Darkness in music

Certain music is sometimes described as "dark" in a metaphorical sense. For example, "dark pop" is often indiscriminately applied to a wide range of disparate artists, but usually refers to popular music that incorporates synthesizers or a minor key. In Germany, the term schwarze Szene ("black scene") has been "used since the 1990s to describe all the so called dark alternative music styles swirling around Goth: industrial, darkwave, electro, metal, neofolk and medieval, including BDSM/fetish culture".
See also.
Genres that begin with "dark"
Genres with related concepts
Other miscellaneous genres


The Sifl and Olly Show

The Sifl and Olly Show is a comedy TV series that incorporates sock puppets, animation, and musical performances. Musicians Liam Lynch and Matt Crocco created and performed the series. The first episode aired on MTV in 1998. The show was cancelled in 1999. The characters, along with new material, currently appear on Liam Lynch's podcast entitled "Lynchland".
History.
The origins of "The Sifl & Olly Show" go back to the 1980s. As children, Crocco and Lynch would create and perform funny songs and sketches to entertain themselves. They remained friends through high school and college, even though they saw little of each other while they attended Kent State University. Lynch left Kent State and the duo was separated for a few years, but they reunited in Nashville, Tennessee in the 1990s and recorded the comedy album "Camp Sunny Side Up" on a 4-Track. During this period they were also constantly recording funny conversations, interviews, sketches, and songs. Soon after, Lynch moved to Liverpool, England to attend the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, but the friends continued to make funny recordings and send them to each other.
In 1995, while Lynch was still in Liverpool, he found some broken 4-Track tapes and repaired them. These tapes contained conversations and material intended for his and Crocco's second comedy album (which they never recorded). He decided to make something using these tapes as a Christmas present for Crocco. Lynch had been inspired by a series of British commercials by Aardman Studios and had hoped to do stop-action clay animation, but he did not have the money or the equipment for it. Instead, he made puppets out of his own socks and a large plastic sunflower and recorded a video of himself acting out their tapes with the puppets. Lynch chose the name for the puppets from a fake commercial Crocco had made for one of their recordings, and Sifl & Olly were born.
Lynch sent copies to MTV and MTV Europe, and although MTV America rejected them, MTV Europe liked them. In 1996, MTV Europe began airing Sifl & Olly clips between music videos as "idents." The popularity of the clips led to MTV America offering a half-hour format called "The Sifl & Olly Show" in July 1998. The show aired late at night, but later on they were moved to the evenings.
In the first season, clips of Sifl and Olly were mixed with music videos. Whenever the show was aired again, the music videos would be removed, leaving only the comedy clips. The show gained a cult following, but it was cancelled after the second season. A third season was recorded, and MTV promised to release the episodes on the Internet but never did. The lost episodes were eventually released on DVD.
Despite its cancellation, Sifl and Olly still appear along with some other characters in occasional episodes of Liam Lynch's podcast, "Lynchland". Most of these appearances are clips from Season 3.
On June 14, 2012, Liam Lynch posted a picture on his Twitter account of a set similar to that used on the show, fueling speculation about the show's return. This was followed by another picture posted on July 25 of a graphic for "Precious Roy's Fruit Chunkies."
As of November 17, 2014, MTV has released two "best of" compilations on Amazon Video.
Description.
Premise.
The two main characters are a black sock puppet named Sifl and a white sock puppet named Olly. Sifl is the calmer leader of the show, while Olly is more excitable and often breaks into crazed furies. Their assistant, Chester, is a mumbling, often nonsensical character who still claims to be great at everything. No real living people or animals ever appeared on the show (except the hamster during Precious Roy's foot long hamster sale), only puppets.
The show was always very simple and low-budget. Most of the show's main characters were puppets, with background images or animations in the background via a chromakey. The two co-hosts often had a microphone in front of them. The show had an unscripted feel with the characters talking to each other in realistic, often meandering styles. Sifl and Olly would sing both original and classic songs throughout the show with an original song at the end. Though it featured puppets, the series was not intended for children. The humor often featured profanity, sexual references, drug innuendo, crude humor, bodily functions, and violence.
Regular segments.
Often preceded by familiar intro screen and a short theme song, the segments included:
Fanbase.
Fans of the show call themselves "sockheads". There is also an online group of "Sifl and Olly" video traders that are petitioning MTV to release the entire series on DVD. One group of fans even recorded a tribute CD recreating some of their favorite songs called "Banging on Some Pots and Pans." The Sockheads mailing list group also organized a convention in Nashville called Cresvention.
Cartoonist Aaron McGruder is a fan of the show. On one episode of his TV show "The Boondocks", Huey exclaims to his grandfather's girlfriend that he is doing "prostitute laundry", which could be a direct reference to "Sifl and Olly"'s song of the same name. A strip published on 4/28/00 also references the show, where character Michael Caesar is seen lamenting its cancellation. Award-winning writer J. Michael Straczynski was also a noted fan of the show, and at one time Lynch and Crocco were planning a sock puppet character voiced by Straczynski until the show was cancelled.
"Sifl and Olly Video Game Reviews".
In 2012, it was teased by Liam Lynch, via Twitter that Sifl and Olly may return. On September 2, 2012, a promo appeared on the Machinima YouTube channel for a new show called "Sifl & Olly Video Game Reviews." The first episode premiered on September 9, 2012. After the credits of the eighth video game review episode which aired on October 28, 2012, it was announced that Sifl & Olly were being moved to the Nerdist YouTube Channel. One "season," consisting of 5 episodes, was made available on that channel in 2013, ending April 18.
Video game.
In July 2018, it was reported that American video game publisher Devolver Digital was in talks with "The Sifl and Olly Show" intellectual property owner Lynch to create a video game based on the show's license.


We wunt be druv

"We wunt be druv" is the unofficial county motto of Sussex in southern England. It is a Sussex dialect phrase meaning "we will not be driven". The motto asserts that people from the English county of Sussex have minds of their own, and cannot be forced against their will or told what to do. It is used as a motto of the people of Sussex and the Sussex Bonfire Societies. Since 2016 it has been used as a strapline, part of the re-branding of Harvey's Brewery of Lewes.
Origins.
According to the "Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs", "Sussex won't be druv" is a local proverbial saying dating from the early 20th century. In 1875 the "Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect" stated "I wunt be druv" as a "favourite maxim with Sussex people". Although used all over Sussex, the phrase probably originates from the Weald, and there is evidence that in Wealden areas common people were freer from manorial control than in the rest of Sussex. Twice in the late Middle Ages Wealden peasants rose in revolt: once in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, under the leadership of Wat Tyler and the radical priest John Ball, and again in 1450 under Jack Cade, who was pursued and fatally wounded at Old Heathfield, where he had connections. The phrase "I wunt be druv" is mentioned in EV Lucas's 1904 book (1904).
Usage.
In his 1924 tale "The Cricket Match", Hugh de Selincourt wrote "‘Well, we'd better be going, I suppose,’ Gauvinier announced‥well aware that ‘Sussex won't be druv’." In David Frome's "Mr. Pinkerton at the Old Angel", "The sudden weariness in her frail face testified to years of patient leading. Mr. Pinkerton thought of the boast of the men of Sussex. They too couldn't be druv, they said."
According to linguist Richard Coates an organisation called The Men of Sussex had as its motto, "Non cogemur", a Latin translation of the motto.
The phrase was also used in poetry:
You may push and you may shov
But I'm hemmed if I'll be druv
And a longer version:
And you may pook
And you may shove
But a Sussex pig
He wunt be druv
In Sussex, pigs are respected for their independent spirit and are associated with the motto. In the 19th century, some Sussex potteries produced earthenware flasks in the shape of pigs with "wunt be druv" incised or impressed on the pig's neck.
W Victor Cook wrote a poem in Sussex dialect, published in 1914:
Sussex Won’t be Druv
Some folks as come to Sussex,
They reckons as they know -
A durn sight better what to do
Than simple folks, like me and you,
Could possibly suppose.
But them as comes to Sussex,
They mustn't push and shove,
For Sussex will be Sussex,
And Sussex won't be druv!
Mus Wilfred come to Sussex,
Us heaved a stone at he,
Because he reckoned he could teach
Our Sussex fishers how to reach
The fishes in the sea.
But when he dwelt among us,
Us gave un land and luv,
For Sussex will be Sussex,
And Sussex won't be druv!
All folks as come to Sussex
Must follow Sussex ways -
And when they've larned to know us well,
There's no place else they'll wish to dwell
In all their blessed days -
There ant no place like Sussex,
Until ye goos above,
For Sussex will be Sussex,
And Sussex won't be druv.
See also.
"Sussex by the Sea" – unofficial Sussex county anthem


Hair (Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording)

Hair is the cast recording of the original, Off-Broadway cast of the musical "Hair: An American Tribal Love-Rock Musical". It was released in 1967 by RCA Victor. "Hair" premiered Off-Broadway at the Public Theater on October 17, 1967, and the cast album was recorded two weeks later. The lead roles were played by Walker Daniels as Claude, Gerome Ragni as Berger, Jill O'Hara as Sheila, Steve Dean as Woof, Arnold Wilkerson as Hud, Sally Eaton as Jeanie and Shelley Plimpton as Crissy.
In the Off-Broadway version of "Hair", the lead role of Claude had been written as a space alien who aspires to be a cinematic director. This was changed for the Broadway production. This Off-Broadway recording includes the songs "Exanaplanetooch" and "Climax," which were cut from the Broadway production. The reviewer for Allmusic.com criticized Ragni's and Eaton's vocals but praised Plimpton. When it was released on CD as a bonus disc to the Broadway album, it also included an interview with composer Galt McDermot.
Track listing.
Music by Galt MacDermot and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado:


Annie Bendolph

Annie Pettway Lewis Bendolph (1900–1981) was an American artist associated with the Gee's Bend group of quilters. Her work is included in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to which it was donated by the Souls Grown Deep Foundation.
Early life.
In a biographical interview, Bendolph's daughter Bettie Bendolph Seltzer describes her mother as very tenacious and caring. "I always wanted to be like my mama—hardworking, having something of my own. She was so independent. But I never wanted to have to go through what she went through." Bendolph's mother died when she was very young. She had a brother, Timothy Pettway, who sang in gospel choirs in the nearby town of Camden, Alabama. Bendolph married Jacob Bendolph and raised 16 children.
Work.
Bendolph's quilts were made exclusively of utilitarian, recycled materials, such as old clothes and empty sacks. Seltzer recalls, "When I was growing up, Mama made quilts to keep us warm. The ladies then piece their quilts at home and go to each other house to help quilt." In fact, most Gee's Bend quilts were made from recycled materials until the Freedom Quilting Bee brought more resources to the community.


