Early life and education.

MacFarlane was born and raised in Kent, Connecticut. His parents, Ronald Milton MacFarlane and Ann Perry (née Sager), were born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. MacFarlane's younger sister Rachael is also a voice actress. He has roots in New England going back to the 1600s, and is a descendant of "Mayflower" passenger William Brewster. MacFarlane's parents met in 1970, when they both lived and worked in Boston, Massachusetts, and married later that year. The couple moved to Kent in 1972, where Ann began working in the Admissions Office at South Kent School. She later worked in the College Guidance and Admissions Offices at the Kent School, a selective college preparatory school, where Ronald was a teacher.  During his childhood, MacFarlane developed an interest in illustration and began drawing cartoon characters Fred Flintstone and Woody Woodpecker, as early as two years old. By the age of five, MacFarlane knew that he would want to pursue a career in animation, and began by creating flip books, after his parents found a

Career.

Television career.

Hanna-Barbera years.

MacFarlane was recruited during the senior film festival by development executive Ellen Cockrill and President Fred Seibert. He went to work at Hanna-Barbera (then Hanna-Barbera Cartoons) based on the writing content of "The Life of Larry", rather than on cartooning ability. He was one of only a few people hired by the company solely based on writing talent. He worked as an animator and writer for Cartoon Network's "Cartoon Cartoons" series. In 1996, MacFarlane created a sequel to "The Life of Larry" entitled "Larry & Steve", which features a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. The short was broadcast as one of Cartoon Network's "World Premiere Toons". He described the atmosphere at Hanna-Barbera as resembling an "old-fashioned Hollywood structure, where you move from one show to another or you jump from a writing job on one show to

"Family Guy".

Although MacFarlane enjoyed working at Hanna-Barbera, he felt his real calling was for prime-time animation, which would allow a much edgier style of humor. He first pitched "Family Guy" to Fox during his tenure at Hanna-Barbera. A development executive for Hanna-Barbera, who was trying to get back into the prime-time business at the time, introduced MacFarlane to Leslie Kolins and Mike Darnell, heads of the alternative comedy department at Fox. After the success of "King of the Hill" in 1997, MacFarlane called Kolins once more to ask about a possible second pitch for the series. Fox offered the young writer a strange deal: they gave him a budget of US$50,000 to produce a pilot that could lead to a series (most episodes of animated prime-time productions cost at least US$1 million). Recalling the experience in an interview with "The New York Times", MacFarlane stated, "I spent about six months

"American Dad!".

MacFarlane has a second long-running, successful adult animated series in "American Dad!" which has been in production since early 2005. To date, "American Dad!" is MacFarlane's only animated series never to have suffered an official cancellation, though it did undergo a network relocation from Fox to TBS on October 20, 2014, following the show's 11th season. TBS announced on July 16, 2013, that they had picked up the series for a 15-episode 12th season. Reportedly, the purpose of the network relocation was originally to make room for new animated broadcasts on Fox's now-defunct "Animation Domination" lineup. It was reported that the relocation of "American Dad!" allowed room for other shows, such as "Mulaney" and another animated series from Seth MacFarlane called "Bordertown". "Bordertown" ran during

"The Cleveland Show".

MacFarlane developed a "Family Guy" spin-off called "The Cleveland Show", which focuses on the character of Cleveland Brown and his family. The idea for the show originated from a suggestion by "Family Guy" writer and voice of Cleveland, Mike Henry. Fox ordered 22 episodes and the series first aired on September 27, 2009. The show, which was picked up to air a first season consisting of 22 episodes, was picked up by Fox for a second season, consisting of 13

"Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy".

On September 10, 2008, MacFarlane released a series of webisodes known as

"The Orville".

On May 4, 2016, FOX picked up a sci-fi comedy-drama series called "The Orville". The show is created, executive-produced, and starred in by

Television producing.

MacFarlane was the executive producer of a live-action sitcom starring Rob Corddry called "The Winner". The plot has a man named Glen discussing the time he matured at 32 and has him pursuing his only love after she moves in next door. Glen meets her son and both become good friends. The show ran on Fox for six episodes in Spring 2007.  In August 2011, Fox ordered a 13-part updated series of "". MacFarlane co-produced the series with Ann Druyan and Steven Soter. The new series is hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson and began airing on the channel in March 2014, with repeats airing on the National Geographic Channel on the next night.

Television hosting.

MacFarlane often participates as one of the "roasters" in the annual Comedy Central Roasts. MacFarlane is the only person to serve as roastmaster for more than one Comedy Central roast. In 2010, he filled this role for The Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff. The following year he was roastmaster of Comedy Central roasts of Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen.  On October 1, 2012, it was announced that MacFarlane would host the 85th Academy Awards on February 24, 2013. He also presented the nominees with actress Emma Stone, on January 10, 2013. In addition to hosting, MacFarlane was also nominated in the Academy Award for Best Original Song category for co-writing the theme song "Everybody

Film career.

"Ted".

MacFarlane made his directorial live-action film debut with the release of "Ted" in 2012. He announced that he was directing it on an episode of "Conan" that aired on February 10, 2011. Along with directing the film, he also wrote the screenplay, served as producer, and starred as the title character.  "Ted" tells the story

"A Million Ways to Die in the West".

MacFarlane co-wrote and starred in his second film, "A Million Ways to Die in the West". Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild were also co-writers for the film. The film follows a cowardly sheep farmer (MacFarlane) who loses a gunfight and sees his girlfriend leave him for another man. When a mysterious woman rides into town, she helps him find his courage. But when her outlaw husband arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his newfound courage to the test. The film was met with mixed to negative reviews from critics.  On January 27, 2014, MacFarlane announced that he wrote a companion novel based on the film's script, which was released on March 4, 2014. An audio-book version was also made available, narrated by Jonathan Frakes. MacFarlane wrote the book on weekends during shooting for the film, partially due to boredom.

Music career.

"Music Is Better Than Words".

He signed a record deal with Universal Republic Records and released a big band/standards album in 2011. MacFarlane's debut studio album, "Music Is Better Than Words", was released on September 27, 2011, drawing on his training in and attraction to "the Great American Songbook and particularly the early- to late-'50s era of

"Holiday for Swing".

MacFarlane was featured on Calabria Foti's 2013 single "Let's Fall in Love". In September 2013, it was announced that MacFarlane was working on a Christmas album scheduled for release in 2014. The album, which

"No One Ever Tells You".

MacFarlane released his third studio album on September 30, 2015. Titled "No One Ever Tells You", it received mostly positive reviews, and earned MacFarlane a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

"In Full Swing".

MacFarlane released his fourth studio album, "In Full Swing" on September 15, 2017. On May 23, 2016, MacFarlane announced on his Twitter account that he was recording songs for his new album. On May 28, 2016, he revealed that the songs composed for the album were composed by Joel McNeely, whom he had worked with on the previous three albums. On May 30, 2016,

"Once in a While".

MacFarlane released his fifth studio album, "Once in a While" on April 19, 2019. It was announced that MacFarlane would work with Andrew Cottee as the composer and arranger instead of Joel McNeely. However, he was still involved as a producer for the album.

Other projects.

In May 2011, it was announced that MacFarlane would be reviving "The Flintstones" for the Fox network, with the first episode airing in 2013. MacFarlane said that he would provide the voice of Barney Rubble. In October 2011, MacFarlane was working on another animated series with Alex Borstein and Gary Janetti. In 2015, MacFarlane was developing sitcom called "2 Black Dudes" with J. Lee and Mark Mariano. All three series′ did not move forward with an order by the network.  MacFarlane told "The Hollywood Reporter", "If I did a Broadway musical, I'd probably want to do something a little bit more old-fashioned...I wouldn't necessarily do something that

Guest appearances.

MacFarlane has appeared in sitcoms, comedy and news programs, independent films, and other animated shows. In 2002, MacFarlane appeared in the "Gilmore Girls" episode "Lorelai's Graduation Day". Four years later on November 5, 2006, MacFarlane guest starred on Fox's "The War at Home" as "Hillary's Date", an unnamed 33-year-old man who secretly dates teenaged Hillary in the episode "I Wash My Hands of You". MacFarlane also appeared as the engineer Ensign Rivers on "" in the third-season episode "" and the fourth-season episode "". During 2006, MacFarlane had a role in the independent film "Life is Short". He portrayed Dr. Ned, a psychologist who advises a short man (played by "Freaks and Geeks" star Samm Levine)

Music.

