Question: How many students are enrolled at the University of Texas in Austin?

The University of Texas at Austin, often referred to as UT or UT Austin, is a renowned public research university and the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. Established in 1881, its campus is situated in Austin, Texas, just a mile away from the Texas State Capitol. UT Austin was admitted into the prestigious Association of American Universities in 1929, making it the third university in the American South to achieve this distinction. The university boasts the eighth-largest single-campus enrollment in the United States, with a student body comprising over 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students, supported by a dedicated faculty and staff of over 24,000 members.

Being a private, "selection is based on intellectual and personal preparedness of the applicant irrespective of sex, religious belief and political affiliation."[66] Admission into the University's undergraduate programs is very competitive, with over 70,000 students taking the exam every year, with about 11,000 being accepted, an admission rate of about 18%.[67][68] Admission to a program is usually based on the result of the UPCAT, University Predicted Grade (UPG), which is an average of grades obtained during high school and sometimes, a quota set by the unit offering the program. The University also maintains a Policy of Democratization which aims to "make the U.P. studentry more representative of the nation's population."[43] The UPCAT also allows students to enter Intarmed, the University's accelerated 7-year medicine curriculum, one of the two entry points into the program. Transferring to the University from other constituent units or schools outside the system are determined by the degree-granting unit that offers the program or the course, not by the university's Office of Admissions.[43]

The main campus is home to the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. It features numerous facilities that serve not only Hunter, but the surrounding community, and is particularly well known as a center for the arts. The Assembly Hall, which seats more than 2,000, is a major performance site; the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, a 675-seat proscenium theatre, has over 100,000 visitors annually and hosts over 200 performances each season; the Ida K. Lang Recital Hall is a fully equipped concert space with 148 seats; the Frederick Loewe Theatre, a 50 x 54-foot (16Â m) black box performance space is the site of most department performances; and the Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Art Gallery hosts professionally organized art exhibits.[13]

In September 2014, the University began construction on USC Village, a 1.25 million square foot residential and retail center directly adjacent to USCâ€™s University Park Campus on 15 acres of land owned by the university.[56] The USC Village has over 130,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, with student housing located on the four floors above. The $700 million project is the biggest development in the history of USC and is also one of the largest in the history of South Los Angeles. With a grand opening held on August 17, 2017[57], the USC Village includes a Trader Joe's, a Target, a fitness center, a Trojan Town USC store, restaurants and outdoor dining, 400 retail parking spots, a community room, and housing for 2,700 students.[58]

The Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) is the official student association that controls funding for student groups and organizes on-campus student events. It is considered one of the most autonomous student governments at any public university in the U.S. The two main political parties are "Student Action"[195] and "CalSERVE."[196] The organization was founded in 1887 and has an annual operating budget of $1.7 million (excluding the budget of the Graduate Assembly of the ASUC), in addition to various investment assets.

Lincoln Public Schools is the second largest public school district in Nebraska, located in the heart of the plains, renowned for its long-standing legacy of educational excellence and tradition of rigorous academic achievement. The school district is growing and thriving, serving over 40,000 students in more than 60 schools and programs.[1]

Before either UT or Huston-Tillotson opened their doors, however, St. Edward's Academy (the forerunner of today's St. Edward's University) was established by the Rev. Edward Sorin in 1878 on farmland in present-day south Austin. In 1885, the president, the Rev. P.Â J. Franciscus strengthened the prestige of the academy by securing a charter, changing its name to St. Edward's College, assembling a faculty, and increasing enrollment. Subsequently, St. Edward's began to grow, and the first school newspaper, the organization of baseball and football teams, and approval to erect an administration building all followed. Well-known architect Nicholas J. Clayton of Galveston was commissioned to design the college's Main Building, four stories tall and constructed with local white limestone in the Gothic Revival, that was finished in 1888.[26]

In the 2015-16 academic year, there were 174,739 enrolled students.[42] The majority of students in the 2015-16 academic year were aged between 25 and 34 years old, with the median age of new undergraduates being 28.[42] Most students were from England (99,834), while 14,903 were from Scotland, 6,668 from Wales, 3,667 from Northern Ireland and 4,900 from elsewhere in the European Union, plus others elsewhere. 60% of undergraduates were female, with 53% of those taking postgraduate modules being male. 22,664 of students in 2015-16 had declared disabilities.[42]

The University offers numerous programs of study at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels through the College of Science and Mathematics, the Richards College of Business, the School of Nursing, the College of Social Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Honors College. The University also offers Certificate Programs and Specialist programs for Educators to help undergraduate and graduate students better their profession. In addition, the university was one of few in the United States to hold a residential, early entrance to college opportunity for high school juniors and seniors, the Advanced Academy of Georgia. Advanced Academy students took college courses and resided on campus under the supervision of professional residential staff.

In literature and journalism, the school boasts 20 Pulitzer Prizes to 18 former students,[152] including Gail Caldwell and Ben Sargent '70. Walter Cronkite, the former CBS Evening News anchor once called the most trusted man in America, attended the University of Texas at Austin, as did CNN anchor Betty Nguyen '95. Alumnus J. M. Coetzee also received the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. Novelist Raymond Benson ('78) was the official author of James Bond novels between 1996 and 2002, the only American to be commissioned to pen them. Donna Alvermann, a distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia, Department of Education also graduated from the University of Texas, as did Wallace Clift ('49) and Jean Dalby Clift ('50, J.D. '52), authors of several books in the fields of psychology of religion and spiritual growth. Notable alumni authors also include Kovid Gupta ('2010), author of several bestselling books, and Alireza Jafarzadeh author of "The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis" and television commentator ('82, MS). Though expelled from UT, former student and The Daily Texan writer John Patric went on to become a noted writer for National Geographic, Reader's Digest, and author of 1940s best-seller Why Japan was Strong.[153]

Ball State University enrolls approximately 22,000 students who come from throughout Indiana, the United States, and around the world. Out-of-state students make up about 20 percent of enrollment,[40] and ethnic minorities comprise about 16 percent.[39] The university enrolls more than 500 international students.[41]


Question: When is the release date for Isle of Dogs in the US?

Isle of Dogs, a US-German co-production directed by Wes Anderson, was produced by Indian Paintbrush and Anderson's American Empirical Pictures. The film premiered at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival, where Anderson received the Silver Bear for Best Director. It was released in the United States by Fox Searchlight Pictures on March 23, 2018, initially in limited release, followed by a wide release on April 13, 2018. The film has earned $41 million globally and has been lauded for its animation, narrative, and dry humor. However, some critics have criticized it for cultural appropriation.

Ice Age is an American media franchise centering on a group of mammals surviving the Paleolithic ice age. It is produced by Blue Sky Studios, a division of 20th Century Fox, and featuring the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Chris Wedge. Five films have been released in the series thus far with Ice Age in 2002, Ice Age: The Meltdown in 2006, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 2009, Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, and Ice Age: Collision Course in 2016. It has received some criticism for making no attempt to be scientifically accurate.[2][3][4] As of April 2016, the franchise had generated $6Â billion in revenue,[5] making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

In China the film was granted a rare July release date (along with The Legend of Tarzan,[103] where it grossed an estimated $26.1 million from 6,600 screens in two days. It had a limited opening on Friday, July 1 and opened wide the following day. It faced competition from local film Bounty Hunters which had the advantage of opening wide right from Friday. Yet, Out of the Shadows emerged victorious at the end of the weekend ahead of the latter's $18 million opening. As a result, Out of the Shadows became the ninth consecutive Hollywood import film to debut atop the chart beginning from May 6, 2016. In comparable to Saturday releases, the figure is almost double the launch of Big Hero 6; 41% above the first film; and 18% higher than The Angry Birds Movie.[101][104][105] It fell precipitously in its second weekend by 74%, earning $6.6 million and thereby slipped in to fourth place. It opened in key markets such as Germany and Austria on August 11 as well as Japan on August 26, 2016.[106]

Meanwhile, Professor Watanabe finds a cure, but is poisoned by Mayor Kobayashi to prevent the dogs from being returned from Trash Island. Foreign exchange student Tracy Walker suspects a conspiracy and begins to investigate. Ultimately, she confronts assistant scientist Yoko Ono, a former cohort of Watanabe, who confirms Tracy's suspicions and gives her the last remaining dose of the cure.

On June 28, 2017, 20th Century Fox released the first international trailer to promote the film. On November 13, 2017, the second trailer was released.[28]

Thoroughbreds is a 2017 American black comedy thriller film[4] written and directed by Cory Finley, in his directorial debut. It stars Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin, Paul Sparks, and Francie Swift. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017, and was released on March 9, 2018, by Focus Features and Universal Pictures.

In January 2018, Washington discussed the series at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas saying, "What I’m thrilled about is not only the content itself — the story,  the acting, how its a shot." She continued, "There are some really important coming-of-age issues that we deal with. It’s the LGBT community. It’s gun violence. Drug use. Bullying."[8] Alongside the release of the show's first trailer in May 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on June 4, 2018.[9]

Originally, the film was set to be released on Monday, July 4, 2016, to coincide with the Fourth of July, but was moved to Friday, July 1.[11] It was released in the United Kingdom on August 26.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure will be released on January 26, 2018. Wes Ball confirmed that, if he returns to direct, the film will not be split into two films.[8] In March 2015, T.S. Nowlin was confirmed to write the script.[9] On July 9, 2015, it was revealed that filming is set to begin in February 2016.[10] On September 16, 2015, it was confirmed that Ball would return to direct the third film.[11] The film began principal photography on March 14, 2016 in Cache Creek, British Columbia. On March 19, 2016, Maze Runner star Dylan O'Brien was critically injured on-set when he was struck by a car during a stunt sequence.[12] On March 20, 2016, director Wes Ball announced production was shut down to allow O'Brien time to recuperate from his injuries. Dylan O'Brien, who plays the protagonist, Thomas, has recovered. On April 22, 2017, the studio delayed the release date once again in order to allow more time for post-production.[13]

Principal photography on the film began on April 27, 2015, in New York City. It was released on June 3, 2016, in 3D, RealD 3D, 4DX and in IMAX 3D. It received mixed reviews from critics, being considered by many an improvement over its predecessor, but was not as successful, grossing $245 million against a $135 million budget.[4][5]

A sing along version of the film released in over 1,200 US theaters nationwide on April 7, 2017.[61] The United Kingdom received the same version on April 21, 2017.[62]


Question: A Supreme Court justice might write a dissenting opinion to express disagreement with what?