Vermont Quilt Festival

Vermont Quilt Festival is an annual event, which is both the oldest and largest quilting event in the region. Featuring a weekend of quilt exhibits, contest quilts, classes taught by renowned quiltmakers, a champagne preview, vendors, lectures and appraisals, the festival is well attended by both beginner and expert quilters alike.
History.
In 1977, the Festival started as a one-day show featuring both antique and new quilts. The following year contest quilts were added and by 1981 the Festival included classes and also appraisals of antique quilts.
Originally held in Northfield, Vermont, the annual event took place on the Norwich University campus until 2006. The Festival moved its venue to the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, Vermont with classes held at the neighboring Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont where it continues to be held yearly on the last weekend in June, except 2020 when it was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns. 2021 sees a virtual festival.
The Vermont Quilt Festival, Inc., a non-profit organization, has completed years.
Notable facts.
The Festival opens with a festive Champagne and Chocolate Preview each year which has been attended by the Governor of Vermont.
Yankee Magazine, Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, Vermont Life, The New York Times, Boston Globe, USA Today and Quilt Mania (France) as well as local media are just some of the publications that have covered the event.
It is consistently designated as a Top Ten Summer event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and as one of the Top 100 Events by The American Bus Association.


Chick Carter, Detective

Chick Carter, Detective is a 1946 Columbia film serial. Columbia could not afford the rights to produce a Nick Carter serial so they made "Chick Carter, Detective" about his son instead. This was based on the radio series "Chick Carter, Boy Detective". A Nick Carter series was being made by MGM.
In a "rather strange precedent" for a serial, the title character is rarely involved in the cliffhangers. For example, the first cliffhanger revolves around the reporter Rusty rather than Carter. The film starred Lyle Talbot as Chick Carter, Douglas Fowley as Rusty Farrell, Julie Gibson as Sherry Marvin, Pamela Blake as Ellen Dale, Eddie Acuff as Spud Warner, and Robert Elliott as Dan Rankin.
Plot.
Detective Chick Carter (Lyle Talbot) finds himself in a complex case when Sherry Martin (Julie Gibson), a singer at the Century Club, reports the robbery of the famous Blue Diamond, owned by Joe Carney (Charles King), the owner of the nightclub. Joe planned the theft in order to pay a debt to Nick Pollo (George Meeker) with the $100,000 insurance money he would collect. Sherry double-crossed Joe by wearing an imitation one, while she threw the real one, hidden in a cotton snowball, to Nick during the floor show. But Spud Warner (Eddie Acuff), a newspaper photographer, there with newspaper reporter Rusty Farrell (Douglas Fowley), takes a snowball from her basket and Nick receives an empty one. The Blue Diamond disappears. Aided by a private investigator, Ellen Dale (Pamela Blake), Chick finds himself pitted against the criminals searching for the missing Blue Diamond...
Chapter titles.
Source:


Zeze ware

 is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Ōtsu, in the former Zeze Domain in Ōmi Province.


Huckaback


San Francisco Fringe Festival

The San Francisco Fringe Festival, or SF Fringe, is a fringe theater festival produced by the EXIT Theatre in San Francisco. It is one of the oldest fringe festivals in the United States. It takes place over the course of two weeks every September; the 2018 Festival will take place September 6–15.
Performances featured at SF Fringe are chosen by lottery. The 2017 festival featured about 150 performances by more than 35 theater companies, performing in three small theater venues. General 2018 applications ended on February 14, but the San Francisco Fringe Festival will still accept applications until April 1 to perform additional site specific work in Non Traditional Fringe Venue (NTFV), which have included "bars and restaurants, on buses, park benches and trees. Audience members are encouraged to write about and review shows through the EXIT Theatre website, or through official Android or iOS mobile applications. Many of the shows feature mature themes or nudity.
The conclusion of the festival features additional performances by shows chosen as the "Best of the Fringe".
2017 award winners.
2017 SOLD OUT Awards.
"Given to shows which sold all seats to a performance."
References.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/snowflakes-may-feel-triggered_us_59b7fce5e4b0883782dec32c


Talento Argentino

Talento Argentino is a television show, led by Mariano Peluffo, which airs on the Telefé channel. It is based on the English-format "Got Talent" series, which takes place simultaneously in other countries, such as "Britain's Got Talent" in Great Britain, "America's Got Talent" in the United States or "Got Talent", the Spanish version.
The show has three jurors responsible for selecting people with certain talents, from whom the winner is chosen by the public.
Format.
The program requires participants to demonstrate their skill in various disciplines such as singing, dancing, comedy, music and more. During the performance, three judges decide whether the contestant should stop performing by pressing a button that turns on a big red X. If three Xs appear, the participant is automatically removed without being able to finish his presentation.
Every week, through a vote with SMS and phone calls, the public chooses participants. Competitors in second and third place are considered by the jury to reach the final of the competition and a chance to win the pageant.
In the end, the winner is chosen by the public. In the first edition, the prize was a hundred thousand pesos Argentina ($100,000 ARS).
The X is the indicator of whether the jury is pleased by the talent. The Xs are white when no judge pressed his button.
Majority of white Xs: Most jurors think that a participant should go to the next stage. When most Xs are white, the participant remains in the talent show.
Majority of red Xs: Most of the jurors are opposed to the participant remaining in the contest.
"Talento Argentino 1" (2008).
Broadcast: 27 July 2008 - 21 December 2008
After the success that took the competition around the world, Telefe bought the rights and issued it in mid-2008 with great success. Mariano Peluffo was the host of the contest, and the jury was made up of Venezuelan actress Catherine Fulop, the professional dancer Maximiliano Guerra, and Kike Teruel, the member of the group The Nocheros. The winner was comedian and impressionist Cordoba, Martín Bustos, who was rewarded with $100,000.
"Talento Argentino 2" (2009).
The second edition of "Talento Argentino" started on 23 July 2009, with an average audience of 25.2 rating points. Again, the presentation of the contest was by Mariano Peluffo, with the same team of jurors as in the first edition, Catherine Fulop, Maximiliano Guerra, and Kike Teruel. 40,000 people auditioned, from Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Rosario, Mar del Plata, Bahía Blanca, Córdoba, San Luis, Salta, San Juan, Neuquén, Corrientes and Tucumán. The winner, Guitarist Daniel Ferreyra, took a $100,000 prize.
"Talento Argentino 3" (2010–2011).
The third edition of "Talento Argentino" aired during late 2010 and early 2011. The winner of the third season was accordion player Diego Gutierrez.