MacFarlane has a baritone voice. He is a pianist and singer who, in his early years, trained with Lee and Sally Sweetland, the vocal coaches of Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra. In an interview with NPR, MacFarlane commented on their vocal training, to which he said "They really drill you," he said. "They teach you the old-style way of singing, back when you had no electronic help.... [They teach you to] show your teeth. If you look at old photos of Sinatra while he's singing, there's a lot of very exposed teeth. That was something that Lee Sweetland hit on day in

Influences.

His comedy influences include people like Woody Allen, Jackie Gleason, Bill Maher, Mel Brooks, and Monty Python,

Activism.

Political views.

MacFarlane is a supporter of the Democratic Party. He has donated over US$200,000 to various Democratic congressional committees and to the 2008 presidential campaign of then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama. He has stated that he supports the legalization of cannabis. MacFarlane serves on the board

LGBT Advocacy.

MacFarlane has been outspoken about his support for gay rights. In 2008, prior to the holding of the U.S. Supreme Court in "Obergefell v. Hodges", MacFarlane called it "infuriating and idiotic" that two gay partners "have to go through this fucking dog and pony act when they stop at a hotel and the guy behind the counter says, 'You want one room or two?'" He went on to say, "I'm incredibly passionate about my support for the gay community and what they're dealing with at this current point in time".  MacFarlane, in recognition of "his active, passionate commitment to humanist values, and his fearless support of equal marriage rights and other social justice issues", was named the Harvard Humanist of the Year in 2011.  However, MacFarlane

Speaking engagements.

MacFarlane is a frequent speaking guest on college campuses. On April 16, 2006, he was invited by Stanford University's ASSU Speakers' Bureau to address an audience of over 1,000 at Memorial Auditorium. MacFarlane was invited by Harvard University's class of

2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike.

During the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, MacFarlane publicly sided with the Writers Guild, and fully participated in the strike. Official production of "Family Guy" was halted for most of December 2007 and various periods afterwards. Fox continued producing episodes without MacFarlane's final approval, and although he refused to work on the show during the strike, his contract with Fox required

The Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive.

MacFarlane donated money to create The Seth MacFarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive at the Library of Congress. MacFarlane said, "The work of Carl Sagan has been a profound

Personal life.

MacFarlane lives in Beverly Hills, California.  In a 2004 interview with "The Daily Princetonian", MacFarlane noted his similarities to Brian Griffin from "Family Guy", revealing: "I have some Brian type issues from time to time—looking for the right person—but I date as much as the next guy."  On July 16, 2010, MacFarlane's mother, Ann Perry Sager, died from cancer. Her death was reported by Larry King on his show "Larry King Live", who acknowledged a conversation he had with her during an interview with her son in May 2010.  From 2012 until 2013, MacFarlane was in a relationship with Emilia Clarke. They have remained on good terms.

September 11, 2001 experience.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, MacFarlane was scheduled to return to Los Angeles on American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston. Suffering from a hangover after the previous night's celebrations that followed his speech at his alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design, and with an incorrect departure time (8:15 a.m. instead of 7:45 a.m.) from his travel agent, he arrived at Logan International Airport about ten minutes too late to board the flight, as the gates had been closed. Fifteen minutes

Lawsuits.

On October 3, 2007, Bourne Co. Music Publishers filed a lawsuit accusing "Family Guy" of infringing its copyright on the song "When You Wish Upon a Star", through a parody song titled "I Need a Jew" appearing in the episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein". Bourne Co., which holds the copyright, alleged the parody pairs a "thinly veiled" copy of their music with antisemitic lyrics. Named in the suit were MacFarlane, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., Fox Broadcasting Co., Cartoon Network, and Walter Murphy; the suit sought to stop the program's distribution and asked for unspecified damages. Bourne argued that "I Need a Jew" uses the copyrighted melody of "When You Wish Upon a Star" without commenting on that song, and that it was therefore not a First Amendment-protected parody per the ruling in "Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc." On March 16, 2009, United States District Judge Deborah Batts held that "Family Guy" did not infringe on Bourne's

Awards and nominations.

MacFarlane has been nominated for twenty-three Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on "Family Guy" and has won five times, in 2000, 2002, 2016, 2017 and 2019. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for his work in "", "Music Is Better Than Words", "Family Guy", "No One Ever Tells You", and "In Full Swing". He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for co-writing the opening song, "Everybody Needs a Best Friend", from his film "Ted" with the film's composer Walter Murphy.  He has received numerous awards from other organizations, including the Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production and the Saturn Award for Best Television Presentation for the "Family Guy" episode titled "Blue Harvest", the MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo and the Empire Award for Best Comedy for "Ted". In 2019, MacFarlane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6259 Hollywood Blvd.

Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American producer and director, actor, and singer, working in both animation and live-action, for television and cinema, with a focus on comedy. MacFarlane is the creator of the TV series "Family Guy" (1999–present) and "The Orville" (2017–present), and co-creator of the TV series "American Dad!" (2005–present) and "The Cleveland Show" (2009–2013). He also wrote, directed, and starred in the films "Ted" (2012), its sequel "Ted 2" (2015), and "A Million Ways to Die in the West" (2014).

Seth MacFarlane, né le à Kent, dans l'État du Connecticut, aux États-Unis, est un acteur, scénariste, réalisateur, producteur, monteur et chanteur américain.


Etymology.

The term "therianthropy" comes from the Greek "theríon" [θηρίον], meaning "wild animal" or "beast" (implicitly mammalian), and "anthrōpos" [ἄνθρωπος], meaning "human being". It was used to refer to animal transformation folklore of Europe as early as 1901. Sometimes the term "zoanthropy" is used instead.  Therianthropy was used to describe spiritual beliefs in animal transformation in a 1915 Japanese publication, "A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era". One source, "The Human Predator", raises the possibility the term may have been used as early as the 16th century in criminal trials of suspected werewolves.

History of Therianthropy and Theriocephaly.

Therianthropy refers to the fantastical, or mythological, ability of some humans to change into animals. Therianthropes are said to change forms via shapeshifting. Therianthropy has long existed in mythology, and seems to be depicted in ancient cave drawings such as "The Sorcerer", a pictograph executed at the Palaeolithic cave drawings found in the Pyrénées at the Les Trois Frères, France, archeological site.  'Theriocephaly' (Gr. "animal headedness") refers to beings which have an animal head attached to an anthropomorphic, or human, body; for example, the animal-headed forms of gods depicted in ancient Egyptian religion (such as Ra, Sobek, Anubis).

Mythology of Human Shapeshifting.

"Shapeshifting" in folklore, mythology and anthropology generally refers to the alteration of physical appearance from that of a human to that of another species. Lycanthropy, the transformation of a human into a wolf (or werewolf), is probably the best known form of therianthropy, followed by cynanthropy (transformation into a dog) and "ailuranthropy" (transformation into a cat). Werehyenas are present in the stories of several African and Eurasian cultures. Ancient Turkic legends from Asia talk of form-changing shamans known as "kurtadams", which translates to "wolfman". Ancient Greeks wrote of "kynanthropy", from κύων "kyōn" (or "dog"), which applied to mythological beings able to alternate between dog form and human form, or who possessed combined dog and human anatomical features.  The term existed by at least 1901, when it was applied to stories from China about humans turning into dogs, dogs becoming people, and sexual relations between humans and canines. Anthropologist David Gordon White called Central Asia the "vortex of cynanthropy" because races of dog-men were habitually placed there by ancient writers. The weredog or cynanthrope is also known in Timor. It is described as a human-canine shapeshifter who is capable of transforming other people into animals, even against their will.  European folklore features werecats, who can transform into panthers or domestic cats of an enlarged size. African legends describe people who turn into lions or leopards, while Asian werecats are typically depicted as becoming tigers.

Skin-walkers and Naguals.

Some Native American and First Nation legends talk about skin-walkers—people with the supernatural ability to turn into any animal they desire. To do so, however, they first must be wearing a pelt of the specific animal. In the folk religion of Mesoamerica, a "nagual" (or "nahual") is a human being who has the power to magically turn themselves into animal forms—most commonly donkeys, turkeys, and dogs—but can also transform into more powerful jaguars and pumas.

Animal Ancestors.