A dissenting opinion, also known as a minority view, is an official statement in a legal case, primarily in certain legal systems, composed by one or more judges. This document expresses their disagreement with the majority opinion of the court, which forms the basis for the court's final decision. This type of opinion can also be referred to as a minority report in contexts not strictly related to legal decisions.

In the landmark Marbury v. Madison case, the Supreme Court asserted its authority of judicial review over Acts of Congress. Its findings were that Marbury and the others had a right to their commissions as judges in the District of Columbia. Marshall, writing the opinion for the majority, announced his discovered conflict between Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 and Article III.[j][105][k] In this case, both the Constitution and the statutory law applied to the particulars at the same time. "The very essence of judicial duty" according to Marshall was to determine which of the two conflicting rules should govern. The Constitution enumerates powers of the judiciary to extend to cases arising "under the Constitution". Further, justices take a Constitutional oath to uphold it as "Supreme law of the land".[106] Therefore, since the United States government as created by the Constitution is a limited government, the Federal courts were required to choose the Constitution over Congressional law if there were deemed to be a conflict.

Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that decided that redistricting (attempts to change the way voting districts are delineated) issues present justiciable questions, thus enabling federal courts to intervene in and to decide redistricting cases. The defendants unsuccessfully argued that redistricting of legislative districts is a "political question", and hence not a question that may be resolved by federal courts.

There are varying opinions on the influence of assistants on the Polish judiciary. Some scholars criticize the profession, because - in their view - judges themselves should write their own opinions, as it would positively affect the quality and length of these documents.[39] However, prominent judges state that "a good assistant is a treasure to have" (justice Krystian Markiewicz), while others complain that they do not need assistants who "make no unaided decisions whatsoever" (justice Barbara Piwnik, ex-Minister of Justice).[40] Contrary to many Western legal systems, the profession of a judicial assistant in Poland is sometimes described as "poorly paid" and "unattractive".[41]

In addition to this, students from law colleges all over the country are given the opportunity to act as 'legal trainees' under Supreme Court judges during their vacation periods. The institution of law clerks is still a recent development in the context of the Indian judiciary. Anecdotal references indicate that some justices are hesitant to rely on 'law clerks' on account of concerns with confidentiality, especially in politically sensitive disputes. However, their services are heavily relied on to go through the written submissions in order to prepare for the preliminary hearings that are held to decide whether a case should be admitted for a regular hearing on merits. In recent years, the contributions of law clerks to research for judicial opinions has become increasingly evident on account of increasing references to foreign precedents and academic writings.

A law clerk or a judicial clerk is an individual—generally an attorney—who provides direct assistance and counsel to a judge in making legal determinations and in writing opinions by researching issues before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant roles in the formation of case law through their influence upon judges' decisions.[1][2] Judicial clerks should not be confused with legal clerks (also called "law clerks" in Canada), court clerks, or courtroom deputies who only provide secretarial and administrative support to attorneys and/or judges.

The Free Press Clause protects publication of information and opinions, and applies to a wide variety of media. In Near v. Minnesota (1931) and New York Times v. United States (1971), the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment protected against prior restraint—pre-publication censorship—in almost all cases. The Petition Clause protects the right to petition all branches and agencies of government for action. In addition to the right of assembly guaranteed by this clause, the Court has also ruled that the amendment implicitly protects freedom of association.

The Constitution also allows the Supreme Court to exercise powers and take sua sponte actions against the person, regardless of its statue, or the authority, of being disobedient to or disrespectful towards the Supreme Court, its justices, and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the Supreme Court's institutional integrity and popular authority.[35]

At the conclusion of oral argument, the case is submitted for the final judgements where cases are decided by majority vote of the Justices.:10–25[101] It is possible that, through recusals or vacancies, the Court divides evenly on a case, as such happened on the case Nusrat Bhutto v. Federation of Pakistan (1977–78).[46]

The Supreme Court of Pakistan Press is the official authority that publishes the reportable Supreme Court's decisions and opinions, as well as judicial supplements, law reports, and bibliographies.[105] The Supreme Court's opinions are first published and is made available on the Court's web site, in form of "press release."[106] Secondly, comprehensive opinions and orders are bound together in paperback form in which the final version of the Court's opinions appears which is called a preliminary print of "Annual Report".[107][108]

During his second term, Sharif mounted problems with the Supreme Courtâ€” an apex judicial authority. Sharif's Fourteenth Amendment had prohibited legislators and lawmakers from dissenting or voting against their own parties.[86] The XIV Amendment also contained the clause that the offending legislators could not seek relief through Judiciary, and the right of appeal was provoked by the XVI Amendment.[86] When legislators of different parties took the case Supreme Court, Sharif was furious and frustrated with the actions of the Supreme Court.[86] Sharif openly criticised Chief Justice Sajad Alishah, inviting a notice of contempt.[86] After the military and the president reached to Sharif to avoid a constitution crises, Sharif agreed the solve the issue amicably, but was determined to out Chief Justice Sajad Alishah.[86]


Question: When is the release date for the new season of Gotham?

The fourth season of Gotham, which was announced in May 2017, started filming soon after. The cast includes Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Morena Baccarin, Sean Pertwee, Robin Lord Taylor, Erin Richards, Camren Bicondova, Cory Michael Smith, Jessica Lucas, Chris Chalk, Drew Powell, Crystal Reed, and Alexander Siddig. The season premiered on Fox on September 21, 2017, with the second half starting on March 1, 2018.

The film was originally scheduled to be released on January 12, 2018,[16] but was pushed back two weeks from its original release date of January 12, 2018, to January 26, 2018,[17] but was pushed back again from January 26, 2018, to August 17, 2018, after successful test screenings.[15] In April 2018 it was pushed back again from August 17, 2018, to September 14, 2018.[18] It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018.[19][20] It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2018.[21]

In August 2016, the series was renewed for a 16-episode seventh season,[3] which premiered on July 12, 2017.[4]

The miniseries sees the return of Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino to the series after leaving prior to season 7. The series consisted of four 88 to 102-minute episodes, which were released on November 25, 2016. Each episode follows the characters through one of the four seasons.

The second season began airing on September 24, 2015,[26] and aired nine episodes in the fall, just like the rest of ABC's primetime lineup "TGIT" Grey's Anatomy and Scandal.[27] The remaining fall schedule for ABC was announced on November 16, 2015, where it was announced that How to Get Away with Murder would air nine episodes in the fall with the fall finale to air on November 19, 2015, just like the rest of ABC's primetime lineup "TGIT", which was the same last year. The remaining six episodes aired after the winter break, beginning on February 11, 2016,[28] as a result of ABC airing the television miniseries Madoff over two nights on February 3â€“4, 2016 in the same time-slot as Scandal and Grey's Anatomy.[29] It aired its season finale on March 17, 2016, with The Catch succeeding it for the remainder of the 2015-16 season after its finale.[28] On March 3, 2016, ABC announced that How to Get Away with Murder was renewed for a third season.[30]

Deadline reported that Matthew Miller will create and co-executive produce a Lethal Weapon TV series with Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz for Fox.[5] In February 2016, The Hollywood Reporter reported that FOX had officially picked up the Lethal Weapon pilot, with McG directing and Clayne Crawford as Riggs and Damon Wayans as Murtaugh.[6][7] The cast was further expanded in February and March, with Keesha Sharp replacing Golden Brooks as Trish, Jordana Brewster as Dr. Maureen Cahill, Kevin Rahm as Captain Brooks Avery, Chandler Kinney as Riana Murtaugh, Dante Brown as Roger "R.J." Murtaugh, Jr. and Johnathan Fernandez as Scorsese.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Fox gave Lethal Weapon a series order on May 10, 2016.[15] For the third season, Crawford will be replaced by Seann William Scott, as a new character named Wesley Cole. Crawford was fired from the show after several incidents of hostility to others on the show's set.[16]

On June 19, 2014, AMC announced it had renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes to premiere in early 2016;[26] however, it was later reduced to 10 episodes.[34] The first teaser trailer debuted on AMC on August 10, 2014, and confirmed its premiere date of February 2015.[35] In November 2014, AMC announced the series would have a two-night premiere; the first episode aired on Sunday, February 8, 2015, at 10:00 pm (ET), and then moved into its regular time slot the following night, airing Mondays at 10:00 pm.[5] In May 2015, Gilligan confirmed that more of the prominent characters from Breaking Bad would be making guest appearances in season 2, but remained vague on which characters were likely to be seen.[36]

The sixth season aired from September 10, 2013, through December 10, 2013.[6] The seventh and final season of the series premiered on September 9, 2014. The series finale premiered on December 9, 2014.[7][8]

All episodes of the first season premiered on September 30, 2016. They were met with positive reviews. In December 2016, Netflix renewed Luke Cage for a second season, which was released on June 22, 2018.

In May 2018, it was announced that Arrow would move to Mondays for its seventh season, a first for the series, due to The CW's programming expansion to Sunday nights.[45] On June 20, the network released its fall schedule, revealing that the series would additionally move from the 9:00 pm time-slot to the 8:00 pm time-slot, to serve as the lead-in to Legends of Tomorrow. The season premiered on The CW in the United States on October 15, 2018.[46]

The fifth season of the historical drama television series Vikings premiered on November 29, 2017 on History in Canada.[1] The series broadly follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew, and later those of his sons. The first season of the series begins at the start of the Viking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793.