Bessie Sudlow

Bessie Sudlow was the stage name of Barbara Elizabeth (Bessie) Johnstone (22 July 1849 – 28 January 1928), who was active in New York as a burlesque performer from 1869 to 1873, then in Britain as an opera bouffe soprano from 1875 to 1880.
Life.
Early years.
Barbara Elizabeth (Bessie) Johnstone was born in Liverpool, England on 22 July 1849.
Her mother was Eliza, née Lee, from Ireland, and her father was George Johnstone, a captain in the merchant navy.
Her father had died before the 1851 census.
Eliza married Thomas Sudlow, from Liverpool, and they moved to the United States, taking Bessie with them.
Bessie's stepfather was the stage-doorkeeper at Niblo's Garden in New York.
Bessie joined a burlesque troupe, the "British Blondes", with the stage name of Bessie Sudlow.
The troupe was led by Lydia Thompson, an English dancer, comedian, actress and producer.
United States burlesque.
The Evening Telegraph of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 17 November 1868 noted with approval in its review of "The Lancashire Lass" that "Miss Bessie Sudlow, who sustains the part of 'Fanny Danville' at the Chesnut, no longer affects a 'Grecian bend'."
The "British Blondes" performed at the Tammany Grand Theatre in 1868–1869.
Bessie performed in January 1869 in New York in the burlesque "The Page's Revel".
A lovely young woman at the age of 20, in 1869 Bessie was included in the cast of "The Forty Thieves" at Niblo's.
In April and May 1869 she appeared in "Robinson Crusoe and His Man Friday!".
A review in "The New York Times" of 27 April 1869 listed Bessie among the singers. It was lukewarm, saying the pantomime-burlesque was "wrought out of tolerably old material ... [it] will be witnessed with greater pleasure when repeated rehearsals shall have smoothened it."
In December 1869 and January 1870 Bessie played at the Tammany Grand Theatre in a burlesque of "Richard III" called "Bad Dickey".
A review in the "New York Clipper" on 15 October 1870 said, "Miss Bessie Sudlow, serio-comic vocalist, has won golden opinions. Her rendition of "Sweet Spirit Hear My Prayer" and "By Killarney’s Lakes and Vales" is truly excellent."
Bessie appeared on a regular basis from 1871 to 1873 in various extravaganzas at Niblo's, including two revivals of "The Black Crook".
She kept her connection to Lydia Thompson's troupe until she returned to England, but also performed in other productions.
In 1872 and 1873 she played "Dove Eve, an Indian Maiden" in "Scouts of the Plains".
Buffalo Bill Cody was the star, and while they were on stage in Indianapolis he made a proposition to her.
As the local press reported the next day, she was outraged and hit Cody on the head with a war club that was lying around.
He fell down and she sat on him until she was composed enough to leave the theater.
British opera bouffe.
Bessie returned to England and in September 1874 played with Lydia Thompson’s company in "Blue Beard", a burlesque by Henry Brougham Farnie, at the Charing Cross Theatre in London.
In January 1875 she performed at the Theatre Royal, Dublin in "The Yellow Dwarf", a pantomime.
"The Era" described her as "a very graceful and attractive actress and sings pleasingly".
She appeared at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin in March 1875 in "The Isle of Bachelors", adapted from Charles Lecocq’s comic opera "Les cent vierges".
In June 1875 she performed in a promenade concert at the Theatre Royal, Dublin in honour of the American team taking part in an Irish–American International Rifle Match.
Bessie was in a company organized by Richard D'Oyly Carte that started a tour of England and Ireland on 21 June 1875.
Carte's company performed "La Périchole", "La fille de Madame Angot", and "Trial by Jury", a Dramatic Cantata by Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert.
After ten weeks in England, the company opened at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin on 5 September 1875.
In October 1875 Bessie performed as an opera bouffe soprano, playing "Cesarine" in Charles Lecocq's "Fleur-de-Thé".
Emily Soldene recalled in her 1898 memoirs that D'Oyly Carte was producing this new comic opera at the Criterion Theatre.
The actress playing "Caesarine" had to be replaced at the last minute, and Carte wired the Gaiety Theatre manager Michael Gunn to send Miss Sudlow from Dublin.
She heard the music for the first time when she was on stage, and had to improvise where she had forgotten the words, but the reviewers were enthusiastic.
In January 1876, she performed at the Theatre Royal, Dublin in "Dick Whittington and His Cat". According to "The Era", "Her acting was as fresh as a daisy, and her sparkling vivacity and pleasant manner again won showers of applause and golden opinions".
In March 1876, Bessie again went on tour with D'Oyly Carte's London Comic Opera Company, which again included "La fille de Madame Angot" in its repertoire.
During rehearsals in Manchester, the two leading ladies, Pattie Laverne and Selina Dolaro, argued about the tempo of a duet.
Eventually, Dolaro refused to play, and Carte called on Bessie to learn the role of Lange and play it at short notice.
As an experienced professional, Bessie was known for her ability to learn a role quickly.
She was principal soprano for Richard D'Oyly Carte's Opera Bouffe Company on this tour from June to August 1876.
On the tour, she played the Plaintiff in "Trial by Jury", Amanda in Carte's "Happy Hampstead", Müller in "The Duke's Daughter", and Lange in "La fille de Madame Angot".
Later years.
When she was playing in the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin in September 1875, the manager, Michael Gunn, was attracted to Bessie.
Gunn was a silent partner of Carte for several years.
Carte was Michael Gunn's best man when he married Bessie on 26 October 1876 at the St Marylebone Parish Church, London.
The bride was given away by George Dolby.
After that, Bessie only performed on stage once more.
They had six children, including Kevin (born in 1880), Brendan (born in 1881), Selskar and Haidée (both born in 1883), and Agnes.
Haidée and Agnes both became actresses.
Agnes later became later Lady Webb as wife of Sir Ambrose Henry Webb.
Selskar Gunn became prominent as an expert in public health.
Gunn and Bessie had a house in Merrion Square, Dublin and another on Russell Square, London, both fine properties.
They were one of the richest families in Dublin, and often held large gatherings at their house.
Gunn was a close friend of John Stanislaus Joyce, father of James Joyce.
The Joyces often visited the Gunns.
James Joyce became a friend of their son Selskar.
Gunn died at their London residence near Hampstead on 24 October 1901 at the age of 61.
His estate was estimated at just over £20,000.
Bessie became owner of the Gaiety when Gunn died, and held it until 1909.
Bessie Gunn died in Steyning, Sussex on 28 January 1928.


In Old Arizona

In Old Arizona is a 1928 American Pre-Code Western film directed by Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings, nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film, which was based on the character of the Cisco Kid in the 1907 story "The Caballero's Way" by O. Henry, was a major innovation in Hollywood. It was the first major Western to use the new technology of sound and the first talkie to be filmed outdoors. It made extensive use of authentic locations, filming in Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park in Utah, and the Mission San Juan Capistrano and the Mojave Desert in California. The film premiered in Los Angeles on December 25, 1928 and went into general release on either December 28, 1928 or January 20, 1929.
"In Old Arizona" contributed to creating the image of the singing cowboy, as its star, Warner Baxter, does some incidental singing. Baxter went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. Other nominations included Best Director for Irving Cummings, Best Writing for Tom Barry, Best Cinematography for Arthur Edeson, and Best Picture.
Plot synopsis.
In Arizona, a bandit known as The Cisco Kid robs a stagecoach. Word of this deed reaches to Sergeant Micky Dunn, who gets tasked by his superior to bring in The Cisco Kid dead or alive, with a $5,000 reward promised once he succeeds. They meet in a barber shop, though Dunn is unaware of The Cisco Kid's true identity and passes him off as a friendly civilian. When he leaves, the local blacksmith tells him that was The Cisco Kid, much to Dunn's chagrin.
The Cisco Kid is in a relationship with Tonia Maria, and visits her often. He loves her, but she has frequent affairs without his knowledge. Dunn and Maria meet each other and begin an affair. Dunn tells Maria that once he takes down The Cisco Kid, he will give the $5,000 reward to Maria, making her fall in love with him. They express their love for each other while The Cisco Kid secretly watches and listens nearby, learning of her betrayal.
She writes a secret letter to Dunn telling him to come that evening to take down The Cisco Kid before he makes his escape. However, The Cisco Kid finds this letter and replaces it with a fake letter "from Maria" which he wrote. His note says that he will be dressed up in Maria's clothes in an effort to disguise himself from Dunn, while Maria is actually in The Cisco Kid's clothes riding away. Dunn receives this fake letter, believing it to be from Maria. When The Cisco Kid leaves her house, Dunn shoots Maria, believing her to be The Cisco Kid in disguise. Now farther away, The Cisco Kid laments that "[Maria's] flirting days are over, and she can finally settle down". He then makes his escape.
Production.
Raoul Walsh was set to direct the film and star as the Cisco Kid, but had to abandon the project when a jackrabbit jumped through the windshield of a vehicle he was driving; the resulting wreck cost Walsh an eye. He never acted again, but continued his successful career as a film director.
Awards and nominations.
At the 2nd Academy Awards, the film was nominated for five awards—Outstanding Picture; Best Actor (Warner Baxter); Best Director (Irving Cummings); Best Cinematography (Arthur Edeson); and Best Writing (Tom Barry)—tied for the most of the year with "The Patriot". In a ceremony where no film won more than one award, only Warner Baxter's Best Actor nomination was successful.
Preservation.
The Academy Film Archive preserved "In Old Arizona" in 2004.


Sam Gyllenhaal


Stratford, Victoria

Stratford is a town on the Avon River in Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne on the Princes Highway in Shire of Wellington. At the , Stratford had a population of 1950. The town services the local regional community and travellers on the Princes Highway. Stratford's principal industries are dairying, sheep, cattle and horse breeding and vegetable crops. The town has numerous coffee shops and cafes, a cellar door for a local winery, Design Gallery, model railway shop, a pub, parks and playgrounds for car travellers to break their journey.
Town name.
The origin of the town's name is unclear. Many believe it derives from Stratford-upon-Avon in England, William Shakespeare's birthplace, a view which is lent credence by the fact that it is located by the river Avon, although the name of the river Avon comes from a Scottish river. Locals have embraced the connection with Shakespeare and a "Shakespeare on the River Festival" has been a successful annual event since 1989, incorporating works of Shakespeare and modern Australian plays. In 1998 the town formally became a member of the Stratford Sister Cities program to promote friendship and cultural exchange between participating countries.
Geography.
The River Avon has a local reputation as a source for river polished gemstones, particularly agate, and for rapidly rising during increased rainfall upstream.
Three kilometres south-east of Stratford is a park called Knob Reserve (formerly known as the "Forest of Arden"), part of the Gunai/Kurnai "Bataluk Cultural Trail", which winds its way through East Gippsland, highlighting the places of cultural significance to the first inhabitants. There are picnic facilities and an annual country music festival is held at Knob Reserve.
Stratford has a railway station on the Bairnsdale railway line, which was reopened for passenger use in 2004. The Howitt Bicycle Trail passes through Stratford.
Sports.
The town has an Australian rules football team, nicknamed the Swans; who have been competing in the East Gippsland Football League since 2012. They had previously competed in the North Gippsland Football League from 2004-11. The town has a cricket team competing in the Sale-Maffra Cricket Association. They have won 4 A-Grade premierships since reforming in 1978.
History.
The land around the Avon River was occupied by the Brayakuloong people of the Gunai/Kurnai indigenous nation for thousands of years prior to European settlement.
Angus McMillan named the Avon River after the river of the same name in his native Scotland. In 1840 he established a pastoral run at Bushy Park, north-west of the township. William Odell Raymond established a run in the area in 1842, and built his house, "Strathfieldsaye", during 1848–54. European settlement did not take place without resistance, and in return, massacres were inflicted by Angus McMillan and others on Gunai people, especially between the years of 1840 and 1850.
The township was established in the late 1850s and the Post Office opened on 1 May 1858.
With the 1860s gold rush to the Omeo and Dargo goldfields, the town of Stratford prospered. Historic buildings include the RSL Hall (1866), the Church of Holy Trinity (1868), the Methodist Church (1873), and the Post Office (1884).
In 1863 Reverend Friedrich Hagenauer established Ramahyuck Mission on the banks of the Avon River near Lake Wellington to house the Ganai survivors from west and central Gippsland. The name combines "Ramah", the home of Samuel in the First Book of Kings, with "yuck", an Aboriginal term reputedly meaning "our place". The mission sought to discourage all tribal ritual and culture, and replace it with Christian values and European customs. The Mission closed in 1908 and the few remaining residents were moved to Lake Tyers Mission.