Stories of humans descending from animals are found in the oral traditions for many tribal and clan origins. Sometimes the original animals had assumed human form in order to ensure their descendants retained their human shapes; other times the origin story is of a human marrying a normal animal.  North American indigenous traditions mingle the ideas of bear ancestors and ursine shapeshifters, with bears often being able to shed their skins to assume human form, marrying human women in this guise. The offspring may be creatures with combined anatomy, they may be very beautiful children with uncanny strength, or they may be shapeshifters themselves.  P'an Hu is represented in various Chinese legends as a supernatural dog, a dog-headed man, or a canine shapeshifter that married an emperor's daughter and founded at least one race. When he is depicted as a shapeshifter, all of him can become human except for his head. The race(s) descended from P'an Hu were often characterized by Chinese writers as monsters who combined human and dog anatomy.  In Turkic mythology, the wolf is a revered animal. The Turkic legends say the people were descendants of wolves. The legend of Asena is an old Turkic myth that tells of how the Turkic people were created. In the legend, a small Turkic village in northern China is raided by Chinese soldiers, with one baby left behind. An old she-wolf with a sky-blue mane named Asena finds the baby and nurses him. She later gives birth to half-wolf, half-human cubs who are the ancestors of the Turkic people.

Shamanism.

Ethnologist Ivar Lissner theorised that cave paintings of beings with human and non-human animal features were not physical representations of mythical shapeshifters, but were instead attempts to depict shamans in the process of acquiring the mental and spiritual attributes of various beasts. Religious historian Mircea Eliade has observed that beliefs regarding animal identity and transformation into animals are widespread.

Animal Spirits.

In Melanesian cultures there exists the belief in the "tamaniu" or "atai", which describes the animal counterpart to a person. Specifically among the Solomon Islands in Melanesia, the term "atai" means "soul" in the Mota language and is closely related to the term "ata," meaning a "reflected image" in Maori and "shadow" in Samoan. Terms relating to the "spirit" in these islands such as "figona and vigona" convey a being that has not been in human form The animal counterpart depicted, may take the form of an eel, shark, lizard, or some other creature. This creature is considered to be corporeal, and can understand human speech. It shares the same soul as its master. This concept is found in similar legends which have many characteristics typical of shapeshifter tales. Among these characteristics is the theory hat death or injury would affect both the human and animal form at once.

Psychiatric Aspects.

Among a sampled set of psychiatric patients, the belief of being part animal, or "clinical lycanthropy", is generally associated with severe psychosis, but not always with any specific psychiatric diagnosis or neurological findings. Others regard clinical lycanthropy as a delusion in the sense of the self-disorder found in affective and schizophrenic disorders, or as a symptom of other psychiatric disorders.  Therians are individuals who believe or feel that they are non-human animals in a spiritual sense. There are also others who claim to have a psychological or neuro-biological connection—rather than a spiritual one—to their creature of identification. Both often use the term "species dysphoria" to describe their feelings of disconnect from their human bodies and their underlying desire to live as their stated creature.  The therian and vampire subcultures are related to the otherkin community, and are considered part of it by most otherkin, but are culturally and historically distinct movements of their own, despite some overlap in membership.

Therianthropy is the mythological ability of human beings to metamorphose into other animals by means of shapeshifting. It is possible that cave drawings found at Les Trois Frères, in France, depict ancient beliefs in the concept. The most well known form of therianthropy is found in stories concerning werewolves.

La thérianthropie ou zooanthropie est la transformation d'un être humain en animal, de façon complète ou partielle, aussi bien que la transformation inverse dans le cadre mythologique et spirituel concerné. Ce thème très ancien plonge ses racines dans le chamanisme et apparaît sur d'anciens dessins dans des grottes préhistoriques, comme la grotte des Trois-Frères en Ariège, il s'exprime aussi à travers de nombreuses légendes, comme celles du nahualisme ou de la lycanthropie. En ce qui concerne l'étude culturelle, mythologique et anthropologique, la thérianthropie décrit un personnage qui partage des traits humains avec des capacités ou des traits empruntés à d'autres animaux. L'exemple le mieux connu est celui du lycanthrope (qui inclut le loup-garou européen), un hybride mi-homme mi-loup, mais il n'est pas le seul car la quasi-totalité des dieux égyptiens, possédant des têtes animales ou possédant la capacité de se changer en de tels animaux, sont aussi des thérianthropes. Plus récemment, la thérianthropie est devenue un thème populaire dans la sous-culture, probablement grâce aux nombreux films consacrés aux lycanthropes et aux animaux anthropomorphes, cette popularité se manifestant par l'apparition de mouvements comme celui du fandom furry et des otherkins.


Career.

1994–1998: Stage.

When she was 12, Spearritt landed a part in the Lowestoft Players amateur dramatics society's production of "Annie". Thereafter, she successfully auditioned for the National Youth Music Theatre, and became part of the company. She appeared in the NYMT's productions "Pendragon" (1994–1995), "Tin Pan Ali" (1996), and the West End musical "Bugsy Malone" (1997). In 1998, she was cast in the television film "The Cater Street Hangman", playing the role of a maid who gets murdered. Spearritt also made appearances on the National Lottery and "Blue Peter".

1999–2003: S Club 7.

In 1997, Spearritt appeared in "Miami 7", as part of S Club 7. In the five years they were together, the group had four UK number one singles and a UK number one album. They recorded a total of four studio albums, released eleven singles and went on to sell over fourteen million albums worldwide. Their first album, "S Club", had a strong 1990s pop sound, similar to many artists of their time. However, through the course of their career, their musical approach changed to a more dance and R&B sound which is heard mostly in their final album, "Seeing Double". S Club 7 won two BRIT Awards—in 2000 for British breakthrough act and in 2002, for Best British Single. In 2001, the group earned the Record of the Year award. On 21 April 2003, during a live onstage performance, S Club announced that they were to disband.

2003–present: Focus on acting.

In 2003, she was in Los Angeles to audition for a role in the film "", a fact that she revealed at the UK premiere of the film on 24 March 2004 in London. In 2004, Spearritt appeared in horror film "Seed of Chucky". In 2005, she appeared in the BBC series "Blessed" as Sarah. In December 2005, Spearritt appeared in the West End musical "Snow! The Musical", at London's Sound Theatre.  In 2006, it was revealed that Spearritt had landed a lead role in the ITV series "Primeval". She portrayed the role of Abby Maitland, a reptile enthusiast who gets mixed up with time travelling Professor Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) after discovering a species of reptile she had never encountered. Later that year, she made an appearance in "Agatha Christie's Marple". In March 2012, Spearritt took over the role of Pauline in "One Man, Two Guvnors" at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. She participated with S Club 7 in a reunion tour, titled Bring It All Back 2015, which toured the UK in May 2015. In December 2015, it was confirmed that Spearritt would star as Mercedes Christie in the BBC medical drama "Casualty". Spearritt made her debut on 23 January 2016. Spearritt joined the cast of "EastEnders" as Kandice Taylor, the sister of established character Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley).

Personal life.

Spearritt and Paul Cattermole met in 1994 when both were members of the National Youth Music Theatre. In 1999, Spearritt and Cattermole became members of S Club 7. They dated from 2001 until 2006. In 2006 Spearritt started dating Andrew-Lee Potts, her co-star on the series "Primeval"; the couple were engaged from 2008 until 2013.  On 20 December 2018, it was announced that Spearritt had given birth to a baby girl, and named her Téa Thomas-Spearritt.  Spearritt is the niece of Eddie Spearritt, who played professional football in the then-top level of the English football league system.

Hannah Louise Spearritt (born 1 April 1981) is an English actress and singer. She is an original member of the pop group S Club 7. Spearritt is also known for playing the role of Abby Maitland in the British science-fiction drama "Primeval".

Hannah Spearritt est une chanteuse et actrice anglaise née le à Great Yarmouth (Norfolk). Elle était l'une des membres du groupe S Club 7 jusqu'à leur séparation en 2003.


History.

Frederick Handley Page first experimented with and built several biplanes and monoplanes at premises in Woolwich, Fambridge and Barking Creek. His company, founded on 17 June 1909, became the first British public company to build aircraft.  In 1912, Handley Page established an aircraft factory at Cricklewood after moving from Barking. Aircraft were built there, and flown from the company's adjacent airfield known as Cricklewood Aerodrome, which was later used by Handley Page Transport. The factory was later sold off to Oswald Stoll and converted into Britain's largest film studios, Cricklewood Studios.

World War I.

During the First World War, Handley Page produced a series of heavy bombers for the Royal Navy to bomb the German Zeppelin yards, with the ultimate intent of bombing Berlin in revenge for the Zeppelin attacks on London. Handley Page had been asked by the Admiralty to produce a "bloody paralyser of an aeroplane". These aircraft included the O/100 of 1915, the O/400 of 1918 and the four-engined V/1500 with the range to reach Berlin. The V/1500 had only just entered operational service as the war ended in 1918.  The Handley Page factory at Radlett Aerodrome employed women as part of the war effort, and was visited by royalty.

Interwar period.