Question: A detailed account of the history and significance of the First Amendment?

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on December 15, 1791, as part of the Bill of Rights, safeguards several fundamental freedoms. It prohibits Congress from enacting laws that establish a state religion, restrict the free exercise of religion, limit the freedom of speech, impede the press's liberty, or hinder the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0Â km) path through downtown Boston, Massachusetts, that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. Marked largely with brick, it winds between Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Stops along the trail include simple explanatory ground markers, graveyards, notable churches and buildings, and a historic naval frigate. While most of the sites are free or suggest donations, the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, and the Paul Revere House charge admission. The Freedom Trail is overseen by the City of Boston's Freedom Trail Commission[1] and is supported in part by grants from various nonprofits and foundations, private philanthropy, and Boston National Historical Park.

New Englanders wrote journals, pamphlets, books, and especially sermonsâ€”more than all of the other colonies combined. Boston minister Cotton Mather published Magnalia Christi Americana (The Great Works of Christ in America, 1702), while revivalist Jonathan Edwards wrote his philosophical work A Careful and Strict Enquiry Into...Notions of...Freedom of Will... (1754). Most music had a religious theme, as well, and was mainly the singing of Psalms. Because of New England's deep religious beliefs, artistic works that were insufficiently religious or too "worldly" were banned, especially the theater. The leading theologian and philosopher of the colonial era was Jonathan Edwards of Massachusetts, an interpreter of Calvinism and the leader of the First Great Awakening.

In the first of these cases, Socialist Party of America official Charles Schenck had been convicted under the Espionage Act for publishing leaflets urging resistance to the draft.[58] Schenck appealed, arguing that the Espionage Act violated the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. In Schenck v. United States, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected Schenck's appeal and affirmed his conviction.[59] This conviction continued to be debated over whether Schenck went against the right to freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment.[60] Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., writing for the Court, explained that "the question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent."[61] One week later, in Frohwerk v. United States, the court again upheld an Espionage Act conviction, this time that of a journalist who had criticized U.S. involvement in foreign wars.[62]

The Fifth Amendment (1791) establishes the requirement that a trial for a major crime may commence only after an indictment has been handed down by a grand jury; protects individuals from double jeopardy, being tried and put in danger of being punished more than once for the same criminal act; prohibits punishment without due process of law, thus protecting individuals from being imprisoned without fair procedures; and provides that an accused person may not be compelled to reveal to the police, prosecutor, judge, or jury any information that might incriminate or be used against him or her in a court of law. Additionally, the Fifth Amendment also prohibits government from taking private property for public use without "just compensation", the basis of eminent domain in the United States.[70]

Some of these same states specify that the oath of office include the words "so help me God". In some cases, these beliefs (or oaths) were historically required also of jurors, witnesses in court, notaries public, and state employees. In the 1961 case Torcaso v. Watkins, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that such language in state constitutions was in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Citing the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Establishment Clause in Everson v. Board of Education and linking this to Torcaso v. Watkins Justice Hugo Black stated for the Court:

The Supreme Court's ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)[52] fundamentally changed American defamation law. The case redefined the type of "malice" needed to sustain a libel case. Common law malice consisted of "ill-will" or "wickedness". Now, a public officials seeking to sustain a civil action against a tortfeasor needed to prove by "clear and convincing evidence" that there was actual malice. The case involved an advertisement published in The New York Times indicating that officials in Montgomery, Alabama had acted violently in suppressing the protests of African-Americans during the civil rights movement. The Montgomery Police Commissioner, L. B. Sullivan, sued the Times for libel, stating that the advertisement damaged his reputation. The Supreme Court unanimously reversed the $500,000 judgment against the Times. Justice Brennan suggested that public officials may sue for libel only if the publisher published the statements in question with "actual malice"—"knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not."[179][180] In sum, the court held that "the First Amendment protects the publication of all statements, even false ones, about the conduct of public officials except when statements are made with actual malice (with knowledge that they are false or in reckless disregard of their truth or falsity)."[181]

Both proposals were referred to the Committee of Detail, which reported back on September 5, 1787 with a proposal containing the current language of the clause. No record exists to explain the exact choice of words selected by the Committee on Detail, whose task was essentially no more than creating a draft Constitution by arranging the proposals that had been made into the most appropriate language. On September 17, 1787, the members of the Convention unanimously agreed to the proposed language, without debate, and this language was incorporated into the Constitution.[1]

Like Daniel Webster, James Wilson, and Joseph Story before him, Lincoln argued that the Declaration of Independence was a founding document of the United States, and that this had important implications for interpreting the Constitution, which had been ratified more than a decade after the Declaration.[190] The Constitution did not use the word "equality", yet Lincoln believed that the concept that "all men are created equal" remained a part of the nation's founding principles.[191] He famously expressed this belief in the opening sentence of his 1863 Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago [i.e. in 1776] our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

First Amendment freedoms are most in danger when the government seeks to control thought or to justify its laws for that impermissible end. The right to think is the beginning of freedom, and speech must be protected from the government because speech is the beginning of thought.[169]


Question: Who is credited with naming all the animals in the world?

The song "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" draws inspiration from the Book of Genesis, specifically verses 2:19-20, where Adam is tasked with naming all the creatures and birds. The lyrics, which have a childlike charm, pair the name of each animal with a distinctive feature or behavior. For example, a pig is named for its size, neither too big nor too small, following the description of its "muddy trail" and "curly tail." Similarly, a cow is named due to the milk it produces, while a bear is named for its furry appearance. The song's reggae-influenced melody adds to its catchy and memorable nature.

The first group shows God creating the Heavens and the Earth. The second group shows God creating the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, and their disobedience of God and consequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden where they have lived and where they walked with God. The third group of three pictures shows the plight of Humanity and in particular the family of Noah.

According to another story which al-Tabari gives, Balaam was a renegade Israelite who knew the Most Sacred Name, and to gain the things of this world, went over to the Canaanites. Al-Tha'labi[22] adds that Balaam was descended from Lot. He gives, too, the story of Balaam's dream, his being forbidden by God to curse Israel. Another version is that Balak, the king of Bal'a, compelled Balaam to use the Most Sacred Name against Israel. The curse fell automatically, and Moses, having learned from whence it came, entreated God to take from Balaam his knowledge of the Name and his faith. This being done, they went out from him in the form of a white dove.

The botanist William Coles (1626–1662) supposed that God had made 'Herbes for the use of men, and hath given them particular Signatures, whereby a man may read ... the use of them.'[1] Coles's The Art of Simpling and Adam in Eden, stated that walnuts were good for curing head ailments because in his opinion, "they Have the perfect Signatures of the Head". Regarding Hypericum, he wrote, "The little holes whereof the leaves of Saint Johns wort are full, doe resemble all the pores of the skin and therefore it is profitable for all hurts and wounds that can happen thereunto."[2]

The twin sons of King NimrÃ³d, Hunor and Magor, each with 100 warriors, followed the White Stag through the Meotis Marsh, where they lost sight of the magnificent animal. Hunor and Magor found the two daughters of King Dul of the Alans, together with their handmaidens, whom they kidnapped. Hungarian legends held Hunor and Magyar (aka Magor) to be ancestors of the Huns and the Magyars (Hungarians), respectively. According to the Miholjanec legend, Stephen V of Hungary had in front of his tent a golden plate with the inscription: "Attila, the son of Bendeuci, grandson of the great Nimrod, born at Engedi: By the Grace of God King of the Huns, Medes, Goths, Dacians, the horrors of the world and the scourge of God."

On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the Guinness Breweries,[3] went on a shooting party in the North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. After missing a shot at a golden plover, he became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the golden plover or the red grouse (it is the plover[4]). That evening at Castlebridge House, he realized that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird.[5][6] Beaver knew that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in pubs throughout Ireland and abroad, but there was no book in the world with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove successful.[7]

(...) He [Abraham] was given over to Nimrod. [Nimrod] told him: Worship the Fire! Abraham said to him: Shall I then worship the water, which puts off the fire! Nimrod told him: Worship the water! [Abraham] said to him: If so, shall I worship the cloud, which carries the water? [Nimrod] told him: Worship the cloud! [Abraham] said to him: If so, shall I worship the wind, which scatters the clouds? [Nimrod] said to him: Worship the wind! [Abraham] said to him: And shall we worship the human, who withstands the wind? Said [Nimrod] to him: You pile words upon words, I bow to none but the fireâ€”in it shall I throw you, and let the God to whom you bow come and save you from it!
Haran [Abraham's brother] was standing there. He said [to himself]: what shall I do? If Abraham wins, I shall say: "I am of Abraham's [followers]", if Nimrod wins I shall say "I am of Nimrod's [followers]". When Abraham went into the furnace and survived, Haran was asked: "Whose [follower] are you?" and he answered: "I am Abraham's!". [Then] they took him and threw him into the furnace, and his belly opened and he died and predeceased Terach, his father.
[The Bible, Genesis 11:28, mentions Haran predeceasing Terach, but gives no details.]

Master Elodin: Master Namer, an eccentric but brilliant professor, considered insane by most of the students. Later initiates Kvothe into the discipline of 'Naming', which enables control over objects by utterance of secret names.