8537 Billochbull


The Rhythm of Life

"The Rhythm of Life" is a song from the musical "Sweet Charity" (1966). In 1969, the Supremes and the Temptations covered the song for their "G.I.T. on Broadway" television special and album. Their version was released as a single in Australia and New Zealand, where it was a top 5 and top 20 hit, respectively.


Sparks Street

Sparks Street ("French:" Rue Sparks) is a pedestrian mall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was a main street in Ottawa that was converted into an outdoor pedestrian street in 1967, making it the earliest such street or mall in Canada.
Sparks runs from Elgin Street in the east to Bronson Avenue. The Sparks Street Mall, that contains a number of outdoor restaurants and also a number of works of art and fountains, only runs from Elgin to Bank Street. The pedestrian-only portion continues for another two blocks westward, with the final two blocks west of Lyon Street being a regular road and merges into Bronson Avenue going south.
The mall and most of the buildings on the south side are owned and operated by the National Capital Commission. Buildings on the north side of the mall were expropriated by the Government of Canada in 1973 and are currently operated by Public Works and Government Services Canada.
History.
Located one block south of Wellington Street (the home of the Parliament of Canada), Sparks Street is one of Ottawa's more historic streets with a number of heritage buildings. The street is named after Nicholas Sparks, the farmer who, early in the mid-nineteenth century, cut a path through the woods on his holding that would eventually become the street.
When Ottawa was selected as Canada's capital, the area became even more important as the street became home to a number of government offices and homes for parliamentarians. One of these was Thomas D'Arcy McGee who, in 1868, was assassinated outside his home at the corner of Sparks and Metcalfe. The street also became Ottawa's commercial hub in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was home to a number of the city's banks and the lumber companies of the Ottawa Valley, as well as "the best shops, hotels, dining rooms, and theatres.". It once contained the Murphy-Gamble (later Simpson's), Morgan's, C.Ross, and Bryson-Graham's department stores.
The peak of the street was in the early twentieth century when a number of Beaux-Arts buildings that still stand were erected. At the time, the eastern end of Sparks Street continued across the Rideau Canal on Sappers Bridge. Where the War Memorial and Confederation Square stands today, was the Russell House hotel, and Ottawa's old Post Office. The square was built in the 1930s.
As the city expanded, the downtown became less centralized and commerce spread to neighbouring streets. Government ministries, requiring larger offices, also went elsewhere. In 1959, the street's streetcar line was closed.
Pedestrian mall.
Starting in 1960 the street was closed to traffic in the summers in an attempt to improve commerce. This plan was modelled on Toledo, Ohio, which along with Kalamazoo were the first North American cities to close downtown streets in an attempt to recapture customers. The success of these temporary summer closings convinced the city to close the street permanently to vehicles in 1967. Although initially successful, the mall began to decline in the 1970s. Urban planning professor David Gordon, of Queen's University, blames the growth of suburban shopping malls. Another major problem was the growth of high rise government offices with internal concourses in the area. Gordan and Bray wrote that Sparks became "an isolated island of pedestrian-friendly space in a traffic-dominated district" in a 2003 report. Additionally, the Government of Canada is a major landlord on the street, its buildings presenting a "blank face" to the street, and discouraging shops from investing in the area long-term.
Today, the pedestrian mall is open year-round and extends from Elgin to Kent Streets. While the mall is quite busy during weekdays, it is only lightly used during weekends. The National Capital Commission remains committed to operating and improving the mall. The street's landscaping has been updated. The Commission was successful in bringing the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre to a location on the mall and is seeking to increase business and activity by increasing the number of residences nearby. However, the CBC development has been criticized as "just another low-cost, banal building" which was designed poorly and has not brought more life to the street. Councillor Diane Holmes called it "the biggest disappointment," and "a whole block of deadness."
Events.
Sparks Street is home to the Sparks Street International Chicken & Rib Cook-off every year in late June.
Each year, around the August civic holiday, Sparks street plays host to the Ottawa International Buskers Festival, where buskers from around the world come to showcase their art to tourists and locals in downtown Ottawa.
Latin Sparks Festival made its debut in 2012 as a small group of 40 friends gathered weekly on Sparks Street to dance outdoors in the summertime. Sparks Street is home to Latin Sparks Festival since 2012, featuring music, dancing and food.
Landmarks.
Sparks contains some of Ottawa's most important structures. Just past the eastern end of Sparks at Elgin Street is the National War Memorial and across Elgin from Sparks is the National Arts Centre.
The eastern section of the street sees a number of the oldest buildings, including Ottawa's post office from 1939; the Ottawa Electric Building, built in 1926 by the founders of the Ottawa Electric Railway, Ottawa's streetcar system, Ottawa's first high-rise: the Bible House/old James Hope building at 61 Sparks, built in 1910; and branches of a number of Canada's banks from the same era.
A pair of notable newer buildings are also on this section of the mall, including the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre and the Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building, which is located at the corner of Metcalfe and Sparks.
West of Bank Street, outside of the mall itself, the street is overshadowed by the C.D. Howe Building, the home of Industry Canada on the south and the headquarters of the Bank of Canada to the north. West of the bank is the Ottawa Marriott Hotel and Place de Ville's Podium Building and Tower C, the tallest building in Ottawa and home of Transport Canada. On the north side, home of the Department of Justice in the St. Andrew's Towers and the East Memorial Building with other government departments in the West Memorial Building. West of these buildings the street becomes far less notable as being home to several hotels and smaller buildings. The final block of the rather short street has the Garden of the Provinces and Territories to the north and Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa's main Anglican church, to the south.
One of the best known addresses in all of Canada for many years was "56 Sparks Street, Ottawa" as it was the tag line used in a large number of radio and television commercials and commentaries made by Lotta Hitschmanova, the founder of the humanitarian charity USC Canada which moved to an office at 56 Sparks Street soon after it was created in 1945.
Transit access.
On September 14, 2019, the O-Train's Confederation Line was opened, under Queen Street and one block south of Sparks. Both Lyon and Parliament ("Parlement" in French) stations serves the area.
Map.
See Downtown Ottawa for a map of the entire area.
 │ │====│ │==== │ │===== │ │=== │ │ │ │ │ │  │ │
 Sparks Street │
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Il colombre

Il colombre is a 1966 short story collection by the Italian writer Dino Buzzati. The titular story introduces a sea monster called the colomber, which became the most famous of Buzzati's monster characters.
Stories.
"Viaggio agli inferni del secolo"
Publication.
The collection was published in Italy in 1966 through Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. It has not been published in English in its entirety, but some of the stories, including "Colomber", have been translated by Lawrence Venuti and appear in the 1984 volume "Restless Nights: Selected Stories of Dino Buzzati".


Porin (opera)

Porin is a grand opera by Vatroslav Lisinski. The Croatian text was by Dimitrija Demeter. It was Lisinski's second opera, the second for Croatia.
It was composed during 1848-51 but not performed until 2 October 1897, when it was staged in Zagreb.


Doris Duke Performing Artist Award

The Doris Duke Performing Artist Award is a ten-year, 50 million dollar initiative undertaken by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in partnership with Creative Capital, designed to "empower, invest in and celebrate artists by offering flexible, multi-year funding as a response to financial and funding challenges both unique to the performing arts and to each grantee". Started in 2011, the program supports artists in jazz, theatre, and dance.
The program offers two tiers of support: the Doris Duke Artist Award, offering up to $275,000 of individual support ($225,000 in unrestricted funding, up to $25,000 in audience development funds, and up to $25,000 to artists who have demonstrated that they are saving towards later years of their career), and the Doris Duke Impact Award, offering up to $80,000 of individual support ($60,000 in unrestricted funding, up to $10,000 in audience development funds, and up to $10,000 to artists who have demonstrated they are saving towards later years of their career). The Doris Duke Artist Award recipients will be announced in classes of twenty between 2012 and 2016, and the Doris Duke Impact Award recipients will be announced in classes of twenty between 2014 and 2018.
Eligibility.
Individuals become eligible for the Award when they have won at least three designated national grants, awards, or accolades from an approved list, at least one of which must be funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. An anonymous panel reviews all eligible artists and selects the class of 20 every year. Individuals become eligible for the Doris Duke Impact Award when they have been nominated by an anonymous pool of artists and arts professionals. An anonymous panel reviews this pool and selects the class of 20 every year.
Recipients.
2020 Artist Award Recipients
2019 Artist Award Recipients
2018 Artist Award Recipients
2016 Artist Award Recipients
2015 Artist Award Recipients
2015 Impact Award Recipients
2014 Artist Award Recipients
2014 Impact Award Recipients
2013 Artist Award Recipients
2012 Artist Award Recipients