In early 1919, a Handley Page V/1500 aircraft, dubbed "Atlantic", was shipped to Newfoundland to attempt the world's first non-stop Transatlantic flight; only to be beaten by a Vickers Vimy piloted by Alcock and Brown in June of that year. The "Atlantic" flew into New York City via Canada on 9 October 1919, carrying the first airmail from Canada to the United States of America.  In the immediate postwar years, Handley Page modified a number of O/400's to passenger use, which they flew on the London-Paris route as Handley Page Transport. The V/1500 was considered too large to be practical at the time, but a number of design features of the V/1500 were later incorporated into an O/400 airframe to produce their first dedicated passenger design, the W.8.  In 1924 Handley Page Transport merged with two other regional airlines to create Imperial Airways, the UK's first national airline service. Handley Page developed several large biplane airliners, including the luxurious Handley Page H.P.42, for use on Imperial routes to Africa and India.  Handley Page developed the Handley Page Slat (or slot, see slats), an auxiliary airfoil mounted ahead and over the main wing, which formed a narrow opening running along the leading edge of the wing to improve airflow at high angles of attack. The leading edge slat was simultaneously designed by the German aerodynamicist Gustav Lachmann, who was later employed by Handley Page. The design was so successful that licensing fees to other companies was their main source of income in the early 1920s.  In 1929, Cricklewood Aerodrome was closed and Handley Page moved to Radlett Aerodrome, where most aircraft were then constructed. Construction of aircraft at Cricklewood continued until 1964 when the site was sold to become a trading estate.

World War II.

With the Second World War looming, Handley Page turned back to bomber design and produced the HP.52 Hampden, which took part in the first British raid on Berlin. In response to a 1936 government request for heavier, longer ranged aircraft, Handley Page tendered the HP.56 design powered by twin Rolls-Royce Vultures and this was ordered, along with what became the Avro Manchester. However the Vulture proved so troublesome that – years before the engine was abandoned by Rolls-Royce in 1940 – the Air Staff decided that the HP.56 should be fitted with four engines instead. Therefore, before reaching prototype stage, the HP.56 design was reworked into the four-engined HP.57 Halifax. The Halifax became the second most-prolific British heavy bomber of the war after the Avro Lancaster (itself essentially a four-engine development of the Manchester). Although in some respects (such as crew survivability) better than the Lancaster, the Halifax suffered in terms of altitude performance and was redeployed toward the end of the war as a heavy transport and glider tug, with several variants being specifically built as such, including the HP.70 Halton.

Postwar.

After the war, the British Government sought tenders for jet bombers to carry the nation's nuclear deterrent. The three types produced were known as the V-Bombers, and Handley Page's contribution was the HP.80 Victor, a four-engined, crescent-winged design. This aircraft remained in service (as a tanker aircraft) well beyond the demise of the company which created it.  In 1947 Handley Page bought some of the assets of the bankrupt Miles Aircraft company. These assets include existing designs, tools and jigs, most notably for the Miles M.52 supersonic research aircraft, and the Miles site at Woodley, near Reading. The operation was named Handley Page (Reading) Ltd, a company constituted to buy and operate the assets formed out of the inactive Handley Page Transport Ltd. The most significant of the inherited designs became the Herald airliner. Designs from the Reading site used the initials HPR ("Handley Page (Reading)").

Demise.

Unlike other large British aircraft manufacturers, Handley Page resisted the government's pressure to merge into larger entities. By the late 1960s, the British aviation industry was dominated by two companies: Hawker Siddeley and the British Aircraft Corporation.  Unable to compete for government orders or build large commercial aircraft, Handley Page produced its final notable Handley Page design, the Jetstream. This was a small turboprop-powered commuter aircraft, with a pressurised cabin and a passenger capacity of 12 to 18. It was designed primarily for the United States "feederliner" market.  Although successful, the Jetstream was too late to save Handley Page, and the company went into voluntary liquidation in March 1970 and was wound up after 61 years trading under the same name. The Jetstream lived on, the design being purchased and produced by Scottish Aviation at Prestwick, continuing after the company was bought by British Aerospace in 1977.

Sites.

Radlett Aerodrome was opened in 1929 as a grass aerodrome for Handley Page Civil Aircraft. Its runway was extended in 1939 to enable production of Halifax bombers. By the time of its closure the airfield had two runways:  Most of the towers, hangars and runways were demolished in the 1970s after the Company was terminated. The M25 Motorway now runs on the south side of the site, with Lafarge Aggregates now owning the remainder. The runway surface was removed and replaced with grass, but a shadow remains when viewed from the air.

Products.

Designations.

Handley Page originally used a letter progression to designate types (i.e. "R", "S", "T" etc.) in combination with a number, that may or may not have been meaningful, to designate sub-types (e.g. the O/100 indicated the type's 100-foot wingspan). In 1924, the company began using the letters "HP" and a number to indicate the model. Thus the O/400 became the HP.16 and the W.8 the HP.18. When the assets of Miles Aircraft were taken over, the latter's Reading design office began using "HPR." (for Handley Page Reading), followed by a number (e.g. the HPR.1 Marathon).

Designs.

Handley Page (Reading) designs

Handley Page Limited was a British aerospace manufacturer. Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation and ceased to exist in 1970. The company, based at Radlett Aerodrome in Hertfordshire, was noted for its pioneering role in aviation history and for producing heavy bombers and large airliners.

La Handley Page Aircraft Company fut fondée par Frederick Handley Page en 1909, et fut la première entreprise britannique à concevoir et fabriquer ses appareils à l'échelle industrielle. Elle fit volontairement faillite et cessa d'exister en 1970. L'entreprise, basée à l'aérodrome de Radlett dans l'Hertfordshire, produisait principalement des bombardiers lourds et des avions de ligne.


Background.

In the late-1980s, Jim Henson had been in talks with Disney CEO Michael Eisner to sell Jim Henson Productions to the Walt Disney Company. In August 1989, the two officially announced a deal for Disney to purchase Jim Henson Productions for $150 million. The deal fell through several months after Jim Henson's death in 1990.  Despite the collapse of the merger deal, by 1992, Disney and Jim Henson Productions had already struck a number of deals:  The Henson family subsequently sold the entirety of the Jim Henson Company to German conglomerate EM.TV in 2000. In 2003, the Henson family repurchased The Jim Henson Company from EM.TV.

History.

Muppets Holding Company.

Eisner, still interested in the Muppet properties, re-opened negotiations with the Hensons and announced the purchase of "The Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House" assets from The Jim Henson Company for $75 million on February 17, 2004. The acquired Muppet assets were then placed into The Muppets Holding Company with Chris Curtin as general manager within Disney Consumer Products. One of the first appearances that the Muppets made after the purchase was on the TV special "The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour" in April 2004, starring Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. A new website was launched in November 2004 and the Muppets made an appearance on the 2004 Christmas episode of "Saturday Night Live".  The first Muppet production under full Disney control, "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz", went into production immediately and aired on ABC in May 2005. On July 30, 2005, Animal and Pepe the King Prawn made appearance on The X Games 11 Preview show of All Access on ESPN2. Bear's first appearance under Disney's control was in the reality show, "Breakfast With Bear" in 2005.  A fiftieth birthday tour for Kermit, "Kermit's World Tour" was planned with leadership changes made just days before the tour began. The tour made its initial three stops before being canceled: Kermit, Texas; Johnson Space Center tour; and cake with The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, NYC. Following Eisner's exit from Disney, new CEO Bob Iger removed the head of the Muppets Holding Company and several senior staff members hand-picked by Eisner. The Muppets Holding Company was then paired with Baby Einstein (before it was acquired by Kids II, Inc. in 2013) under Senior Vice President and General Manager R. Russell Hampton, Jr.  ABC, in October 2005, commissioned "America's Next Muppet", a script and five script outlines, but ABC was reluctant to green light "America's Next Muppet", and it never got out of the planning stage. Muppet Holding's new general manager instead licensed the Muppets out to TF1, a French television network, to produce "Muppet TV" in September 2006.

The Muppets Studio.

In 2006, the Muppets Holding Company was transferred from the Disney Consumer Products unit to The Walt Disney Studios; with studio executives passing on oversight, the unit was placed in the special events group. That same year, Disney contracted with Puppet Heap to rebuild, maintain, and create puppet characters for the Muppets Studio. In April 2007, the Muppets Holding Company changed its name to The Muppets Studio under new leadership by Special Events Group SVP Lylle Breier.  In 2008, The Muppets Studio began a licensing agreement with F.A.O. Schwarz to create a Muppet-themed boutique where customers can design their own Muppet. In 2013, Disney Theatrical Productions revealed that a show based on The Muppets was in active development and that a 15-minute show had been conducted by Thomas Schumacher to see how the technical components would work out.  The company was transferred in 2014 to Disney's new media unit, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, specifically DCPI Labs. On April 3, 2015, a series of shorts named "Muppets Moments" premiered on Disney Junior. The series features conversations between the Muppets and young children. By April, Bill Prady was commissioned to write a script for a new Muppets pilot with the title "The Muppets". A new series, called "Muppets Now", is planned for 2020 for the streaming service Disney+.  Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media became part of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products in a March 2018 company reorganization.