Everything would be in its blind volumes. Everything: the detailed history of the future, Aeschylus' The Egyptians, the exact number of times that the waters of the Ganges have reflected the flight of a falcon, the secret and true nature of Rome, the encyclopedia Novalis would have constructed, my dreams and half-dreams at dawn on August 14, 1934, the proof of Pierre Fermat's theorem, the unwritten chapters of Edwin Drood, those same chapters translated into the language spoken by the Garamantes, the paradoxes Berkeley invented concerning Time but didn't publish, Urizen's books of iron, the premature epiphanies of Stephen Dedalus, which would be meaningless before a cycle of a thousand years, the Gnostic Gospel of Basilides, the song the sirens sang, the complete catalog of the Library, the proof of the inaccuracy of that catalog. Everything: but for every sensible line or accurate fact there would be millions of meaningless cacophonies, verbal farragoes, and babblings. Everything: but all the generations of mankind could pass before the dizzying shelves—shelves that obliterate the day and on which chaos lies—ever reward them with a tolerable page.[9]

Empedocles (c. 490 – 430 BC), argued that what we call birth and death in animals are just the mingling and separations of elements which cause the countless "tribes of mortal things."[8] Specifically, the first animals and plants were like disjointed parts of the ones we see today, some of which survived by joining in different combinations, and then intermixing during the development of the embryo,[a] and where "everything turned out as it would have if it were on purpose, there the creatures survived, being accidentally compounded in a suitable way."[9] Other philosophers who became more influential in the Middle Ages, including Plato (c. 428/427 – 348/347 BC), Aristotle (384 – 322 BC), and members of the Stoic school of philosophy, believed that the types of all things, not only living things, were fixed by divine design.

Above all it was Swedish Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) who eased the task of plant cataloguing. He adopted a sexual system of classification using stamens and pistils as important characters. Among his most important publications were Systema Naturae (1735), Genera Plantarum (1737), and Philosophia Botanica (1751) but it was in his Species Plantarum (1753) that he gave every species a binomial thus setting the path for the future accepted method of designating the names of all organisms. Linnaean thought and books dominated the world of taxonomy for nearly a century.[73] His sexual system was later elaborated by Bernard de Jussieu (1699–1777) whose nephew Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu (1748–1836) extended it yet again to include about 100 orders (present-day families).[74] Frenchman Michel Adanson (1727–1806) in his Familles des Plantes (1763, 1764), apart from extending the current system of family names, emphasized that a natural classification must be based on a consideration of all characters, even though these may later be given different emphasis according to their diagnostic value for the particular plant group. Adanson's method has, in essence, been followed to this day.[75]


Question: How long are NHL players placed on waivers?

In the NHL, when a player is placed on waivers, the claims process begins at noon Eastern Time and lasts for 24 hours. During this period, the 30 other NHL teams have the opportunity to claim the player or waive their claim. If only one team claims the player, he is transferred to that team. However, if multiple teams claim the player, he is transferred to the team with the lowest percentage of possible points in the league standings at the time of the waiver request. If waivers are requested during the off-season or before November 1, the player is transferred to the team with the lowest points from the previous season. If no team claims the player, he can be sent to a minor league affiliate. The claiming team must pay a transfer fee to the original club, but this fee does not count against the salary cap.

The Board of Governors is the ruling and governing body of the National Hockey League. In this context, each team is a member of the league, and each member appoints a Governor (usually the owner of the club), and two alternates to the Board. The current chairman of the Board is Boston Bruins owner, Jeremy Jacobs. The Board of Governors exists to establish the policies of the league, and to uphold its constitution. Some of the responsibilities of the Board of Governors include:[69]

Near the 2003 NHL trade deadline, captain Owen Nolan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, signaling a new era in Sharks history. In addition, the newly acquired McGillis was traded to Boston, Bryan Marchment went to Colorado, and American Hockey League (AHL) star Shawn Heins and forward Matt Bradley were moved to Pittsburgh. The Sharks acquired Alyn McCauley and Wayne Primeau during this season. Reportedly, due to having just acquired the team as well as the team's bad start, the ownership group wanted GM Dean Lombardi to move high-priced players on the roster. Lombardi failed to do so, and as a result, lost his job. During that debacle year for San Jose, there were some bright spots. Jim Fahey led all rookie defensemen in the NHL in points, despite playing in only 43 games.

The 2016 All-Star Game was played on January 31, 2016, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, the home of Nashville Predators. The game, which featured a number of country music acts in the festivities, was notable for both a new format (instead of a single game, a four-division, three-on-three tournament was held) and the appearance of John Scott, a journeyman enforcer who was voted into the game through a fan vote. Scott, who had been demoted to the American Hockey League after the vote, played as a member of no team and, as captain of the Pacific Division, scored two goals (after scoring none the entire regular season up to that point) and won the game's Most Valuable Player award.

In ice hockey, like in basketball, a buzzer beater is a goal that is scored just as the clock expires in a period. Unlike in basketball, however, the puck must completely cross the goal line with 0.1 seconds or more remaining on the clock in order for the goal to count; if the period expires (the exact moment when the green goal light comes on at 0.0 seconds) before the puck completely crosses the goal line, the goal is disallowed.

Soon after, much of the NHL, and Hull in particular, became a proponents of the "banana blade", or stick with extreme amounts (often up to 3 inches (76 mm)) of curve in the blade. These curves made slap shots behave very erratically, and in an era in which goalies did not wear masks, this eventually became an unacceptable danger. By 1967, the NHL began to limit the amount of curve a stick blade could legally have. In the NHL today, the legal limit is 19 mm, or 3⁄4 of an inch.

From 1947 to 1968, the All-Star Game primarily saw the previous season's Stanley Cup champions take on a team of All-Stars from the other clubs. There were two exceptions during this period: The 1951 and 1952 games instead featured two teams of All-Star players, one consisting of players on American-based teams and the other with players consisting of players on Canadian-based teams.

On 15 March 2017, players for the U.S. women's ice hockey team announced that they would boycott the 2017 World Championship over inequitable support and conditions for women's ice hockey unless concessions were made by USA Hockey.[10] Members of the team including captain Meghan Duggan made public statements regarding poor pay and conditions for female hockey players. The players were publicly supported by the players' associations for the NBA, WNBA, MLB and the NHLPA. On 28 March 2017, the players agreed to play in the World Championship after an agreement was struck with USA Hockey to increase player pay and support for women's development.[11]

The National Hockey League season is divided into a regular season (from early October through early to mid April) and a postseason (the Stanley Cup playoffs).

Wayne Gretzky played one season in the WHA for the Indianapolis Racers (eight games) and the Edmonton Oilers (72 games) before the Oilers joined the National Hockey League for the 1979–80 season.[46] Gretzky went on to lead the Oilers to four Stanley Cup championships in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988, and set single season records for goals (92 in 1981–82), assists (163 in 1985–86) and points (215 in 1985–86), as well as career records for goals (894), assists (1,963) and points (2,857).[46] He was traded to the Kings in 1988, a deal that dramatically improved the league's popularity in the United States, and provided the impetus for the 1990s expansion cycles that saw the addition of nine teams: the San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers (now Winnipeg Jets), and in 2000 the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets.[47] On July 21, 2015, the NHL confirmed that it had received applications from prospective ownership groups in Quebec City and Las Vegas for possible expansion teams,[48] and on June 22, 2016, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the addition of a 31st franchise, based in Las Vegas and later named the Vegas Golden Knights, into the NHL for the 2017–18 season.[49]

Upon observing any of the above scenarios, an official will signal a penalty shot by raising his crossed arms above his head with his fists clenched, and then point to centre ice. In the NHL, officials signal a penalty shot by just pointing to centre ice. A player is then picked to take the shot.  This is usually (though not always) the player who was fouled on the preceding play.  In some cases, the captain of the attacking team may pick a player from those on the ice at the time of the infraction.  Only a goaltender or alternate goaltender may be selected to defend the penalty shot, although the original goaltender usually stays in the net.


Question: In what year did "The Price is Right" first air?

The Price Is Right, which originally debuted on November 26, 1956, on NBC's daytime lineup, is among the rare game shows that endured through the late 1950s game show rigging scandal. It even gained in popularity after other rigged game shows were taken off the air.

The 876th and final CBS telecast of What's My Line? aired on September 3, 1967; it was highlighted by clips from past telecasts, a visit by the show's first contestants, a challenger from the New York unemployment office, and the final mystery guest, who was John Daly himself. Daly had always been the emergency mystery guest in case the scheduled guest was unable to appear on the live broadcast, but this had never occurred. Mark Goodson, Bill Todman and Johnny Olson appeared on-camera as well.[44][45][46]

After starting his career at the age of three, White's first television role was a guest stint on The Jeffersons, in 1984. He later auditioned for the role of Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show. According to White, he was cast in the role (the character was originally intended to be male) but was replaced by Keshia Knight Pulliam when Bill Cosby decided to mirror his television family after his real life family.[6] The following year, he was cast as the son of Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight on the CBS sitcom Charlie and Company. The series was intended to be CBS' answer to the highly rated Cosby Show which debuted on NBC in 1984.[7] Unlike The Cosby Show, Charlie and Company did not catch on with audiences and was canceled in May 1986.[8] In 1987, he appeared in the pilot episode for Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and had a guest role on Mr. Belvedere. In 1988, White had a supporting role in Cadets, a sitcom starring Soleil Moon Frye. The pilot episode aired during a preview special on September 25, 1988 on ABC. The series, however, was not picked up by the network. Also during the 1980s, he appeared in a few segments of NBC's One to Grow On.

The Airplane also benefited greatly from appearances on national network TV shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on NBC and The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS. The Airplane's famous appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour performing "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" was videotaped in color and augmented by developments in video techniques. It has been frequently re-screened and is notable for its pioneering use of the Chroma key process to simulate the Airplane's psychedelic light show.[11]

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, as part of ABC's lead-out programming for Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios. Having aired for more than twice as long as either The Dick Cavett Show (1969–1975) or Politically Incorrect (1997–2002), it is the longest running late-night talk show in ABC's history at 15 years and counting as of January 12, 2018.

The lifeline first appeared in the UK program in a number of celebrity editions, and most recently in its 300th episode in 2002. It was also used the US version from 2004â€“2008. The idea was taken from the UK show The People Versus.

