first to not be mainly self-produced. The album, titled Sex Therapy, had its release date postponed to winter, on December 15, 2009. The first single from the album was the title track, produced by Polow Da Don, which in March 2010 became Thicke's second song to top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The lead single for international markets was "Rollacosta" featuring singer Estelle. The second U.S. single was "It's in the Mornin'" featuring Snoop Dogg. "Shakin' It for Daddy", featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, produced by Polow Da Don, was supposed to be released as a single at some point, however, its release was eventually canceled.Speaking of the musical background to Sex Therapy, Thicke told Pete Lewis – Deputy Editor of Blues & Soul – "I'm always gonna have the influence of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Al Green in my music. But with this album I also wanted to show my hip hop side. I grew up listening to Run-DMC and N.W.A and Biggie and Pac and Jay-Z ... So I really wanted to make a record that represented how much that music has influenced me." Earlier in 2009, on October 14, Leighton Meester's debut single "Somebody to Love", featuring Thicke, was released. Thicke told MTV he hoped to have Lil Wayne on the album. He also pointed out that he was featured on Lil Wayne's last two albums, and Lil Wayne was on his last two albums. "We're kind of good luck charms for each other."Thicke appeared on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve on January 1, 2010, and performed three songs in Las Vegas, in a pre-recorded segment. Also in 2010, it was confirmed that he, along with Melanie Fiona, would feature on The Freedom Tour with Alicia Keys. As of October 2011, the album has sold 289,000 copies in the United States. On February 5, 2010, Thicke participated in BET's SOS Saving Ourselves: Help For Haiti telethon concert, held in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.2011–12: Love After War and DuetsDuring 2011, Thicke was confirmed to go on tour with Jennifer Hudson, with whom he toured in 2009. Later that year, Robin Thicke released his fifth studio album, Love After War, on December 6, 2011. The album debuted at number twenty-two on the Billboard 200 and number six on the "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums" selling 41,000 in its first week. In an interview to promote the album, Thicke has stated that a lot of the inspiration for the album came from his family.The album has produced three singles. The first is the title track, "Love After War" released on October 11, 2011, and has peaked at number fourteen on the "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart and topped the Adult R&B chart making it his second song after "Lost Without U" to top that chart. The music video for the song premiered November 21, 2011. The music video features his wife Paula Patton and consists of Thicke making up with his wife after a fight.The second single is "Pretty Lil' Heart", which features Lil Wayne and was released on November 8, 2011. The music video for that premiered on March 2, 2012. It peaked at number fifty-one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On May 31, 2012, Thicke released a video for his promo single, which was a cover of the Whitney Houston classic "Exhale (Shoop Shoop"). The third official single is "All Tied Up" which was released to Urban AC radio on April 10, 2012. The music video premiered on June 7, 2012, on Vevo.Thicke performed "Love After War" on the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards and later returned to the stage to sing "Reasons", trading verses with Joe and Eric Benét, as part of an all-star tribute to Legend Award recipients Earth, Wind & Fire.Thicke appeared on season 2 of NBC's The Voice as a guest adviser/mentor to the contestants on Adam Levine's team.In July 2012, Thicke made his feature film debut starring alongside Jaime Pressly in Jimbo Lee's Abby in the Summer, produced by Gabriel Cowan, John Suits, Dallas Sonnier and