The Muppets Studio, LLC, formerly The Muppets Holding Company, LLC, is a wholly owned entertainment subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, formed in 2004 through The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of The Muppets and "Bear in the Big Blue House" intellectual properties from The Jim Henson Company.

La Muppets Holding Company est la société détentrice depuis le des droits sur les personnages des Muppets issus du "Muppet Show". C'est une filiale de la Walt Disney Company créée après le rachat des droits à la Jim Henson Company pour 75 millions d'USD.


History.

In 1990, Disney Consumer Products discontinued its license for "Topolino", an Italian Mickey Mouse magazine. This led Michael Lynton, the Disney Consumer Products business development director, to start up its own Magazine Group with the similarly outlaid "Disney Adventures". Through Walt Disney Publications, Inc., Disney Publishing launched Disney Comics in the United States. That same year, Disney began publishing "Disney Adventures". In 1991, Disney Publishing purchased "Discover" magazine from Family Media, placing it within its Magazine Group and purchased the "FamilyFun Magazine" after its second issue from Jake Winebaum.

Incorporated.

The Disney Publishing Group (DPG) was incorporated in January 1992, and included the already formed Hyperion Books, Hyperion Books for Children, Disney Press and its units.  In 1994, DPG launched the Mouse Works and Fun Works divisions in February and November, respectively, in order to publish interactive children books. By April, the Magazine Group agreed with Ziff-Davis Publishing Company to a joint venture publication, "Family PC", to be launched in September. In June, Lynton left his position as senior vice president of DPG to become president of Disney's Hollywood Pictures.  In March 1995, with the market too crowded with Disney books, DPG merged Hyperion Books for Children with the Disney Press units. In August, Disney Magazine Publishing was reorganized into three divisions, each headed by a vice president/group publisher: Disney Family Magazines, Disney Kids Magazines, and Disney Special Interest Magazines. Family Magazines and Special Interest Magazines were expected to acquire additional publications beyond their single titles, "Family Fun" and "Discover" respectively. Special Interest Magazines' publisher was assigned responsibility for the Discovery Channel TV show, "Discover Magazine". Kids Magazines included the newly developed Big Time weekly newspaper supplement to have a Fall 1996 launch. Magazine President Jake Winebaum was transferred to head up Disney Online. On May 11, 1998 Disney Publishing was renamed Buena Vista Publishing Group.

Disney Publishing Worldwide.

In April 1999, Buena Vista Publishing Group changed its name to Disney Publishing Worldwide, Inc. (DPW) with Hyperion Books transferred to Disney's ABC Television Group.  Disney Publishing launched its first original comic book, "W.I.T.C.H.", in 2001. It was successful, selling one million copies per month by August 2004, and was adapted into an animated series. In mid-2001, DPW and Baby Einstein (which Disney acquired later that year) agreed to publish a baby book line to introduce fine art, foreign languages, poetry, and classical music. Gemstone Publishing licensed the rights to publish Disney comics from DPW beginning in June 2003. Following its collapse in June 2004, the CrossGen trademark and properties were purchased by DPW's educational publishing division that November for its reading aids, with additional publications based on CrossGen books. The Disney Consumer Products' Disney Fairies franchise debuted in September 2005, when Disney Publishing unveiled the novel "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" paired with a virtual world. The first book in The Kingdom Keepers series, based on Disney Parks and Disney Villains, was released August 29, 2005.  In 2005, "Discover Magazine" was sold to Bob Guccione Jr. and the "Disney" magazine was shut down. In February 2006, "Wondertime" magazine, which focused on mothers of children up to age six, was launched. DPW licensed out CrossGen to Checker Publishing Group to reprint comic book series as trade paperback editions starting in February 2007.  In February 2007, Disney merged its kids and family focused television, online, radio, and publishing businesses' advertising sales and promotion teams into Disney Media Advertising Sales and Marketing Group, all of which were overseen by the presidents of Disney Channels Worldwide, Walt Disney Internet Group, and DPW. DPW canceled "Disney Adventure" with its November 2007 issue.  By 2009, Disney Publishing Worldwide was organized into three divisions: Global Book Group, Disney English, and Global Magazines with four revenue areas: Global Magazines, Global Books, U.S. Magazines, and Disney English. Disney Publishing launched Disney Digital Books on September 29 with five hundred books online. In 2009, Disney Press released "Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen", the first of the Villains book series written by Serena Valentino.  Disney Publishing Worldwide (India), a division of Walt Disney Company (India), announced a licensing agreement in April 2009 with local publisher Junior Diamond to publish Disney comic books, in both English and Hindi. On December 8, 2010, DPW's India unit signed a multi-year contract with India Today Group to print and distribute Disney comics in India.  With few books issued under the imprint, Marvel Worldwide and Disney Books Group relaunched the Marvel Press imprint in 2011 with the Marvel Origin Storybooks line. In November DPW announced a new publication, "FamilyFun Kids", a bi-monthly magazine with kids' craft, games, puzzles, and recipes. In January 2012, DPW agreed to sell "Family Fun Magazine" to the Meredith Corporation.  By September 2012, the White Plains, New York office was closed with staff being moved to Glendale after less than 5 years after moving from New York City. Fifty sales and marketing staff moved to New York City to join editors that remained there.  In January 2013, DPW launched the Never Girls book series, an extension of the Disney Fairies franchise, with publishing partner Random House. With the June 2013 announcement of the Hyperion Books division sale, Hyperion's adult trade book list was sold to Hachette Book Group. Books related to existing Disney–ABC Television Group properties, young adult titles, and Disney-Hyperion imprint and titles were transferred to DPW. By January 2014, the Kingswell name was selected as a placeholder imprint name for the Hyperion titles withheld from the Hyperion division sale; Kingwell Avenue was Disney's location before moving to Hyperion Avenue.  In November 2013, Disney Publishing revived Disney Comics as an imprint in the US for sporadic publishing. The imprint's first publication was the "Space Mountain" graphic novel, its first original graphic novel, released on May 7, 2014.  Disney Publishing Worldwide transferred the Disney Fairies franchise main publishing license to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in January 2014 except for the Never Girls series. DPW announced in April 2014 that Del Rey Books would publish a new line of canon Star Wars books under the Lucasfilm Story Group from September onward on a bi-monthly schedule while previous, non-canon, Expanded Universe material would be reprinted under the Star Wars Legends banner.  Disney Publishing has been a focus for Disney Consumer Products to launch new franchises. In May 2014, DPW released the first book in the Waterfire Saga mermaid book series, along with a song and music videos. Disney's first deal with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment resulted in The Zodiac Legacy book series, with the first novel released in January 2015 through DPW. The Never Girls chapter series reached the "New York Times" Best Sellers List - Children's Series on the week of August 10. Disney Learning launched its Disney Imagicademy program on December 11. At that time, DPW was organized into three main units: Core Publishing, Digital Publishing, and Disney Learning.  Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) was formed in June 2015 as merger of Disney Consumer Products and Disney Interactive with Disney Publishing Worldwide reporting to the co-chairs of DCPI. DPW launched Star Darlings, its first franchise under DCPI, on September 15, 2015 with two books.  In October 2015, Disney Publishing announced the launch of the Freeform imprint to coincide with the relaunch of ABC Family as Freeform. This imprint was to be headed up by editor-in-chief and associate publisher Emily Thomas Meehan and would focus on young-adult and teen crossover fiction and nonfiction working with Freeform channel partners to develop new intellectual property from both developing and bestselling authors. The first book from Freeform was "Two Truths and a Lie", written by Melissa de la Cruz and Margaret Stohl, and was the first in a trilogy.  Disney-Hyperion started a new imprint, Rick Riordan Presents, for middle grade readers featuring mythology-based books by September 2016. Riordan would act as in a curator-type role and his editor, Stephanie Owens Lurie, would be editorial director of the imprint. The imprint was planned to be launched with two books in 2018. By April 2017, the imprint had acquired three titles for its 2018 launch with audio rights sold to Listening Library. Riordan Presents first book, "Aru Shah and the End of Time", will be written by Roshani Chokshi to be published in April 2018 and will be the first in a quartet of novels. The other two, Yoon Ha Lee's "Dragon Pearl" Korean folklore novel and Jennifer Cervantes’s Mayan based "Storm Runner" novel, will be stand alone novels released in September 2018.  As part of The Walt Disney Company’s March 2018 strategic reorganization, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media was merged into Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment and renamed Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. With the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney by August 2019, National Geographic Partners publishing operations, NG Media, were transferred to Disney Publishing while ending Traveler magazine's US edition.  With group publisher Mary Ann Naples exiting to Hachette Books, in May Disney Publishing promoted two to take up Naples duties. Lynn Waggoner continued as vice president and global publisher, franchise while adding Disney Press, Marvel Press, Lucasfilm Press, and Disney Editions imprints. Emily Thomas Meehan moved up from director, editor-in-chief and associate publisher of the Disney Book Group to vice president and publisher of Hyperion, original content strategy and IP development.  In February 2020, Hachette Book Group acquired 1,000 titles for young readers from Disney Book Group. These books will be re-released by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Franchises.