The Prize Patrol surprises sweepstakes winners at their homes, work or other locations with cash prizes and captures the event on video.[7] Since their introduction in 1989, these reality TV-style videos of prize-winners surprised at their doorstep with checks for $1,000 to $10 million have been used in widely broadcast television commercials, and, more recently, in the company's online acquisition efforts, websites and social media communications.[7][11][26][50] In 2013, a $5 million television campaign modified the traditional prize patrol commercial by digitally altering video from classic sitcoms like The Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island to show the prize patrol visiting characters in the show.[50]

In November 2006 it was pitched as "Do You Remember Grade School?"[6] by Burnett and Zoo Productions to network executives in the form of a six-question quiz; the only network president who was able to win on the quiz was Fox's Peter Liguori.[7] On January 31, 2007, Fox announced that they had picked up the show for an initial six-episode run,[8] and on February 9 Foxworthy was announced as host.[9] Less than eight weeks after being pitched, the first episode aired.[6]

The debut season of The Ultimate Fighter (later designated The Ultimate Fighter 1) premiered on January 17, 2005. Sixteen mixed martial arts fighters (eight Light Heavyweights weighing from 186 to 205 lbs and eight Middleweights weighing from 171 to 185 lbs) were invited to participate in the show where they would reside together and train in two separate teams coached by UFC Light Heavyweight fighters Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. The teams would compete in physical challenges, segments hosted by singer Willa Ford, to determine which team would have the right to pair one of their own fighters against an opponent of their choice in the same weight class, with the loser being eliminated.

1983 saw the first 70 one-hour shows syndicated to broadcast stations (the pilot, first three seasons and the first four episodes of season 4). Alternate recut half-hour shows were syndicated through Lorimar Productions to local stations in 1983 and later on Nick at Nite in 1987 through August 1990.

In 1994, ABC/King Features sold exclusive licensing rights for apparel to Coastal Concepts, Inc. of Vista California, the first company to produce School House Rock Apparel. Tom Yohe worked with contemporary artist Skya Nelson to create over 50 new designs and update the School House Rock image for a new market which sold $1.1 million in its first year and exploded selling over $12 million the next year. A variety of bands working with Rhino Records were furnished with newly minted School House Rock T-shirts for the music videos youth market. The licensing rights were expanded to include other manufacturers in 1996.


Question: Who was the first actor to step out of the dithyrambic chorus?

Thespis, known for his innovative approach to dithyrambic performances, introduced a groundbreaking technique where a single actor would assume various roles, using distinct masks to differentiate between the characters in the mythological narratives. This marked the emergence of the first actor, distinct from the chorus.

"The Time Warp" is a song featured in the 1973 rock musical The Rocky Horror Show and in its 1975 film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and a 2016 TV production, as well as a dance performed during the chorus of the song. The song is both an example and a parody of the dance song genre in which much of the content of the song is given over to dance step instructions. The dance is one of the major audience-participation activities during screenings of the film and performances of the show.[1] It has become a popular song beyond the reaches of the film and show, and is often played at dances and weddings.[2]

In the United States, one of Boleslavsky's students, Lee Strasberg, went on to co-found the Group Theatre (1931â€”1940) in New York with Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford. Together with Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner, Strasberg developed the earliest of Stanislavski's techniques into what came to be known as "Method acting" (or, with Strasberg, more usually simply "the Method"), which he taught at the Actors Studio.[91] Boleslavsky thought that Strasberg over-emphasised the role of Stanislavski's technique of "emotion memory" at the expense of dramatic action.[92]

David Garrick's popular 1774 Drury Lane production A Christmas Tale included a personified Christmas character who announced "Behold a personage well known to fame; / Once lov'd and honour'd â€” Christmas is my name! /.../ I, English hearts rejoic'd in days of yore; / for new strange modes, imported by the score, / You will not sure turn Christmas out of door!"[30][31]

In 1984 he made the transition to television acting with the sitcom called E/R in 1984â€“1985, followed by roles in the TV movies was in Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (1987) and Frog (1988), and the Australian miniseries Act of Betrayal. In the same period he had the lead in Inside Out and went to Italy for My First Forty Years. After supporting Whoopi Goldberg in The Telephone in 1988 he had the lead in Dangerous Love.

By the middle of the 12th century, the corpus of works was being expanded principally by "cyclisation", that is to say by the formation of "cycles" of chansons attached to a character or group of characters—with new chansons being added to the ensemble by singing of the earlier or later adventures of the hero, of their youthful exploits ("enfances"), the great deeds of their ancestors or descendants, or their retreat from the world to a convent ("moniage") – or attached to an event (like the Crusades).[36]

Her first audition was for an open biweekly casting call held by John Fearnley, casting director for Rodgers and Hammerstein and their various musicals.[6] At the time, Jones had never heard of Rodgers and Hammerstein.[7] Fearnley was so impressed, he ran across the street to fetch Richard Rodgers, who was rehearsing with an orchestra for an upcoming musical. Rodgers then called Oscar Hammerstein at home.[7] The two saw great potential in Jones. She became the first and only singer to be put under personal contract with the songwriters. They first cast her in a minor role in South Pacific. For her second Broadway show, Me and Juliet, she started as a chorus girl, and then an understudy for the lead role, earning rave reviews in Chicago.[6]

The 8:30 minute-long black-and-white music video, produced by Paul Flattery and directed by Jim Yukich, contains 2:30 minutes of acting prior to the start of the music. The setting is a theatre in the 1930s. Actor Jeffrey Tambor plays a hyper-critical, unhappy theatre director. He is rehearsing some dancers (who are dancing to the guitar/bass guitar riff from the song "Sunshine of Your Love" by the band Cream, in which Eric Clapton played guitar.) The director complains that the girls can neither dance nor sing, and then discovers that his star has appendicitis.

Milman Parry and Albert Lord have argued that the Homeric epics, the earliest works of Western literature, were fundamentally an oral poetic form. These works form the basis of the epic genre in Western literature. Nearly all of Western epic (including Virgil's Aeneid and Dante's Divine Comedy) self-consciously presents itself as a continuation of the tradition begun by these poems. Classical epic poetry employs a meter called dactylic hexameter and recounts a journey, either physical (as typified by Odysseus in the Odyssey) or mental (as typified by Achilles in the Iliad) or both. Epics also tend to highlight cultural norms and to define or call into question cultural values, particularly as they pertain to heroism.[citation needed]

By means of his system, Stanislavski aimed to unite the work of Mikhail Shchepkin and Feodor Chaliapin.[73] He hoped that the successful application of his system to opera, with its inescapable conventionality, would demonstrate the universality of his methodology.[73] From his experience at the Opera Studio he developed his notion of "tempo-rhythm", which he was to develop most substantially in part two of An Actor's Work (1938).[74] A series of thirty-two lectures that he delivered to this studio between 1919 and 1922 were recorded by Konkordia Antarova and published in 1939; they have been translated into English as On the Art of the Stage (1950).[75] Pavel Rumiantsev—who joined the studio in 1920 from the Conservatory and sang the title role in its production of Eugene Onegin in 1922—documented its activities until 1932; his notes were published in 1969 and appear in English under the title Stanislavski on Opera (1975).[74]

The musical was formed from several taped workshop sessions with Broadway dancers, known as "gypsies," including eight who eventually appeared in the original cast. The sessions were originally hosted by dancers Michon Peacock and Tony Stevens. The first taped session occurred at the Nickolaus Exercise Center January 26, 1974. They hoped that they would form a professional dance company to make workshops for Broadway dancers.


Question: When did the Not in This Lifetime tour begin?

The Not in This Lifetime... Tour, which was initially planned to begin on April 8, 2016, in Las Vegas, had a surprise kickoff at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on April 1, 2016. Rumors about this secret show began circulating the night before, leading to a gathering of fans outside the former Tower Records building on Sunset Boulevard. As word spread that tickets for the event would be sold there, a queue formed that grew throughout the night and into the morning of April 1. Eventually, it was confirmed that tickets for the club show would indeed be available for purchase at 12 pm at the Tower Records location, with a nostalgic $10 ticket price. The band's performance that night revealed Melissa Reese as the replacement for long-standing second keyboardist Chris Pitman, who had worked with former drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia on previous projects. Unfortunately, during the Troubadour show, Axl Rose suffered a broken foot. For the subsequent concerts, he was provided with a customized throne, previously used by Dave Grohl when he performed with a broken leg.

Primus continued to tour throughout 2011, playing a number of dates in North America in May and June, including the Bonnaroo Music Festival,[30] followed by a tour of Europe from late June to mid July. They then returned to America to play a few more music festivals leading into early August, including a show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado with the Flaming Lips, before embarking on a "major fall tour" in support of the new album.[25]

Prior to the album's release, Hill and McGraw embarked upon the Soul2Soul World Tour, which included a set list composed of both artist's greatest hits and material from The Rest of Our Life. The tour will continue into 2018 with the duo also headlining the C2C: Country to Country festival throughout the UK in March 2018.

On October 5, 2015, Combs announced that Bad Boy Entertainment would be distributed by Epic Records.[13][14] This will mark the second time that Epic president L.A. Reid oversaw distribution for Bad Boy, having previously overseen distribution for the label fifteen years earlier after being appointed president of Arista Records in 2000. Despite founding the label in 1993, Bad Boy began celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2015 with a 20-minute mega-medley performance at the BET Awards. It stretched into 2016, starting with the label's May reunion sold-out shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and originating the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, starting in North America in the last week of August 2016.[15][16][17]

To promote the album after its release, Fall Out Boy embarked on an extensive tour schedule, with concerts across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe and Asia. It began with the 2007 Honda Civic Tour with Paul Wall, +44, The Academy Is..., and Cobra Starship.[40] The tour was originally planned to begin on April 18, 2007 but the band decided to postpone the date until May 11, citing health issues and exhaustion. Wentz stated "It's a health issue, but not a health issue that anyone needs to worry about. It's not life-threatening, it's more about being overworked and worn down."[40] In honor of the tour, the group designed a custom Honda Civic Hybrid which was given away to a fan in a contest.[41] Wentz described the tour as "our biggest show ever", with Stump adding that "We've been working really hard to make this show look and sound the best it's ever been for Fall Out Boy."[42] For a Kiss-inspired fan contest, Wentz's brother created prints of images based on the record, created with ink mixed with the band members' blood. The band gave away prints to winners at every stop on the Honda Civic Tour. Wentz hoped that the contest would serve to "[shed] some light on the much-needed support for blood drives."[30] A live concert CD and DVD recorded at a show in Phoenix was later released in 2008, entitled Live in Phoenix.