Micro movie

A micro movie is a type of microcinema which refers to a short/micro film of any genre.
Micro movies originated in China in 2010. Karen Mok (Hong Kong based singer/actress) and Adam Duke starred in "Cadillac," which is regarded as the first micro movie. Afterwards, micro movies became a trend in South Asia. As professional-grade technology has become more accessible, amateurs hoping to enter the film industry have turned to the micro movie format to avoid limitations imposed by television and film studios. The accessibility of production, along with a growing popularity, has led to a wide range of subjects being featured and examined in the micro movie format.
Censorship.
Movie censorship is the legal process that regulates whether a movie, film, video, or cinema has content that is permissible to undergo broadcast and distribution. While certain movies are permitted to undergo public disbursement and release, other types of movies are limited to private screenings—in certain cases, movies are prohibited and banned in their entirety. Movie censorship regulation takes length, content, and subject matter into consideration with regard to altering or banning the work. Obscene and violent content is avoided in the process of making micro movies due to national censorship policies.
In Hong Kong, all films are required to undergo the motion picture rating system, which is organized by the Office for Film Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA). Movies are rated I, IIA, IIB, or III. Scenes deemed to be unacceptable are censored. The Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Video, Film and Television oversees the theatrical release, to ensure that immoral content is not promoted in the movies. The goal of these measures is to protect the audience from receiving extreme and unhealthy messages.
In Australia, The Office of Film and Literature Classification is responsible for classifying films, video publications, and PC games according to the National Classification Code and the Classification Guidelines, which are approved by the Commonwealth State and Territory Ministers responsible for censorship.
There is, however, more leniency in censorship online—especially on YouTube. That is why most micro movies are accessed through social media websites and online databases. Some countries even block all internet access to YouTube.
Cinematography.
Micro movies are created by cinematographers of all skill levels, ranging from a first-time producer to a high-level producer with a top-level cast and crew.
Film techniques used in micro movies are similar to those of traditional movies seen in theaters. For instance, the types of shots and angles are the same, but they typically differ in film length, equipment level, budget, number of cast and crew, and acting skill. There are, however, exceptions to the rule such as the group Rocket Jump or prime-time TV commercials.
Application.
Micro movies are used for advertising and entertainment purposes. The short length of micro movies allows them to be promoted and published on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. This makes micro movies free, easy to access, and able to go viral online.
There are both commercial and noncommercial needs for micro movies. Commercials are now not only selling a product, but telling a story— the Budweiser and Extra Gum commercials are examples of this. Micro movies have become a new way to promote products and brands. People are also now creating and shooting micro movies for fun. There are several micro movie film festivals and platforms for both amateurs and professionals to tell their stories and be recognized for their work.


Lotto carpet

A Lotto carpet is a hand-knotted, patterned carpet that was produced primarily during the 16th and 17th centuries along the Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey, although it was also copied in various parts of Europe. It is characterized by a lacy arabesque, usually in yellow on a red ground, often with blue details. The name "Lotto carpet" refers to the inclusion of carpets with this pattern in paintings by the 16th-century Venetian painter Lorenzo Lotto, although they appear in many earlier Oriental carpets in Renaissance painting.
Overview.
Lotto carpets used to be known as "Small-pattern Holbein Type II" by Western scholars, but Holbein never painted one, unlike Lorenzo Lotto who did so several times (although he was not the first artist to do so). Lotto is also documented as owning a large carpet, though its pattern is unknown. Though they look very different from Holbein Type I carpets, they are a development of the type, where the edges of the motifs take off in rigid arabesques somewhat suggesting foliage, and terminating in branched palmettes. The type was common and long-lasting, and is also known as "Arabesque Ushak". Lotto carpets are also depicted in paintings by Murillo and Zurbarán in the 17th century, and Dutch paintings until the 1660s and sometimes later.
Ellis distinguishes three principle design groups for Lotto carpets: the Anatolian-style, Kilim-style, and ornamental style.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the designs for Lotto carpets were copied in Italy, Spain, the European part of the Ottoman Empire and in England, and many modern copies have also been produced.


Renaissance lace

Renaissance lace is a type of tape lace. The name refers to the rebirth of antique Italian forms to create the patterns of this 19th century lace.
The outline of the design is made of bought tape. Manufacturers produced a huge number of suitable tapes in different widths and sometimes with picots or other decoration. The lacemaker bought the tape and sewed it onto a paper with the pattern. Then she filled up the empty spaces with a needle using a variety of stitches. Finally the lace was cut from the paper. The tape laces varied from well-worked versions with a variety of filling stitches to those where the tapes were simply joined with a few needle-made bars.
Some regard the whole genre as being Renaissance lace, with varying forms such as Branscombe, Princess and Battenberg. Others regard Renaissance Lace as one of the types.


Oklahoma! (soundtrack)

Oklahoma! is the original soundtrack album of the 1955 film "Oklahoma!", an adaptation of the musical Broadway play of the same name. The soundtrack charted No. 1 on the "Billboard" Pop Album Chart in 1956 and has been in continual print. On July 8, 1958, it became the first album to be certified "gold" by the RIAA, and was later certified "2x multi-platinum" on April 1, 1992.
It was originally released as a 42-minute album on the Capitol Records label, but only in mono at first. However, as with the 1956 film soundtracks of "Carousel" and "The King and I" (also issued by Capitol on LP), because the film's soundtrack had been recorded in then state-of-the-art stereo, it was possible for Capitol to issue a stereo version of the album in 1958. And again as with "Carousel" because of a difference between mono and stereo grooves, it was necessary to cut a very brief section of the music on the stereo release.
The album is ranked number 985 in "All-Time Top 1000 Albums" (3rd. edition, 2000).
In 1956, less than a year after the first mono Capitol soundtrack LP was released, Goddard Lieberson of rival Columbia Records produced a studio cast LP of "Oklahoma!" featuring Nelson Eddy and a supporting cast, with the chorus and orchestra directed by Lehman Engel, and using the original orchestrations. The Columbia LP "Nelson Eddy in Oklahoma" (CL 828) was promoted as the "complete score" because it included the song "Lonely Room" and a track, "Entrance of Ensemble", which had not previously been released from the score.
Todd-AO vs. Cinemascope.
A notable difference between the mono and stereo versions of the Capitol album is that the Cinemascope version of the film was used in the making of the mono version, while the Todd-AO version was used for the stereophonic release. Although the singing is the same in both, different inflections are noticeable in the brief spoken dialogue retained on the album, for instance, in the spoken portion of the song "Pore Jud Is Daid".
Named performers.
By order of appearance on soundtrack.
Track listing for the LP version.
All songs composed by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers.
CD Reissue.
The film soundtrack album of "Oklahoma!" was later issued on CD, again by Capitol in a version identical to the stereo LP, then on Broadway Angel on CD in the "Broadway Classics" series, and finally on Angel in a much expanded CD edition containing virtually all the music. It is the best-known recording of "Oklahoma!" ever made, even eclipsing the fame of the pioneering 1943 original Broadway cast album of the show.
The latest CD expanded edition contained more than twice the amount of music listed here, and runs nearly 80 minutes, with only a very brief reprise of "I Cain't Say No" and the numbers actually left out of the film omitted. Even the ballet music was included.
One notable difference between the original version of the film soundtrack album and the expanded edition is that the original album contains a new overture specifically created for the recording, and not the overture and opening credits music as heard in the actual film. The expanded edition of the soundtrack, issued in 2001, contains both the overture that was heard before the opening credits in the original roadshow theatrical release of the film, plus the opening credits music exactly as heard in the Todd-AO release of the film.


Trapp Family

The Trapp Family (also known as the von Trapp Family) was an Austrian singing family of the former naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the interwar period. They also performed in the United States before emigrating there permanently to escape the deteriorating situation in Austria during World War II. In the United States, they became well known as the "Trapp Family Singers" until they ceased to perform as a unit in 1957. The family's story later served as the basis for a memoir, two German films, and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical "The Sound of Music". The last surviving of the original seven Trapp children, Maria Franziska, died in 2014 at the age of 99.
Biography.
History of the group.
Georg von Trapp had seven children at the time of his first wife, Agathe Whitehead,'s death, and in 1927 he married Maria Kutschera, who was twenty-five years his junior, with whom he had three more children. Both parts of the family were musical, and by 1935 the family was singing at the local church in Aigen, where they made the acquaintance of a young priest, Dr Franz Wasner, who encouraged their musical progress and taught them sacred music to add to the folk songs, madrigals and ballads they were already singing. While singing at their Salzburg home they were also heard by the German concert singer Lotte Lehmann, who persuaded them to take part in the song competition at the 1936 Salzburg Festival, for which they won a prize; after this, accompanied by Dr Wasner, the family toured and performed in Vienna and Salzburg, and undertook a European tour that encompassed France, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Germany and England.
In the same year, the family performed in the United States for the first time before returning to Austria when their visas expired; however, in the same year, Adolf Hitler annexed Austria, and the family decided to leave, first for Italy (of which the Zadar-born Georg and thus the family were legally citizens). For some months in 1938, just after their flight, they lived in Warmond, near The Hague, Netherlands, as the guests of a Dutch banker, Ernest Menten. This episode is described by local historian Miep Smitsloo in her 2007 Dutch book 'Tussen Tol en Trekvaart' ('Between Toll and Canal'). In her account of the flight, Maria von Trapp for an unknown reason does not mention this stay.
From there they went to the United States, where they applied for immigrant status in 1939. They arrived with very little money, having lost most of the family fortune earlier during a 1935 banking collapse in Austria. Once in the United States they earned money by performing and touring nationally and internationally, first as the "Trapp Family Choir" and then, the "Trapp Family Singers", a change suggested by their booking agent Frederick Christian Schang. After living for a short time in Philadelphia and then Merion, Pennsylvania, where their youngest child Johannes was born, the family settled in Stowe, Vermont, in 1941. They purchased a farm in 1942 and converted it into the Trapp Family Lodge, initially called "Cor Unum". After World War II, they founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, which sent food and clothing to people impoverished in Austria. By now based permanently in the United States, the family performed their unique mixture of liturgical music, madrigals, folk music and instrumentals to audiences in over 30 countries for the next 20 years. They made a series of 78-rpm records for RCA Victor in the 1950s, some of which were later issued on RCA Camden LPs. There were also a few later recordings released on LPs, including some stereo sessions. The family singing group disbanded in 1957.
Maria wrote an account of the singing family "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers" which was published in 1949 and was the inspiration for the 1956 West German film "The Trapp Family", which in turn inspired by Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical "The Sound of Music". The original seven Trapp children were: Rupert (1911–1992); Agathe (1913–2010); Maria Franziska (1914–2014); Werner (1915–2007); Hedwig (1917–1972); Johanna (1919–1994); and Martina (1921–1952). The later children were Rosmarie (b.1929), Eleonore (b.1931), and Johannes (b.1939). The eldest daughter, Agathe (called "Liesl" in the film), published her own account of life in the Trapp family in 2003, "Memories Before and After The Sound of Music", which was later itself turned into the film "" in 2015.
Later lives.
Two members of the group died while the group was still active, Georg in 1947 at age 67, and Martina, who died in childbirth in 1952 at age 30. At the time of its cessation in 1957, the group included a number of non-family members because many of the original family wanted to pursue other endeavors, and only Maria's "iron will" had kept the group together for so long. After the group's demise, Maria, Johannes, Rosmarie, and Maria Franziska went to New Guinea to do missionary work; later Maria returned to run the Trapp Family Lodge for a number of years.
Of the remaining children in their later years, Rupert was already a medical doctor during World War II; Agathe spent many years as a kindergarten teacher in Maryland; Maria Franziska spent thirty years as a missionary in New Guinea; Werner became a farmer; Hedwig a music teacher; Johanna married and returned to Austria; Rosmarie and Eleonore both settled in Vermont; and Johannes followed his mother by managing the Trapp Family Lodge as a tourist resort. Maria died in 1987 and was buried with Georg and Martina in the family cemetery on the property. All of the original seven Trapp children had died by 2014, while the later two children, Eleonore and Johannes, are still alive as of June 2020.
Musical style and repertoire.
The real-life Trapp family were a respected Austrian singing group throughout their career. However, their style was a world away from the Broadway and Hollywood crowd-pleasing popular numbers as later included in the musical and film versions of their lives. Many of their studio recordings survive and have been reproduced as contemporary CD compilations. As for their live performances, in his 2004 essay "Family values: The Trapp Family Singers in North America, 1938-1956", Michael Saffle writes:
On the other hand, press releases subsequent to 1941 advertised "rollicking folk songs of many lands," "gay, lilting madrigals," and "lusty yodels and mountain calls" as well as "exquisite old motets and masses," and bragged of "record cross-country tour[s]" and large numbers of engagements, which attested to their popular appeal and suggests that the religious content was only one of several contributing elements to this over their main period of popularity in America.
Legacy.
Four grandchildren of Werner von Trapp (called "Kurt" in the film), great-grandchildren of Georg and step great-grandchildren of Maria, formed a singing group, "The von Trapps," and recorded five albums in a modern style between 2001 and 2016 before disbanding.
Partial Discography.
78 recordings.
[more details awaited]