Disney Publishing launched unplanned franchises starting with "W.I.T.C.H." in 2001. DPW's educational division purchased the CrossGen comic book assets in November 2004. DPW was then drafted as an outlet for Disney Consumer Products' planned franchises: Disney Fairies, Disney Bunnies (and their extensions), the Never Girls book series, and Disney Princess Palace Pets apps. DPW started to originate planned franchises with the "Waterfire Saga" in 2014 and "The Zodiac Legacy" and "Star Darlings" in 2015.

Waterfire Saga.

Waterfire Saga is a Disney Publishing franchise based on mermaids launched in May 2014 as a multimedia release around a core book series.

Waterfire history.

The Waterfire Saga was developed by Disney Publishing's various departments after some years of considering doing a mermaid mythology project. A 200-page franchise bible was compiled that included cultures, story arcs, images of the undersea world and its inhabitants, and main character profiles. In the summer of 2011, Global Books' publisher Suzanne Murphy approached Jennifer Donnelly to write the book series. Donnelly agreed.  In early 2014, Disney Publishing Worldwide announced the launch of the Waterfire Saga. By March 2014, Donnelly had already finished work on the first two books and had started on the third. The first novel, "Deep Blue", was released under the Disney-Hyperion imprint on May 6, 2014 with a print run of 250,000 copies and a national book tour. The novel's marketing plan included advertising in print, TV, and in-theater; ABC Family and Hollywood Records would run additional promotions as well as a retail floor display with riser. A song and music videos were included in the simultaneous e-book edition release. The book was released simultaneously in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. Other foreign editions were to be released in late 2014 and early 2015. The second book in the series, "Rogue Wave", was released in January 2015. In 2015, DPW's Milan comic unit was scheduled to start issuing comics and graphic novels to expand the franchise. "Dark Tide" was released Summer 2015 and the final book, "Sea Spell" was released in Summer 2016.

Plot.

Merpeople came into existence after their ancestors' island of Atlantis was destroyed.  The four-book series centers around six mermaids who try to save their world. "Deep Blue" initially focuses on Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, who has a premonitory dream about an ancient evil returning on the eve of her betrothal. Her mother is hit by assassin’s poisoned arrow, which confirms the dream. She has additional visions that lead her to find five other mermaids across the world's oceans. The six bond and find a world threatening conspiracy.

Additional media.

An audio book version of "Deep Blue" was recorded by Bea Miller released through Listening Library. In 2015, DPW's Milan comic unit was to begin issuing yet to be announced comics and graphic novels to expand the franchise. The song “Open Your Eyes” was issued through Hollywood Records, and is sung by Bea Miller.

Zodiac Legacy.

"The Zodiac Legacy"' is a superhero franchise created by Stan Lee that debuted in illustrated novels published by Disney Publishing with POW! Entertainment under the Disney Press imprint. Working with Stan Lee on the books are co-writer Stuart Moore and Andie Tong, artist.  The first illustrated novel, "The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence" was released on January 27, 2015. The second novel in the illustrated series, "The Dragon's Return", was released on January 26, 2016. "Dragon's Return" made the New York Times best seller list for the week ending January 30, 2016. With Papercutz, the first Zodiac Legacy graphic novel, "Tiger Island", hit the stands on March 30, 2016 with the writing team joined by artist Paris Cullins. In early April 2017, the third and final book in the trilogy, "The Balance of Power", was released. By that time, a second Papercutz graphic novel in the series was released with art from P.H. Marcondes. In July 2017, the third graphic novel was released.  Plot: The series follows a Chinese-American eighth grader from Philadelphia going on a Hong Kong class trip and finds himself involved with an ancient secret unleashing twelve Zodiac magical superpowers. The eighth grader, Steven, has to deal with being a superhero and how that effects him family and friends as he ends up in the middle of a worldwide adventure. With the second book, Steven attempts to keep his allies together as they enter a grey area.

Star Darlings.

Star Darlings is a Disney Publishing multimedia franchise based on an original wish-granting fey people called the Starlings. Star Darlings is a trademark of Star Darlings, LLC. owned by DPW.  Barry Waldo was selected to manage the franchise, which is an inspirational brand targeted at tweens designed to: "celebrate their individuality, make positive choices, and turn their wishes into reality". Justice is the franchise's primary retail partner carrying Jakks Pacific doll line, clothing, and books. Disney Stores would carry a limited product line.  The Star Darlings plot is about 12 young Starlings at Starling Academy on Starland who learn about Wishworld (Earth) and are selected to go on a secret mission there. Sage, Libby and Leona are the Star Darlings up first for books with the other nine being Adora, Astra, Cassie, Clover, Gemma, Piper, Scarlet, Tessa and Vega.

Star Darlings history.

Shana Muldoon first registered a trademark for the Star Darling name in 2009, but it was considered abandoned for lack of use on. Shana Muldoon Zappa, Ahmet Zappa, and Disney Publishing began development in 2011 on Star Darlings. On, Star Darlings, LLC filed to register the trademark with two extensions granted with the last given on.  The franchise was announced at the D23 convention in and launched on with two chapter books "Sage and the Journey to Wishworld" and "Libby and the Class Election". Kirkus Reviews found the first volume, "Sage and the Journey to Wishworld", to be "complicated, retrograde, and very sparkly" and for ages seven to eleven.  On September 24, 2015, a social media event and a press day would be held for the franchise as part of its launch phase of the marketing campaign. Expected releases through November are the Jakks dolls at Justice, a storytelling and lifestyle app, music through Walt Disney Records and the first episode of a YouTube animated series.  In 2016, two animated specials based on Star Darlings were broadcast on Disney Channel, "Becoming Star Darlings" on January 29 and "Star Darlings Friendships" on March 25. The TV specials featured a remixed version of the Star Darlings theme song by teen singer-songwriter Skylar Stecker. The remixed theme song was also featured in a music video. Another TV special, "The Power of Twelve" (22 minutes) was broadcast on Disney Channel on November 26, 2016.  The future of this series is unknown as three books that were supposed to be released after "Stealing Starlight" were canceled, with no new franchise activity after its release on January 17, 2017. However, Shana Muldoon Zappa said on Twitter that there is "an exciting reason" for things being put on hold.  <br>

Units.

Hyperion Books for Children.

Hyperion Books for Children (HBC) and Disney Press were both launched in 1990. The Disney Publishing Group was incorporated in January 1992 and included the already formed Hyperion Books, Hyperion Books for Children, Disney Press, and other units. In March 1995 with the market too crowded with Disney books, Hyperion Books for Children merged with Disney Press. Hyperion Books for Children started a new imprint, Jump at the Sun, in September 1998 for the African-American children's market. DPW slated Abadazad four book series from its CrossGen property for publication after purchasing the CrossGen assets under this imprint.

Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints include Disney Editions, Disney Press, Kingswell, Freeform, and Hyperion Books for Children. It has creative centers in Glendale, California, and in Milan, Italy.

Disney Publishing Worldwide est une filiale de la Walt Disney Company qui gère les nombreuses publications utilisant des personnages de Disney de par le monde. Elle est rattachée à la division Disney Consumer Products de la société qui est consacrée aux « produits de consommation ».


History and development.

Kermit first appeared on May 9, 1955, in the premiere of WRC-TV's "Sam and Friends". This prototype Kermit was created from a discarded spring coat belonging to Henson's mother and two ping pong ball halves for eyes.  Initially, Kermit was a lizard-like creature. He subsequently made a number of television appearances before his status as a frog was established. His collar was added at the time to make him seem more frog-like and to conceal the seam between his head and body.

Naming.