A new album, The Road, and the 'Hit the Road Tour 2011' were announced in November 2010. The album was released in April 2011. It featured both Roachford and Tim Howar on vocals, Luke Juby on keyboards, Gary Wallis on drums, and Anthony Drennan on guitar and bass. Though it became the first album not to feature B.A. Robertson as a co-writer, the album also marked the return of Christopher Neil as songwriter/producer. The tour included performances across the UK, Germany, and various other European cities.[10]

The band toured the US and UK from June to October 2000,[259] to generally favourable reviews,[261] culminating in a charity show at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer trust with guest performances from Paul Weller, Eddie Vedder, Noel Gallagher, Bryan Adams and Nigel Kennedy.[262] Stephen Tomas Erlewine described the gig as "an exceptional reunion concert".[263] In 2001 the band performed the Concert for New York City at Madison Square Garden for families of firefighters and police who had lost their lives following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center,[264] and were honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[265]

On 15 October 2013, a North American tour began at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland.[31] The original cast included Brian Justin Crum (Broadway's Next to Normal) as Galileo, PJ Griffith (Broadway's American Idiot and Mamma Mia!) as Khashoggi, Jacqueline Arnold (Broadway's Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Killer Queen, Jared Zirilli (Broadway's Lysistrata Jones) as Britney, Ruby Lewis (Grease, Desperate Housewives) as Scaramouche, Ryan Knowles (Newsical, Radio City Music Hall) as Buddy and Erica Peck (We Will Rock You Toronto Cast) as Oz.[32] The North American leg on the We Will Rock You tour covered nearly the whole of the US, corners of Canada and a sold out run in Mexico City at the Auditiorio Nacional.  In all, the North American leg of the WWRY World tour included 298 performances, 30 cities, 23 States/Territories, 3 Countries, over 30,000 miles traveled and over a half-a-million people in attendance.

In an interview, Dan Reynolds told Billboard that the band would be taking a hiatus for the remainder of 2016, stating that "This is the year we're going to actually take time off. We haven't stopped in, like, six years, so we've forced ourselves to at least take a year off."[63] The band released a one night only concert film, Imagine Dragons In Concert: Smoke + Mirrors, in select theaters on March 2, 2016. The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray under the title Imagine Dragons: Smoke + Mirrors Live. They also released the song "Not Today" from the soundtrack for Me Before You on April 28. The band also appears on the soundtrack for the film Suicide Squad. The song, titled "Sucker For Pain", features Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Logic, Ty Dolla Sign, and X Ambassadors.[64]

The third single from The Alesha Show, titled "Let's Get Excited" was physically released on 11 May and reached a peak position of 13 in the UK Singles Chart. "Let's Get Excited" became Dixon's first track from The Alesha Show not to chart inside the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. The song's presence in the charts boosted album sales and The Alesha Show rebounded at a new peak of 11. The album received Platinum certification from BPI, indicating sales of over 300,000 in the UK alone.[29] The fourth single from The Alesha Show, called "To Love Again" was released on 15 November 2009.[32] The track, a ballad penned by Dixon and Gary Barlow, was the first single taken from the deluxe version, entitled The Alesha Show â€“ Encore, released on 23 November.[33] Dixon also embarked upon a 17-date national tour, named The Alesha Show, which began on 20 October 2009 in Nottingham.

On May 24, 2016, the band announced that Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.[19] The band also announced that, despite his condition, they would tour that summer.[1]


Question: Who performs "I Wanna Be Like You" from the Jungle Book?

"I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" is a popular tune from Disney's 1967 animated feature, The Jungle Book. Composed by the talented Sherman Brothers, this song was brought to life by the distinctive voice of Louis Prima.

In 1941 the Benny Goodman Orchestra first performed the song during recorded radio performances with Helen Forrest. Forrest chose to leave the ensemble during the early part of 1941,[9] and Goodman then began performing the song with her replacement Peggy Lee,[10] whose recording, from a Mutual sustaining broadcast, was later released on a double long-play album; named Benny And Sid "Roll 'Em", the album consisted of an assortment of live radio broadcasts by the group.[11] Glenn Miller conducted his rendition of the song at Abbey Road Studios in 1944. Owing to his sudden death later that year, his orchestral version of the song was not released until 1995.[12] On October 30, 1946 Nat "King" Cole recorded the song, with Oscar Moore playing guitar and Johnny Miller playing bass as the "King Cole Trio". Cole's recording was made during a live WMCA radio broadcast from New York.[13] Later, in 1957, Cole performed the song live on his television variety show The Nat King Cole Show.[14] Though it was not released until some years later, Harry Belafonte made a recording of the song in 1949 with jazz saxophonist Zoot Sims. This was one of Belafonte's first recordings. Sims' performance on the track would later be parodied by the character inspired by him, in episode 2.02 of The Muppet Show, which aired on December 10, 1977.

In addition to working with live apes, simply to mimic their movements, Walshe also performed with them. One of his best-known performances was alongside the trained chimp, Baldy, of which he was the custodian of for several years.[4] Walshe and Baldy appeared together in many shows, with a particular act, amongst other stunts, including the two of them riding a two-seated bicycle. Working with Baldy's trainer, the two of them spent weeks inside Baldy's cage, to help prepare her for the performance, as well as simply studying her behavior. He had a close bond with Baldy, and was known to carry around a picture of her in his pocket. Walshe, admitted his admiration for Baldy, who he described as "the most intelligent of all performers of the animal kingdom".[3]

As part of promotion for the song, a music video was released. The video, which is thirteen and a half minutes long, was directed by Paul Hunter and features Chris Tucker and Marlon Brando. In the video, Jackson and Tucker portray men who are trying to gain a woman's affection. The video has been compared to Jackson's previous videos "Smooth Criminal" and "The Way You Make Me Feel" and has received mixed reviews. The song was performed only twice by Jackson; at Madison Square Garden in New York City at two concerts in September 2001 to celebrate Jackson's career as a solo artist. Footage of the performance was shown in the two-hour CBS television special, Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special. The track was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 44th Grammy Awards.

Stump called "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" the "funkiest thing we’ve ever done", and attributes the change in musical style to his love of soul music, which he acquired by listening to oldies stations as a child.[2][19] Wentz describes the song "a bit of '70s funk mixed with [the band’s 2003 album] Take This to Your Grave with tight verses and big, fat choruses".[20] The song closing sing-along was influenced by Justin Timberlake's "Señorita".[21] Cory Apar of Allmusic compared the Babyface-produced track "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)" to Maroon 5.[11] Wentz characterized Stump’s vocal performance on the song as "straight-up Motown", continuing to say "If there wasn't a rock band playing, it'd be straight R&B, and he'd go on tour with just an upright bass and a drum and open up for R. Kelly."[4] "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" has been referred to as "a prime slab of what the boys have become famous for: highly caffeinated pop-punk mixed with a little white-boy soul and some hard-core yelping."[22] The song features Stump singing in a falsetto in the chorus over Trohman’s "crunchy" guitars, as well as a breakdown in which Wentz employs death growl-style vocals.[22]

In 1993, Macchio portrayed Chris, the sexually confused best friend of Eric Stoltz's character, in the indie film Naked in New York, along with such notable actors as Mary-Louise Parker, Jill Clayburgh, Kathleen Turner, and Tony Curtis. In 1996, Macchio performed the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the U.S. tour revival of the 1962 Tony Award-winning musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and received positive reviews. Referring to his performance as a chorister in a high school production of the same musical, Macchio said, "I was known as the 'Dancing Kid,' not that I was all that great. But I had been dancing since the age of three, taking lessons at the June Claire School of Dance in Babylon, Long Island."[7][8] Since the mid-1990s, Macchio's film appearances have been occasional cameo or supporting roles, notably and recently A Good Night to Die and Beer League.

According to Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, they knew that Jones' voice was powerful similar to the lion roar. Jones is scheduled to reprise his role in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the film directed by Jon Favreau.[1]

Astin's career has also expanded to include voice-over roles. He narrated the American version of the Animal Planet series Meerkat Manor, and voices the title character in the animated Disney Channel series Special Agent Oso.[18] His other voice work includes Balto III: Wings of Change, in which he voiced Kodi, a teenage husky who is the son of the titular character, and the video game Kingdom Hearts, in the latter of which he provided the voice of Hercules, replacing actor Tate Donovan, who was unavailable but would return for Kingdom Hearts II. Astin voiced Raphael in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series on Nickelodeon, which premiered on September 29, 2012.

The distinctive sound of "I'm Coming Out" and its resulting popularity has led to Ross's song often being sampled, most notably by Stevie J, who sampled the song for rapper The Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 song "Mo Money Mo Problems". There's also been a cover by Marcia Hines. It was featured as a cover for the video game Karaoke Revolution as well. In more recent times, the song was sampled in Keyshia Cole's remake of "I'm Coming Out" (featuring Iggy Azalea) for the original soundtrack of the 2014 movie The Other Woman, starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Upton and Leslie Mann. The song is sampled in "Break Your Heart Right Back" from Ariana Grande's sophomore album My Everything (2014). This song was also covered for the soundtrack to the 2016 movie Trolls.