List of Afrofuturist films

In film, Afrofuturism is the incorporation of black people's history and culture in science fiction film and related genres. "The Guardian"s Ashley Clark said the term Afrofuturism has "an amorphous nature" but that Afrofuturist films are "united by one key theme: the centring of the international black experience in alternate and imagined realities, whether fiction or documentary; past or present; science fiction or straight drama". "The New York Times"s Glenn Kenny said, "Afrofuturism is more prominent in music and the graphic arts than it is in cinema, but there are movies out there that illuminate the notion in different ways."
The 2018 film "Black Panther" was a major box-office success and contributed to Afrofuturism becoming more mainstream.


Mutual Admiration Society (song)

"Mutual Admiration Society" is a popular song published in 1956 from the Broadway musical "Happy Hunting." The song's tune was written by Harold Karr, the lyrics by Matt Dubey.


Blood of Elves

Blood of Elves () is the third novel in the "Witcher Saga" written by the Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published in Poland in 1994. It is a sequel to the "Witcher "short stories collected in the books "The Last Wish" () and "Sword of Destiny" () and is followed by "Time of Contempt" (). The book won the Janusz A. Zajdel Award in 1994 and the David Gemmell Legend Award in 2009. An English translation was published in the United Kingdom in 2008 (Gollancz) and in the United States in 2009 (Orbit).
Plot.
About a year before the beginning of the novel (as chronicled in the preceding short story "Much More"), the Empire of Nilfgaard attacks the Kingdom of Cintra. Queen Calanthe, mortally wounded, commits suicide and her granddaughter, Cirilla, called Ciri and nicknamed the "Lion Cub of Cintra" manages to flee from the burning capital city. Emhyr var Emreis, Emperor of Nilfgaard, sends his spies to find her. He knows that this young girl has great importance, not only because of her royal lineage, but also because of her elven blood which gives her immense magical potential. The war ends with Nilfgaard's defeat by a coalition of the Northern Kingdoms, though the Empire retains much of its power.
Almost two years after the armistice, the rulers of the Northern Kingdoms meet in secret to discuss the political situation. Peace with Nilfgaard is not what it was supposed to be - the Empire's financial clout is ruining the northern economy, Imperial emissaries agitate aristocrats and merchants against their monarchs, elves and dwarves have formed partisan groups called "Scoia'tael" (Squirrels) and are conducting acts of terror against humans - and in every major city cultists are prophesying that the world will end, unless the Savior comes from the South. The kings decide to start a war, before the Empire weakens their countries further, and to regain Cintra. They are aware that the Emperor is looking for Ciri to marry her (morganatically) and thus to legitimize his continuing occupation of Cintra. To prevent this, the monarchs decide to find and kill Ciri.
Ciri is being protected by the Witcher Geralt of Rivia, a magically and genetically mutated monster-slayer-for-hire, who takes her to the witchers' keep, Kaer Morhen, to be educated and trained by the few remaining witchers. The oldest member of the Order, Vesemir, asks the sorceress Triss Merigold to come to Kaer Morhen and help with occasional strange and abnormal behavior he had seen in Ciri. Much of what Triss observes is just the normal aspects of a woman's maturation, which the (exclusively male) Witchers are ignorant of, but she eventually realizes that Ciri is a "Source". She acknowledges that she does not have the power to control Ciri's talent, and advises Geralt to swallow his pride and seek help from his former lover Yennefer, a much more experienced and powerful sorceress.
At the same time, a mysterious wizard called Rience is searching for Ciri. Rience is described to be serving a more powerful mage, whose identity remains unknown. He captures Geralt's friend, Dandelion the bard, and tortures him for information about Ciri. Dandelion is saved by the timely arrival of Yennefer, who engages in a short magic duel with Rience. Rience manages to escape through a portal opened by his master, but is left with a prominent facial scar from Yennefer's spell.
In the spring, Geralt leaves Kaer Morhen with Triss and Ciri, intending to deliver Ciri to the Temple School in Ellander where she would receive a "normal" education from the priestess Nenneke. On the way, Triss falls ill, and they join Yarpen Zigrin's dwarven company who is leading a caravan for King Henselt of Kaedwen. Geralt tells Ciri about the roses of Aelirenn, an elf who died leading elven youths to fight the humans in a hopeless attack. The caravan is attacked by the Scoia'tael, and it is revealed that the escort mission was a trap set by the kings who doubted Yarpen's loyalty.
Ciri's stay in Ellander is still haunted by disturbing dreams until the arrival of Yennefer, who starts educating her in the ways of magic. From an initial antagonism, their relationship develops into a strong and deep bond, like that of a mother and daughter.
Meanwhile, Geralt does his best to track Rience and his mysterious employer. With the help of Dandelion, the medical student Shani, and the sorceress Philippa Eilhart, he forces a confrontation with Rience (the latter aided by the famous Michelet brothers, quadruplet assassins for hire), during which both are injured. Rience's master intervenes again, opening a portal for him, and Geralt is prevented from pursuing the mage by Eilhart, who also kills the last surviving Michelet brother so as to keep Geralt from learning the mysterious mage's identity. Geralt is left gravely wounded.
As they are about to leave the Temple School in Ellander, Yennefer asks Ciri whether she did not like her at first, leading to a series of flashbacks detailing Ciri's studies with Yennefer from the day they were introduced and back to the present as they are about to leave the Temple. Ciri admits that she did not like Yennefer, at first, and they leave.
Adaptations.
In 2014 a Polish audiobook has been released. It features 79 actors, music, and special effects.
Reception.
 was the winner of the Polish Janusz A. Zajdel Award for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel in 1994. In 2009 the book won the David Gemmell Legend Award in the United Kingdom.


Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo

Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo is a Japanese puppet theater company that has been in the family of the founder of the kuruma ningyo style of puppetry since the 19th century. The company was named an Intangible Cultural Asset by the city of Tokyo and an Intangible Folk Custom Cultural Asset by the Japanese government. Since the mid 1990s, the company has been directed by Koryu Nishikawa V, who has brought the art form to international attention, touring mostly Europe and the Americas.
Kuruma Ningyo puppetry.
Kuruma Ningyo puppetry is a style of puppet manipulation. As it is derived from the older bunraku, it is part of Japanese theatrical heritage, which has its origin in religious artistic expression. For this reason, it is not a form of children’s entertainment like in the West, but rather a form of entertainment for the masses, performing stories from classical Japanese literature and famous events of the Edo period (19th century) Japan.
Performances begin with the "sanbaso", a puppet dance which seeks to clear the stage of bad energy and acts as a petition for the show's success. Like bunraku, the performance of the puppets on stage is accompanied by shinnai musicians (generally one singer and one shamisen player), one main chanting narrator ("tayuu") and an assistant. The music of the three-stringed shamisen is to highlight background themes, emotions and other non-verbal elements.
What distinguishes kuruma ningyo from its predecessor is how the puppets are manipulated on stage. "Kuruma" is from "rokuro-kuruma" (a small seat with wheels) and "ningyo" means "puppet", thus "puppet on a cart". Large puppets over a meter tall are placed in front of a single puppeteer, dressed in black, who is seated on the wheeled vehicle. The use of this seat means that there is one puppeteer per puppet, unlike the three needed for bunraku, . and also allows movement of the puppets over the entire stage, rather a limited horizontal plane.
The attachment of the puppet to the front of the black-clad person, also allows the puppeteer to match elements such as hands, feet and head for more realistic movement, such as walking feet, allowing an easier illusion of the puppet moving on its own. The right hand of the puppet is controlled by the right hand of the puppeteer, and the feet are attached correspondingly by the puppeteer's toes grasping pegs under the feet of the puppet. The heads are attached by a thin black cord that allows corresponding head movement. While the left hand is used to manipulate the left hand of the puppet, it is also used to manipulate the eyelids and/or mouth of the puppet. When this is required, the puppeteer must manipulate both arms with the right hand, making this style of puppetry more difficult.
Much of its traditional repertoire is similar to that performed in the 19th century, using traditional music, stories and scenery. The company regularly performs with Shinnai Joruri Narrative Song master Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI, who has been designated a Living National Treasure (Bearer of Intangible Cultural Property). This title is held by only about 100 people in all artistic and craft endeavors in Japan.
However, under its current director it has experimented with non-traditional elements and story lines. The troupe has performed with a female "gidayu" (chanter/narrator), something that is rare. It also has higher quality set design and more sophisticated lighting than most puppet theater productions.
History of the Hachioji company.
Kuruma ningyo refers to the puppetry technique, developed starting in 1872 by the Nishikawa family. Hachioji is the name of the company, and is taken from the name of the suburb in western Tokyo, where the troupe’s headquarters is located.
Since its inception, the art has been passed down through five generations, with all of the directors named after the original founder Koryu Nishikawa I. Starting in the mid 1990s, the company began to have international performances, touring extensively in Europe, Asia and the America. They have performed in countries such as Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia, Canada, the United States and Saipan, along with most of Japan. For the shows in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, the company received the Florencia Sánchez Prize for the best foreign performance at the International Theater Festival in Uruguay. In 2014, the company was invited to represent Japan at the 42nd Festival Internacional Cervantino in Mexico.
The Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo was designated at an Intangible Cultural Asset by the city of Tokyo in 1962 and later an Intangible Folk Custom Cultural Asset by the national government.
Koryu Nishikawa V.
The current director (iemoto) of the Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo is Koryu Nishikawa, the fifth generation with this name and this occupation, taking on the role in 1996. He began studying kuruma ningyo puppetry when he was thirteen years old, apprenticing under his grandfather and father. Later he studied bunraku at the School of the National Bunraku Theater.
Nishikawa V has internationalized the company and its productions to a degree because of his international experience. He learned from working with Michael Meschke’s theater company in Stockholm and his work shows influence from this time teaching at the Marionette Theater Institute in Sweden in 1987. This includes productions aimed at international audiences and foreign elements such as flamenco dancers.
Nishikawa carries on the tradition not only to the next generations of his family, but also to young people in Japan, establishing the Passing Traditional Puppetry to Next Generation puppet festival to promote traditional Japanese puppetry.
In 2004, his hometown named him their cultural ambassador.


Unit 88-9 (Kiyomizu Masahiro)

"Unit 88-9" (Kiyomizu Masahiro) is a glazed stoneware sculpture by contemporary Japanese potter and sculptor Kiyomizu Masahiro, also known by the professional art-name Kiyomizu Rokubei VIII. This piece is held in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.
Kiyomizu Masahiro.
Kiyomizu Masahiro (清水 柾博) was born in Kyoto on April 22, 1954. His father was the sculptor Kiyomizu Kyūbei (清水九兵衛), who in 1981 became the seventh head of the Kiyomizu pottery atelier and took the name Kiyomizu Rokubei VII.
Kiyomizu Masahiro graduated from Tokyo's Waseda University with a degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Science and Engineering in 1979. Although he originally planned to pursue this field, but decided to follow in the family pottery tradition because it gave him "full control of the creative process from start to finish." He returned to Kyoto, where he continued his studies. He spent one year at the Kyoto Prefectural Ceramic Training Institute and another year at the Municipal Decorative Arts Institute in Kyoto.
In 1983, he became an official ceramist of the Kiyomizu family. In 2000, at age 46, he succeeded his father to become the eighth head of the Kiyomizu pottery studio. At this time he took the name Kiyomizu Rokubei VIII. Since then, he has attempted to combine the 240 plus years of tradition of his family kiln with his own unique avant-garde style.
He is currently an instructor of Contemporary Ceramics at the Kyoto University of Art and Design (京都造形芸術大学). He describes the goal of his classes as, "not simply to learn the techniques required to make ceramics, but to learn how to use those skills to produce a beautiful form, to create the form you want to express, to create a form corresponding to a specific image." A technique he favours is joining together flat slabs of clay in extended forms, highlighting instead of hiding the process of their construction. He then makes cuts to weaken the structure, which results in distortions during firing.
Kiyomizu Rokubei VIII is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, the Japan Society of Oriental Ceramic Studies (東洋陶磁学会) and the Ceramic Society of Japan (日本陶磁協会). In a 2004 survey conducted by Japanese art magazine "Honoho Geijutsu" to determine Japan's most important living ceramists, Kiyomizu tied for 23rd place in the popular vote. He was ranked 12th by curators, critics and art journalists.
Unit 88-9.
Although the first heads of the Kiyomizu family concentrated on traditional, popular objects and designs, Rokubei VII and VIII "took a radical turn" to produce abstract, geometric three-dimensional pieces which are either purely decorative, or combine function with distinctive, unexpected form. His works have been described as "futuristic-looking" and as having "a very Cubist sensibility." "Unit 88-9" fits in well with this characterization. It is a polyhedral piece of sculptural stoneware, with multiple flat and curved surfaces. The top surface is concave and, like every other surface, is lacerated. It is monochromatic, being entirely dark brown.
Other works.
Rokubei VIII's pieces belong to the following collections:
His large-scale 1972 steel sculpture "Belt II" stands in Paris' Museum of Outdoor Sculpture.
In 2005, he produced the ceramic art sculpture "SKY RELATION - 2005" for the domestic terminal of Central Japan International Airport (中部国際空港).


Bartmann jug

A Bartmann jug (from German "Bartmann", "bearded man"), also called Bellarmine jug, is a type of decorated salt-glazed stoneware that was manufactured in Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the Cologne region in what is today western Germany. The signature decorative detail was a bearded face mask appearing on the lower neck of the vessel.
They were made as jugs, bottles and pitchers in various sizes and for a multitude of uses, including storage of food or drink, decanting wine and transporting goods.
Origins.
Stoneware was a key export product of Germany in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period and was shipped to markets in Northern and Eastern Europe, the British Isles and later to colonies in North America and Asia. One of the largest centers of stoneware production was located in the Rhineland around the city of Cologne and the nearby towns of Altenrath, Siegburg and Frechen. Like other German stoneware of the period, it was characterized by relief decoration through the use of mould techniques. Various patterns and motifs were used throughout different periods and regions, and one of the most distinct and well-known was the bearded facemask (German: "Bartmaske") used most frequently by Cologne and especially Frechen potters in the 16th and 17th centuries to decorate the necks of stoneware bottles, jugs and pitchers. The image of the bearded face is believed to have originated in the mythical wild man creature, popular in northern European folklore from the 14th century, and later appearing as an illustration on everything from manuscript illuminations to metalworkings.
The popular alternative name "Bellarmine" is recorded earliest in 1634, and is in popular tradition associated with the cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621), a fierce opponent of Protestantism in the Low Countries and northern Germany. The reason for the association with Bellarmine is not entirely clear but was possibly conceived by Dutch and English Protestants to ridicule the cardinal. Another possibility is his anti-alcohol stance.
Iconography.
The defining feature of Bartmann jugs, the bearded face mask, is the only constant motif throughout their production. In the 16th century they could be adorned with popular floral or oakleaf-and-acorn decoration on the body of the vessel. Later, especially in the 17th century, they would frequently be decorated with a medallion in the middle of the body, usually in the form of the arms of royalty, noble families or towns. Many other type of ornamental patterns were used including sobering religious maxims such as "DRINCK VND EZT GODEZ NIT VERGEZT", “Eat and drink, forget not God”. The design of the face masks, or "Bartmänner", went through a design change during the 17th century as they "became progressively debased and notably grotesque".
Distribution and use.
Early modern stoneware from Germany, particularly the Rhineland, "enjoys the greatest archaeological distribution around the globe", and this includes the Bartmann jugs. They have been located in archeological sites all over the world, as a sign of European colonization, emigration and trade. A pair of Bartmann jugs have been documented at the site of the wreck of the English ship "Sea Venture", lost in 1609 off Bermuda. The jugs have been dated to around 1580–90, meaning that they had survived for about two decades, including ship transport, which indicates the extent of longevity that Rhenish stoneware could have. The Dutch East India Company routinely used Bartmann jugs to transport mercury, evidence of which has been found at shipwreck sites in the North Sea and as far away as Western Australia. Frechen Bartmann bottles dating from the mid 17th century have been found in graves of native inhabitants in colonial North America, near the Warren River in Rhode Island and in Camden, Virginia. Among the finds of period shipwrecks, Bartmann jugs frequently appear among the finds. A Bartmann bottle donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London was most likely a bottle salvaged from the wreck of the mid-16th century warship "Mary Rose" in 1840.
In the 17th century Bartmann jugs were employed as witch bottles, a popular type of magic item which was filled with various objects such as human urine, hair and magical charms, which were supposed to benefit their owners or harm their enemies. Bottles with malevolent-looking face masks, typical of the period, were routinely chosen for this very purpose.
Bartmann jugs were a signature product of Frechen, but their popularity resulted in imitations made in Raeren (Belgium) and Siegburg. They were manufactured in several locations in England, either by English potters copying German patterns or by immigrant Germans. In the late 19th century, during a revival of German stoneware-making, Bartmann jugs were reproduced based on illustrations of museum collections. Attempted forgeries were discovered in England in the 1990s.