The origin of Kermit's name is a subject of some debate. It is often claimed that Kermit was named after Henson's childhood friend Kermit Scott, from Leland, Mississippi. However, Karen Falk, head archivist and board of directors member for the Jim Henson Legacy organization, denies this claim on the Jim Henson Company's website:  Joy DiMenna, the only daughter of Kermit Kalman Cohen who worked as a sound engineer at WBAL-TV during Jim Henson's time with "Sam and Friends", recalls that the puppet was named after her father. According to Kermit Cohen's obituary, as well as DiMenna and Lenny Levin, a colleague of Mr. Cohen's at WBAL: Another common belief is that Kermit was named for Kermit Love, who worked with Henson in designing and constructing Muppets, particularly on "Sesame Street" but Love's association with Henson did not begin until well after Kermit's creation and naming, and he always denied any connection between his name and that of the character.  As "Sesame Street" is localized for some different markets that speak languages other than English, Kermit is often renamed. In Portugal, he is called "Cocas, o Sapo" ("sapo" means "toad"), and in Brazil, his name is similar: "Caco, o Sapo". In most of Hispanic America, his name is "la rana René" ("René the Frog"), while in Spain, he is named "Gustavo". In the Arabic version, he is known as "Kamel", which is a common Arabic male name that means "perfect". In Hungary, he is called "Breki" (onomatopoetic).

Performers.

Jim Henson originated the character in 1955 on his local television series, "Sam and Friends". Brian Henson described his father's performance as Kermit as "coming out of his own personality—was a wry intelligence, a little bit of a naughtiness, but Kermit always loved everyone around and also loved a good prank." He continued to perform the character until his death in 1990. Henson's last known performance as Kermit was for an appearance on "The Arsenio Hall Show" to promote "The Muppets at Walt Disney World". Henson died twelve days after that appearance.  Following Henson's death, veteran Muppet performer Steve Whitmire was named Kermit's new performer. In 2017, Whitmire seemed to imply in a blog post that Henson had asked him to assume the role before he died, though Henson's daughter Cheryl claimed Brian had selected him after her father's death. Whitmire's first public performance as Kermit was at the end of the television special "The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson" in 1990. He remained Kermit's principal performer until 2016. Whitmire later revealed that he had not chosen to voluntarily leave the role, but rather had been dismissed by The Muppets Studio in October 2016. In an interview with "The Hollywood Reporter" later in July 2017, Whitmire elaborated he was fired for two reasons: long-term creative disagreements over Kermit's characterization and prolonged labor union negotiations that delayed his involvement in Muppet-related productions. Disney announced that Matt Vogel would be taking over as the performer of Kermit on July 10, 2017.  For a brief demonstration at "MuppetFest" (a 2001 Muppet fan convention), Muppet performer John Kennedy performed Kermit opposite Whitmire's performance of young Kermit (from "Kermit's Swamp Years"). Kennedy also performed Kermit for "Muppets Ahoy!", a 2006 Disney Cruise Line stage show (though Whitmire performed Kermit for the first few shows). Muppet performer Artie Esposito briefly performed Kermit in 2009 for a few personal appearances (an appearance on "America's Got Talent", the "MTV Video Music Awards", and at the 2009 D23 Expo).  Voice actor Frank Welker provided the voice of Baby Kermit on the animated Saturday morning cartoon, "Muppet Babies". He also provided the voice of an adult Kermit for a short-lived spin-off, "Little Muppet Monsters". Matt Danner voices Baby Kermit on the 2018 reboot of "Muppet Babies".

Character biography.

A biography has been developed for Kermit the Frog as if he was an actual living performer rather than a puppet character. According to this fictional biography, he was born in Leland, Mississippi, alongside approximately 2,353 siblings, though a 2011 "interview" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" has him state that he was from the swamps of Louisiana.  As portrayed in the 2002 film "Kermit's Swamp Years", at the age of 12, he was the first of his siblings to leave the swamp, and one of the first frogs to talk to humans. He is shown in the film encountering a 12-year-old Jim Henson (played by Christian Kriebel) for the first time.  According to "The Muppet Movie," Kermit returned to the swamp, where a passing agent (Dom DeLuise) noted he had talent and, thus inspired, he headed to Hollywood, encountering the rest of the Muppets along the way. Together, they were given a standard "rich and famous" contract by Lew Lord (Orson Welles) of Wide World Studios and began their showbiz careers. In "Before You Leap", Kermit again references encountering Jim Henson sometime after the events depicted in the course of "The Muppet Movie" and details their friendship and their partnership in the entertainment industry, crediting Henson as being the individual to whom he owes his fame. At some point after the events of "The Muppet Movie", Kermit and the other Muppets begin "The Muppet Show", and the characters remain together as a group, before starring in the other Muppet films and "Muppets Tonight", with Kermit usually at the core of the stories as the lead protagonist. Kermit is shown in "The Muppet Movie" as stating that the events of the film are "approximately how it happened" when asked by his nephew Robin about how the Muppets got started.  Fozzie Bear is portrayed as Kermit's best friend—a fact reiterated by Kermit in "Before You Leap"—and the two were frequently seen together during sketches on "The Muppet Show" and in other Muppet-related media and merchandise.  On August 4, 2015, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy "announced" that they had ended their romantic relationship. On September 2, 2015, Kermit was stated to have found a new girlfriend, a pig named Denise, but around February 2016, Denise supposedly broke up with Kermit after almost six months together.

Career.

Kermit has been featured prominently on both "The Muppet Show" and "Sesame Street". However, he had a prominent career before "Sesame Street"s debut in 1969, as he starred in "Sam and Friends", and numerous Muppets made guest appearances on "Today" from 1961 and "The Ed Sullivan Show" from 1966.

"Sesame Street".

Kermit was one of the original main Muppet characters on "Sesame Street". Closely identified with the show, Kermit usually appeared as a lecturer on simple topics, a straight man to another Muppet foil (usually Grover, Herry Monster or Cookie Monster), or a news reporter interviewing storybook characters for Sesame Street News. He sang many songs on the show, including "Bein' Green", and appeared in the 1998 video "The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street".  Unlike the rest of the show's Muppets, Kermit was never any property of Sesame Workshop and has rarely been a part of the show's merchandise. When Sesame Workshop bought full ownership of its characters from The Jim Henson Company for $180 million, Kermit was not included in the deal. The character now belongs to The Muppets Studio, a division of The Walt Disney Company. His first "Sesame Street" appearance since Disney ownership was in an "Elmo's World" segment in the show's 40th-season premiere on November 10, 2009. His most recent appearance was in the 2019 television special "Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration", where he performed "Bein' Green" with Elvis Costello.

With the Muppets.

In "The Muppet Show" television series, Kermit was the central character, the showrunner, and the long-suffering stage manager of the theater show, trying to keep order amidst the chaos created by the other Muppets. Henson once claimed that Kermit's job on the "Muppet Show" was much like his own: "trying to get a bunch of crazies to actually get the job done." It was on this show that the running gag of Kermit being pursued by leading lady Miss Piggy developed.  On "Muppets Tonight", Kermit was still a main character, although he was the producer rather than frontman. He appeared in many parody sketches such as "NYPD Green", "City Schtickers", "Flippers", and "The Muppet Odd Squad", as well as in the "Psychiatrist's Office" sketch.  Kermit also served as the mascot for The Jim Henson Company, until the sale of the Muppet characters to Disney. A Kermit puppet can be seen at the National Museum of American History.  Kermit appears in "Muppet*Vision 3D", an attraction that opened in 1991 at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The character was also formerly featured in the aforementioned attraction in Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California until its closure in 2014. Kermit also appears at the Magic Kingdom at "The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History". He also appeared in two parades; Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade which ran at Disney's Hollywood Studios from 2001 to 2008 and Disney's Honorary VoluntEars Cavalcade which was held during 2010 at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.

Filmography.

Kermit the Frog has appeared in almost every Muppet production, as well as making guest appearances in other shows and movies.  Below is a list of his more well-known appearances:

Cultural impact.

Awards and commemorations.