A live tour, based on the album, began in the UK and Ireland in April 2006. Jeff Wayne returned to conduct the 48-piece ULLAdubULLA Strings and 10-piece Black Smoke Band. A "virtual" Richard Burton (a large bust of the Journalist onto which was projected an image of a young Burton with a super-imposed actor's mouth and jaw lip synched to the original Burton recordings) performed as The Journalist. Justin Hayward reprised his original role as The Sung Thoughts of the Journalist and Chris Thompson returned as The Voice Of Humanity. Also from the original recording were Chris Spedding playing lead guitar and Herbie Flowers on bass guitar. Other guest artists who appeared were the "People's Tenor" Russell Watson as Parson Nathaniel, Alexis James as The Artilleryman, and Tara Blaise as Beth. Daniel Boys (known from BBC's Any Dream Will Do) was understudy for all the roles sung by male artists. A model Fighting Machine featured on stage. A short animated 'prequel' to the story was also presented in the style of the upcoming feature-length film detailing the Martians' ecological destruction of their own world (which was originally made for the 1998 computer game) and their preparations to invade Earth, and including a short remix of "The Red Weed". The show was produced by Ray Jones, Damian Collier and Jeff Wayne.

In addition to Affleck, the video featured Robin Williams, Don Cheadle, Harrison Ford, William Shatner, Hynden Walch, Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, Benji Madden and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte, Dicky Barrett, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lance Bass, Dominic Monaghan, Meat Loaf, Pete Wentz, Joan Jett, Huey Lewis, Perry Farrell, Macy Gray, Rebecca Romijn, Josh Groban, Jessica DiCicco, and unnamed choir singers as recording booth singers, along with Brad Pitt as a delivery man. The video gained widespread media attention, with Kimmel jokingly telling the New York Times, "Every once in a while, Hollywood rallies itself for a worthy cause."[17] On its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, Entertainment Weekly put Damon as an action star at No. 60 and the Silverman video on No. 62, writing, "A talk-show host's famous comedian girlfriend confesses in a catchy song that she's shtupping No. 60? Yeah, that'll go viral."[18]


Question: Which of the following best describes Timbuktu during the Mali Empire?

Under Mansa Musa's reign in the Mali Empire from 1307 to 1337, the kingdom experienced unprecedented wealth, primarily due to the taxation of trade and the abundance of gold. Mansa Musa's generosity during his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he distributed gold to the needy, caused inflation but did not deter him due to the vast gold reserves in Mali. The kingdom's prosperity was significantly boosted by the control of Timbuktu, a thriving hub for trade, entertainment, and education. The city's water supply played a critical role in its trade success. Mansa Musa imposed significant taxes on goods passing through Timbuktu, contributing to the kingdom's wealth. However, internal conflicts and civil wars among leaders weakened the state, disrupting trade which was the primary source of income and wealth. This disruption in trade eventually led to the decline and fall of the once prosperous Mali Empire.

During the Mughal period, Sindhi literature began to flourish and historical figures such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sulatn-al-Aoliya Muhammad Zaman and Sachal Sarmast became prominent throughout the land. In 1603 Shah Jahan visited the State of Sindh; at Thatta he was generously welcomed by the locals after the death of his father Jahangir. Shah Jahan ordered the construction of the Shahjahan Mosque, which was completed during the early years of his rule under the supervision of Mirza Ghazi Beg. During his reign, in 1659 in the Mughal Empire, Muhammad Salih Tahtawi of Thatta created a seamless celestial globe with Arabic and Persian inscriptions using a wax casting method.[49][50]

The growing trade in Mali's western provinces with Portugal witnessed the exchange of envoys between the two nations. Mansa Mahmud Keita II received the Portuguese envoys Pêro d'Évora and Gonçalo Enes in 1487.[26] The mansa lost control of Jalo during this period.[85] Meanwhile, Songhai seized the salt mines of Taghazza in 1493. That same year, Mahmud II sent another envoy to the Portuguese proposing alliance against the Fula. The Portuguese decided to stay out of the conflict and the talks concluded by 1495 without an alliance.[85]

Despite the creation of the empire through war, the reign is remembered for its very influential style of Hindu art, literature, culture and science, especially during the reign of Chandragupta II. Some excellent works of Hindu art such as the panels at the Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh serve to illustrate the magnificence of Gupta art. Above all it was the synthesis of elements that gave Gupta art its distinctive flavour. During this period, the Guptas were supportive of thriving Buddhist and Jain cultures as well, and for this reason there is also a long history of non-Hindu Gupta period art. In particular, Gupta period Buddhist art was to be influential in most of East and Southeast Asia. Many advances were recorded by the Chinese scholar and traveller Faxian (Fa-hien) in his diary and published afterwards.

Throughout the early years of French rule, French military contingents were sent inland to establish new posts. Some of the native population and former slave-owning class resisted French civilization and settlement. Among those offering greatest resistance was Samori Ture, who in the 1880s and 1890s was conquering his neighbors, re-establishing slavery and founding the Wassoulou Empire, which extended over large parts of present-day Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast. Samori Ture's large, well-equipped army, which could manufacture and repair its own firearms, attracted some support throughout the region from chiefs who sought to play the two sides off against each other. The French responded to Samori Ture's expansion and conquest with military pressure. French campaigns against Samori Ture, which were met with greater resistance than usual in tribal warfare, intensified in the mid-1890s until he was captured in 1898 and his empire dissolved.

In Africa, the spread of Islam leads to the destruction of the Christian kingdoms of Nubia, by the end of the century leaving only Alodia (which was to collapse in 1504). The formerly vast Mali Empire teeters on the brink of collapse, under pressure from the rising Songhai Empire.

During the height of Sundiata's power, the land of Manden (the area populated by the Mandinka people) became one of its provinces.[23] The Manden city-state of Ka-ba (present-day Kangaba) served as the capital and name of this province. From at least the beginning of the 11th century, Mandinka kings known as faamas ruled Manden from Ka-ba in the name of the Ghanas.[24]

Before the arrival of the British in the late 19th century, the history of the area was turbulent, with periods when empires such as those of Oyo, Kanem-Bornu and Sokoto gained control over large areas, and other periods when the states were more fragmented.[3] Although political structures differed widely between different ethnic groups, it was common for each town or collection of towns to have a recognized ruler, who might in turn be subordinate to the ruler of a larger polity. Thus the Sokoto caliphate was divided into emirates, with the emirs loosely subordinate to the Sultan of Sokoto, although at times acting as independent rulers.[4]

The Tiwanaku empire was based in western Bolivia and extended into present-day Peru and Chile from 300 to 1000. Tiwanaku is recognized by Andean scholars as one of the most important South American civilizations prior to the Inca Empire; it was the ritual and administrative capital of a major state power for approximately five hundred years. The ruins of the ancient city state are near the south-eastern shore of Lake Titicaca in Tiwanaku Municipality, Ingavi Province, La Paz Department, about 72 kilometres (45Â mi) west of La Paz.

The Hongwu Emperor (ruled 1368â€“98) attempted to create a society of self-sufficient rural communities ordered in a rigid, immobile system that would guarantee and support a permanent class of soldiers for his dynasty:[4] the empire's standing army exceeded one million troops and the navy's dockyards in Nanjing were the largest in the world.[5] He also took great care breaking the power of the court eunuchs[6] and unrelated magnates, enfeoffing his many sons throughout China and attempting to guide these princes through the Huang Ming Zu Xun, a set of published dynastic instructions. This failed spectacularly when his teenage successor, the Jianwen Emperor, attempted to curtail his uncles' power, prompting the Jingnan Campaign, an uprising that placed the Prince of Yan upon the throne as the Yongle Emperor in 1402. The Yongle Emperor established Yan as a secondary capital and renamed it Beijing, constructed the Forbidden City, and restored the Grand Canal and the primacy of the imperial examinations in official appointments. He rewarded his eunuch supporters and employed them as a counterweight against the Confucian scholar-bureaucrats. One, Zheng He, led seven enormous voyages of exploration into the Indian Ocean as far as Arabia and the eastern coasts of Africa.

After apparently surviving for a while, the Egyptian Empire collapsed in the mid twelfth century BC (during the reign of Ramesses VI, 1145 to 1137 BC). Previously, the Merneptah Stele (c. 1200 BC) spoke of attacks from Putrians (from modern Libya), with associated people of Ekwesh, Shekelesh, Lukka, Shardana and Tursha or Teresh (possibly Troas), and a Canaanite revolt, in the cities of Ashkelon, Yenoam and among the people of Israel. A second attack during the reign of Ramesses III (1186â€“1155 BC) involved Peleset, Tjeker, Shardana and Denyen.


Question: Who performs "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps"?

The theme song for the British sitcom "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps" is inspired by the 1980 hit single by Splodgenessabounds, also titled "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please." The show, which aired on BBC Three, featured a core cast that included Beverly Callard, Lee Oakes, Hayley Bishop, Alison Mac, Thomas Nelstrop, and Jonathon Dutton. The series concluded in 2011 as the network sought to introduce new comedies and following the departure of most of the main cast members, marking a natural end to the show.

Born in London, Owen made his first film appearance in 1944, but did not achieve lasting fame until 1973, when he took the starring role of William "Compo" Simmonite in the long-running British sitcom Last of the Summer Wine. Owen's character is a scruffy working-class pensioner, often exploited by the bossy characters played by Michael Bates, Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge and Frank Thornton for dirty jobs, stunts and escapades, while their indomitably docile friend Norman Clegg, played by Peter Sallis, follows and watches with a smirk. He wore a woollen hat and spent much of his time lusting after dowdy housewife Nora Batty. As Compo, Owen saw off several co-stars. The series, starting in 1973 and finishing in 2010, is today the world's longest-running comedy series. Owen became an icon, a darling of its audience and central to its success and episodes for 26 years, right until his death.[1] The threesome of Compo, Clegg and Foggy (this third character was initially Blamire, played by Michael Bates, and when Brian Wilde's Foggy took a hiatus, replaced by Michael Aldridge's Seymour Utterthwaite) remains the most popular group of three the show ever produced.