Kermit was awarded an honorary doctorate of Amphibious Letters on May 19, 1996, at Southampton College, New York, where he also gave a commencement speech. He is also the only "amphibian" to have had the honor of addressing the Oxford Union. A statue of Henson and Kermit was erected on the campus of Henson's alma mater, the University of Maryland, College Park in 2003.  Kermit was also given the honor of being the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1996. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has featured a Kermit balloon since 1977.  On November 14, 2002, Kermit the Frog received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd.  On Kermit's 50th birthday in 2005, the United States Postal Service released a set of new stamps with photos of Kermit and some of his fellow Muppets on them. The background of the stamp sheet features a photo of a silhouetted Henson sitting in a window well, with Kermit sitting in his lap looking at him.  Kermit was also the grand marshal for Michigan State University's homecoming parade in 2006.  In 2013, the original Kermit puppet from "Sam and Friends" was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. for display in the pop culture gallery. In 2015, the Leland Chamber of Commerce in Leland, Mississippi opened a small museum containing puppets and memorabilia dedicated to Kermit.  Kermit's legacy is also deeply entrenched in the science community. One of the famous WP-3D "Orion" research platforms flown by the NOAA Hurricane Hunters is named after Kermit. The other is named after Miss Piggy. In 2015, the discovery of the Costa Rican glass frog "Hyalinobatrachium dianae" also attracted viral media attention due to the creature's perceived resemblance to Kermit, with researcher Brian Kubicki quoted as saying "I am glad that this species has ended up getting so much international attention, and in doing so it is highlighting the amazing amphibians that are native to Costa Rica and the need to continue exploring and studying the country's amazing tropical forests".

Guest television appearances.

Kermit has made numerous guest appearances on popular television shows, including co-hosting individual episodes of a number of long-running talk shows. On April 2, 1979, Kermit guest-hosted "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" to promote "The Muppet Movie". From 1983 to 1995, the French political satire show "Le Bébête Show" used copies of various Muppets to parody key political figures, and Kermit renamed "Kermitterrand", embodied President François Mitterrand. On May 21, 2018, Kermit and contestant Maddie Poppe performed "Rainbow Connection" live on American Idol.  As an April Fool's joke, Kermit hosted CNN's "Larry King Live" in 1994 and interviewed Hulk Hogan. Kermit was also a semi-regular during various incarnations of "Hollywood Squares", with other Muppets such as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch also making appearances on the original "Hollywood Squares".

Merchandising.

Jim Henson's characters, including the Muppets, have inspired merchandise internationally, with Chris Bensch, chief curator of Rochester, New York's The Strong National Museum of Play, reporting "There seems to have been a particular craze for Kermit the Frog in Japan," likely due to the "cuteness appeal". Baby Kermit plush toys became popular in the 1980s after the success of "Muppet Babies." In 1991, one year after Jim Henson died, merchandise featuring Kermit and other Muppet characters was being sold at Disney theme parks, causing Henson Associates to file a lawsuit against Disney for copyright infringement. Henson alleged that the "counterfeit merchandise" falsely indicated that the characters belonged to Disney, although the latter company had the right to exercise use of the characters due to an earlier licensing agreement. The Henson Associates highlighted a T-shirt displaying Kermit, the Disney brand, and a copyright symbol. Disney representative Erwin Okun said the lawsuit was "outrageous" and "an unfortunate break with the legacy of a fine relationship with Disney that Jim Henson left behind". Disney later acquired the Muppets, and thusly, clothes, toys and souvenirs depicting Kermit and the Muppets continued to be sold at Disney theme parks and stores.  The Leland Chamber of Commerce's small Kermit-themed museum set out to preserve some of the dolls and merchandise. In 2016, "The New Zealand Herald" reported a hat featuring Kermit sipping Lipton tea, associated with the "But That's None of My Business" Internet meme, became a popular seller after basketball player LeBron James drew attention for wearing one.

Kermit in Internet culture.

In March 2007, "Sad Kermit", an unofficial parody, was uploaded to the website YouTube, showing a store-bought Kermit puppet performing a version of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt" in a style similar to Johnny Cash's famous cover version. In contrast to the real Kermit character's usual family-friendly antics, the video shows the puppet engaging in drug abuse, smoking, alcoholism, performing oral sex on Rowlf the Dog, smashing a picture of Miss Piggy (with a breast exposed) and attempting suicide. The video became an Internet meme. The "Victoria Times Colonist" called it an "online sensation". The "Chicago Sun-Times" said it "puts the high in 'Hi-ho!'" The "London Free Press" said "Sad Kermit is in a world of pain". The "Houston Press" described it as the "world's most revolting web phenomenon". SF Weekly described the unauthorized video as "ironic slandering". Clips have been featured on the Canadian television series "The Hour", where host George Stroumboulopoulos speculated that the Kermit version of "Hurt" was inspired by the Cash version rather than that of Nine Inch Nails.  Kermit has also appeared in a popular meme in which he is shown sipping tea, "one used when you sassily point something out, and then slyly back away, claiming that it's not [your] business". The photo is taken from "Be More Kermit," a Lipton advertisement that aired in 2014, and was adapted into the "But That's None of My Business" meme by African American comedians on the Tumblr blog Kermit the Snitch, making appearances on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Charles Pulliam-Moore of the TV station "Fusion" praised "But That's None of My Business" as "a symbol for the comedic brilliance born out of black communities on the internet," but Stephanie Hayes of "Bustle" magazine criticized the memes as racist and obscene.  In 2016, a "Good Morning America" post on Twitter referred to "But That's None of My Business" as "Tea Lizard," becoming the subject of viral online derision. "New York" magazine replied that, "Kermit is a frog. A frog is an amphibian. A lizard is a reptile. It's just so insulting. Beyond a frog and a lizard both being clearly ectothermic, they couldn't be any more different. Not all green things are the same, you ignorant bastards". "Popular Science" also addressed the misnomer, writing "Frogs, which are amphibians, have quite a few significant differences from reptiles in how they breathe, their life cycles, whether they have scales or not... there's a lot to absorb here".  In November 2016, a new meme surfaced of Kermit talking to a hooded version of himself which represents the self and its dark inner thoughts. It involves captioning of a screenshot taken from the "Muppets Most Wanted" movie of Kermit and Constantine looking at each other.

Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the straight man protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably "Sesame Street" and "The Muppet Show", as well as in other television series, feature films, specials, and public service announcements through the years. Henson performed Kermit until his death in 1990; Steve Whitmire performed Kermit from that time until his dismissal in 2016. Kermit is currently performed by Matt Vogel. He was also voiced by Frank Welker in "Muppet Babies" and occasionally in other animation projects, and is voiced by Matt Danner in the 2018 reboot of "Muppet Babies".

Kermit la grenouille ("Kermit the frog" en version originale anglaise) est un personnage de fiction créé en 1955 par le marionnettiste américain Jim Henson. Il est le présentateur vedette du "Muppet Show".


Geography.

The Poum massif south of Poum and Titch rises to 414 m and is rich in nickel. Other minerals like cobalt have been mined out. The hills around Poum are bare of trees and distinctively rose and red-tinged. Seasonal water shortages and bush fires are common.

Economy.

There is one boarding middle school near Poum village. The Kanak population pursue diverse subsistence activities, sometimes combined with paid work. There is one service station and store, opened in the 2010s. Tourists can stay at a western style hotel complex, the Malabou Beach hotel on Nehoue Bay, which is owned by the Northern Province corporation, Grands Hôtels - it has 35 employees. There are also two tourist cottages (Golone and Poingam), a campsite (Pagop) and home stays are also possible.  Fishing is still pursued mainly by the islanders, especially from Tiabet, although commercial fish sales are affected by the long distances to market in Noumea and accreditation systems. Agriculture is practised, and there is some European-owned cattle ranching.  The Poum nickel mine was not heavily exploited fully for many years following its acquisition by SLN after the Accords de Bercy in the 1990s, and had about thirty employees in 2014. In 2015, plans to increase production to 100,000 tonnes of ore per year from 'Spur A' of the mine, with 2.5% nickel content, were announced. In 2019, a further announcement of increased production was made. The mine has been accused by the inhabitants of Titch, west of Poum centre, of creating water pollution problems.

Poum is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The small town of Poum (Latitude: 20° 13' 59" south, longitude: 164° 1' 23" east) is located in the far northwest, located on the southern part of Banare Bay, with Mouac Island just offshore. Aside from French, the native language of the Kanak inhabitants is nêlêmwa-nixumwak, an Austronesian language spoken by about 1,100 people. British fishermen came to the islands in 1855 seeking sea cucumbers, and settled and intermarried, and this is reflected in the last names of some clan members and on gravestones (e.g. Williams, Winchester). In the 1850s, a hundred Europeans lived on Mouac Island and John Henry Williams established a presence on Néba island

Poum (en langue "puma" : Pum) est une commune française de Nouvelle-Calédonie, constituant l'extrémité nord-ouest de la Grande Terre en Province Nord, côte ouest, sur la Route provinciale Nord 1 (RPN 1), à 430 km de Nouméa, à 60 km au nord-ouest de Koumac, et à plus de 100 km à l'ouest de Ouégoa ou Pouébo (côte est).