Many items from Blue Peter's history have become embedded in British popular culture, especially moments when things have gone wrong, such as the much-repeated clip of Lulu the elephant (from a 1969 edition)[5] who urinated and defecated on the studio floor, appeared to tread on the foot of presenter John Noakes and then proceeded to attempt an exit, dragging her keeper along behind her. Although it is often assumed to have been broadcast live, the edition featuring Lulu was one of the rare occasions when the programme was pre-recorded, as the presenters were en route to Ceylon for the summer expedition at the time of transmission. Other well-remembered and much-repeated items from this era include the Girl Guides' campfire that got out of hand on the 1970 Christmas edition, John Noakes's report on the cleaning of Nelson's Column,[6] and Simon Groom referring to a previous item on the production of a facsimile door knocker for Durham Cathedral which was displayed alongside the original, with the words 'what a beautiful pair of knockers'.[7]

The series occasionally 'breaks the fourth wall', with references to (for instance) a comic strip in the Guardian's social-work supplement which (the somewhat humourless) Clare doesn't understand, an old schoolmate of Brian's named Richard Lumsden who wanted to be an actor but was never heard of again, and Nina Conti (as Nali) being given the line "It's not like I'm a ventriloquist." The series regularly makes references to other comedies, such as Clare mimicking the catchphrase of Mrs. Doyle from Father Ted and Brian imitating Tony Hancock from "The Blood Donor" episode.

A live tour based on the album began on 29 November 2012 and began playing across the UK and Europe.[13] The live show, titled Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds â€“ The New Generation: Alive on Stage!, includes a holographic performance of Liam Neeson, interacting with the other performers.[2][6] Ricky Wilson retains his role as the Artilleryman from the album version. Marti Pellow (lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet) is the Sung Thoughts of the Journalist. British rock band Jettblack's lead vocalist Will Stapleton is the Voice of Humanity. The touring cast includes Jason Donovan (who previously played the Artilleryman on tour) as the Parson Nathaniel and West End theatre star Kerry Ellis as Beth.[14] Michael Falzon and Lily Osborne appear as new characters William Rowland and Vera May respectively, appearing in a new prologue, introduced to the tour in 2009. Falzon also plays the small role of NASA controller Jerome Marvin Krauth (voiced by Jerry Wayne) in the Epilogue Part 2, in which he is blasted upon by the fighting machine onstage behind him (the original version of Epilogue Part 2 had an abrupt ending) which concludes the show.[15][16]

The traditional Christmas programme usually opens with the signature tune being replaced with a brass band arrangement of the carol "Good King Wenceslas" juxtaposed with shots of viewers' home-made Christmas cards and followed by the lighting of the final candle on the Advent Crown. The programme's Christmas manger figures are featured, reminding viewers of the Nativity story, a last-minute Christmas make, either a song and dance or filming assignment and the grand finale; the Chalk Farm Salvation Army Band and children from various schools, assisted by members of the BBC Symphony Chorus, marching "up the hill" and into the studio from the cold outside (lanterns in hand!) singing a Christmas carol (alternating years between either "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" or "O! Come All Ye Faithful") around the Blue Peter Christmas tree. In some years there was a Christmas play, either spoofing hit movies like Grease, popular songs or a Pantomime. Much of the script has been repeated year after year for this special programme. However, for the 2007 Christmas programme, none of these traditions were featured (although the crib had been glimpsed in the previous edition), ending a format repeated annually since the 1960s. Apart from presents for the presenters and pets and a brief look at the programme's Nativity crib, the traditional elements remained largely absent in 2008 and 2009. From 2010 the closing carol was reinstated, with the Chalk Farm Salvation Army Band being replaced by the Salford band from 2011 onwards, as the programme had moved to MediaCity by then. In 2014, the full traditional content was revived, including the viewers' home-made cards accompanied by the Good King Wenceslas arrangement, the Advent Crown (although now using electric candles for safety reasons) and (after an absence in the previous two years) the sparkling ship logo appearing by the shot of the crib in the studio at the end of the closing carol. These elements have been retained in the subsequent two years, apart from the Good King Wenceslas sequence being dropped in 2016.

The episode was largely based upon the 1985 film Spies Like Us, which starred Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd,[8] and the movie is mentioned in the episode itself.[9] The episode was also based on the 1977 spy film Telefon about brainwashed Russian spies in the U.S. who can be activated by a special code phrase. When Peter has to go to the bathroom, he runs to Cleveland's empty home, which has been put up for sale since he left to live in Virginia with his new family. A montage of Peter going to the bathroom is shown, while Jennifer Lopez's "Let's Get Loud" plays. When Peter becomes aware that Cleveland's house is being rented by actors Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, he mentions that he is honored to have dinner with "two of the three Ghostbusters." Chase then replies that he was not in that movie; Peter also notes that he is honored to meet "two of the Three Amigos," a movie starring Chase but not Aykroyd. After dinner, Stewie is seen drawing and coloring Sebastian the crab, a character from the Disney film The Little Mermaid. When Aykroyd and Chase ask Stewie and Brian if they want to be "spies like us", Stewie asks if they can be "spies like them" and points to Black Spy and White Spy from Spy vs. Spy, one of the head comic strip features of MAD magazine. When Aykroyd and Chase explain to Stewie and Brian how they were recruited as official spies by Reagan, a cutaway is shown of an event in which 1985 is awarded the "Awesomest Year of the 80's" prize and all characters spontaneously start dancing to the 1983 song "(Keep Feeling) Fascination." Later, Brian and Stewie agree to become agents, and Stewie asks if "Ron Howard's weird-looking brother is here."[3] There is a cutaway to The Brady Bunch, in which it is revealed Mike Brady killed his first wife, and housekeeper Alice walks in and demands a raise.

In February 1997, the "Sugar Lumps", a satirical version of the Spice Girls played by Kathy Burke, Dawn French, Llewella Gideon, Lulu, and Jennifer Saunders, filmed a video for British charity Comic Relief. The video starts with the Sugar Lumps as schoolgirls who really want to become pop stars like the Spice Girls, and ends with them joining the group on stage, while dancing and lip-syncing the song "Who Do You Think You Are".[234] The Sugar Lumps later joined the Spice Girls during their live performance of the song on Comic Relief's telethon Red Nose Day event in March 1997.[235] In January 1998, a fight between animated versions of the Spice Girls and pop band Hanson was the headlining matchup in MTV's claymation parody Celebrity Deathmatch Deathbowl '98 special that aired during the Super Bowl XXXII halftime.[236][237] The episode became the highest-rated special in the network's history and MTV turned the concept into a full-fledged television series soon after.[238] In March 2013, the characters Brittany (Heather Morris), Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), Marley (Melissa Benoist), Kitty (Becca Tobin) and Unique (Alex Newell) dressed up as the Spice Girls and performed the song "Wannabe" on the 17th episode of the fourth season of Glee.[239] In April 2016, the Italian variety show Laura & Paola on Rai 1 featured the hosts, Grammy Award-winning singer Laura Pausini and actress Paola Cortellesi, and their guests, Francesca Michielin, Margherita Buy and Claudia Gerini, dressed up as the Spice Girls to perform a medley of Spice Girls songs as part of a 20th anniversary tribute to the band.[240][241] In September 2016, in response to reports that the Spice Girls were reforming for a reunion tour without Chisholm and Beckham, The Ellen DeGeneres Show featured a spoof in which host Ellen DeGeneres (as "Basil Spice") and actress Kristen Bell (as "Fresh Garlic Spice") auditioned to be the new members in the band.[242] In December 2016, the episode "Who Needs Josh When You Have a Girl Group?" of the musical comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend featured cast members Rachel Bloom, Gabrielle Ruiz and Vella Lovell performing an original song titled "Friendtopia", a parody of the Spice Girls’ songs and “girl power” philosophy.[243][244]

In an episode of Duty Free, the British couples enter a talent contest in their hotel. One of their number attempts to recite the poem to the non-English speaking audience, who mistake his earnest performance for a comedy routine. Their laughter is unappreciated, making him retort: "It's not funny! The poor bugger's dead!"

The collection begins with an imperial theme by paying tribute to the Shropshire lads who have died as soldiers in the service of The Queen Empress, as her golden jubilee (1887) is celebrated with a beacon bonfire on Clee Hill (I). There is little time for a lad to live and enjoy the spring (II). Death awaits the soldier (III-IV). Maids are not always kind (V-VI) and the farmer also comes to the grave (VII). Some lads murder their brothers and are hanged (VIII-IX). The spring's promise of love and renewal may be false (X). The ghost of a lad dead of grief begs the consolation of a last embrace (XI). Unattainable love leaves the lad helpless and lost (XIII-XVI). The playing of a game of cricket or football consoles a broken heart (XVII). But on this dubious sentiment Edith Sitwell commented acidly, "If he means to say that cricket, and cricket alone, has prevented men from committing suicide, then their continuation on this earth seems hardly worthwhile."[10]

"More Cowbell"[a] is a comedy sketch that aired on Saturday Night Live on April 8, 2000. The sketch is presented as an episode of VH1's documentary series Behind the Music that fictionalizes the recording of the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult. The sketch featured guest host Christopher Walken as music producer "The Bruce Dickinson", and regular cast member Will Ferrell, who wrote the sketch with playwright Donnell Campbell, as fictional cowbell player Gene Frenkle, whose overzealous playing annoys his bandmates but pleases producer Dickinson. The sketch also starred Chris Parnell as Eric Bloom, Jimmy Fallon as Albert Bouchard, Chris Kattan as Buck Dharma and Horatio Sanz as Joe Bouchard.