Albert Vizentini

Albert Vizentini was a French violinist, composer, conductor and music writer, born in Paris on 9 November 1841, and died there on 21 October 1906. His main centre of activity was the French capital, but he also worked for ten years in Russia and toured in Britain and Ireland.
Life and career.
Vizentini came from an Italian musical family active in the theatre, one of whom had established himself at the Comédie-Italienne. As a child he appeared in various children’s roles at the Théâtre de l'Odéon, making his debut on 31 December 1847 in "Le Dernier Banquet", a revue by Camille Doucet. His father Augustin worked at the Vaudeville Theatre in Paris, then became stage manager in the last season of the Théâtre Lyrique.
He undertook musical studies at the Conservatoire in Brussels, under Leonard and Fétis, achieving first prize in violin in 1860 and a first prize in composition in 1861. After briefly acting as assistant conductor at the theatre in Antwerp he returned to Paris.
Vizentini joined the orchestra of the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens then became leader of the orchestra at the Théâtre Lyrique from 1861–66, as well as appearing as a concert soloist. He began conducting at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin and toured with another French operetta troupe to London, English provincial towns and Ireland,
From 1865-1873 Vizentini wrote about the theatre and music for various journals, displaying a lively wit and solid knowledge. His articles appeared in "Le Charivari", "L'Entr'acte", the "Grand Journal", "Paris-Magazine", "L'Événement illustré", "L'Éclair", and he founded a short-lived theatrical bulletin "Le Télégraphe".
Having started to work at the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Lyrique Vizentini took over from Offenbach there in 1875, where he acted as both music director and administrator. He started with a lavish premiere production on 26 October of "Le voyage dans la lune" by Offenbach. The following year he attempted to rekindle the spirit and repertoire of the Théâtre Lyrique, by bringing on more substantial operas. He had much support, in particular from composers, the press and public administration, and secured a subsidy towards the running costs. The major premiere was to be "Dimitri" by Victorin de Joncières, an opera in 5 acts, for which Vizentini assembled a notable cast of singers, including Victor Capoul, Michot, Jacques Bouhy, Léon Melchissédec, Grivot and Heilbron. He next decided to mount a production of "Paul et Virginie" by Victor Massé which enjoyed a major success, followed by works such as "Le Timbre d’argent", by Saint-Saëns, "Le Bravo" by Salivaire, and "L'Aumônier du régiment" by Hector Salomon. Nonetheless, in spite of artistic success and public sympathy the company closed after twenty months in early January 1878.
Vizentini organised a massive music festival in December 1878 at the Paris Hippodrome with at least 15,000 spectators, where he shared the podium with contemporary composers conducting their own works. On 18 May 1879 Vizentini was part of the group gathered at Offenbach’s house for the first private performance of "Les contes d'Hoffmann".
From 1879 to 1889 Vizentini was chief conductor and stage manager of the Imperial Theatres of St Petersburg, also conducting the Pavlovsk concerts. He premiered "Richard III" by Salvayre which was not a success, and arranged the music for the ballet "The King's Command or The Pupils of Dupré" in 1886.
Back in France he became the administrator of the Théâtre des Variétés and the Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques, then from September 1894 stage manager of the Théâtre du Gymnase. In 1897 Vizentini became director of the Grand Théâtre de Lyon, where he staged and conducted the first French performance of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger". Later he was invited by Albert Carré (with whom he had worked at the Gymnase) to come to the Opéra-Comique as stage director, which he did from 1898. After a three-month illness he died before the start of the 1906-07 season.
Compositions.
Vizentini composed four opérettes, "La Tsigane" (Folies-Marigny, 1865), "Le Moulin ténébreux" (Bouffes-Parisiens, 1869) "La Plantation Thomassin" (Théâtre - Vichy, 1894) and "La Gaudriole" (Villa Les Fleurs - Aix-les-Bains, 1897). He also wrote two cantatas performed at the Vaudeville and the Porte-Saint-Martin, and music for several plays including "Nos ancêtres", "Cadio", "Patrie", "Le Bossu", etc. He also published fantasies for violin and piano, a great ballet "Ordre du Roi", and a lot of song and dances.
His humorous book "Derrière la toile (Foyers, Coulisses, Comédiens) Physiologies des théâtres Parisiens". Faure, 1868, recounts his observations of the different theatres in Paris and pen-portraits of famous artists.


Axel Kober

Axel Kober (born 10 February 1970) is a German conductor. Since 2009 he has been the Music Director of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.
Kober was born in Kronach and studied conducting under Peter Falk and Günther Wich at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg. His first professional engagement was with the Mecklenburg State Theatre in 1994. From 1998 to 2003 he was the chief conductor of the Theater Dortmund, where he conducted several rarely performed operas, including the German premiere of Charpentier's "Julien". Following a 4-year stint at the National Theatre Mannheim (2003–2007) where he served as its chief conductor, and two years as Music Director of the Leipzig Opera (2007–2009), he was appointed Music Director of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. In 2013, the bicentenary of Wagner's birth, Kober made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival conducting "Tannhäuser" and conducted it again at the 2014 festival.


Red Nights

Red Nights ("Les Nuits rouges du Bourreau de Jade") is a 2010 French-Hong Kong film by Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud. It is a thriller and a tale of erotic horror. The filmmakers call it a Hong Kong "giallo" with mystery, (sadistic) murders, fetishism and women. The film played at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival in the Midnight Madness section.
Plot.
There is a legend of an executioner who created a poison which brought death through absolute pleasure. This legend repeats nowadays when a French woman flees to Hong Kong after killing her lover and stealing from him an old artifact containing this poison. She meets a mobster from Taiwan and an epicurean and sadistic woman killer, who all want to get the precious poison.


Tile crank

A tile crank is used in a pottery kiln to hold a stack of ceramic tiles apart while they are fired. This allows multiple tiles to be fired at once under uniform heating. Ledges on either side of the tile crank are tilted upwards so as to only touch the unglazed back of the tile, allowing the edge of the tile to be glazed.


Mary Ellen Hopkins

Mary Ellen Hopkins (1932–2013) was an American quilter and author.
Life.
Hopkins was born in Peoria, Illinois and grew up in the midwestern United States. She attended Drury College and the University of Missouri.
Hopkins married and had four children. In 1963, she moved with her family to Santa Monica, California. She worked from home making men's shirts.
Quilting.
In 1977, Hopkins opened a quilt shop in Santa Monica called Crazy Ladies and Friends. Hopkins' short book, "The Double Wedding Ring Book", was released in 1981 and her first full-length book, "The It's Okay If You Sit on My Quilt Book", in 1982. She founded a company, ME Publishing First Printing, to publish the latter.
Classes offered at her shop developed into invitations to give lectures. Following the release of "The It's Okay If You Sit on My Quilt Book", Hopkins began teaching workshops to quilt shop owners interested in her techniques. She lectured throughout the United States and internationally.
Hopkins sold her shop in the late 1990s, continuing to give lectures until 2010. Following a stroke, she died on July 9, 2013.
Hopkins preferred to give talks rather than use a workshop format. She observed of herself, "Getting up on a stage and talking without interruptions was great." Hopkins' lectures were described as having a "trademark high-energy, humorous style". According to Quiltviews, the blog of the American Quilting Society, "Mary Ellen is probably best known for creating the connector and perfect piecing triangles concepts and the PPM – Personal Private Measurement."


Stephanie J. Block

Stephanie Janette Block (born September 19, 1972) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway stage.
Block made her Broadway debut in 2003, originating the role of Liza Minnelli in "The Boy from Oz". After reading for the role of Elphaba during the early stages of "Wicked" in 2000, Block became the first actress to play the role in the show's first U.S. national tour in 2005. She later reprised the role of Elphaba on Broadway from 2007 to 2008.
A three-time Tony Award nominee and six-time Drama Desk Award nominee, Block won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her lead performance in "The Cher Show". She also received Tony and Drama Desk nominations for her performances in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" (2013) and "Falsettos" (2016). She received Drama Desk nominations for her performances in the Off-Broadway productions of "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" (2011) and "Little Miss Sunshine" (2013), as well as in the Broadway production of "9 to 5" (2009).
Additionally, Block has appeared on numerous cast recordings and released a solo album, "This Place I Know", in 2009. Her television credits include recurring roles on "Madam Secretary" (2017) and "Rise" (2018).
Early life.
Block was born on September 19, 1972, in Brea, California, and has one sister, Renée. Her mother, Rosemarie (Garritano), worked for the local school district, and her father, Steven Block, was a welfare fraud investigator. She was raised Catholic and is of German and Italian descent. Block grew up in Brea, where she attended St. Angela Merici Parish School. Later she attended an all-girls Catholic private school, Rosary High School in Fullerton, California, for her secondary education. She finished up her high-school years at the Orange County High School of the Arts.
Career.
Block started her professional musical theater career with regional theater, appearing in many productions including "Funny Girl", "Crazy for You", "Oliver!", "James Joyce's The Dead", and "Bells Are Ringing". Block was additionally the original Belle in the Disneyland production of "Beauty and the Beast" and did voice work for numerous commercials, including the singing voice of Barbie.
In early 2000 Block read the part of Elphaba in the first reading of the new musical "Wicked". After a few months of reading, she was replaced by Idina Menzel, a decision that left Block devastated, but accepting of the decision that had been made to cast a more experienced performer in the role. She was Menzel's understudy in the San Francisco tryout in 2003, but she left the show prior to Broadway when she was offered a lead role in a new Broadway musical, "The Boy from Oz". Block made her Broadway debut in 2003, playing the role of Liza Minnelli opposite Hugh Jackman's Peter Allen in the show. The show received mixed reviews but proved to be a hit with audiences, playing on Broadway for close to a year. The musical received several Tony Award nominations, including a nomination for Best Musical.
In spring 2005, Block originated the role of Elphaba in the first national tour of "Wicked". She was awarded both the 2006 Helen Hayes Award and the 2007 Carbonell Award for Best Actress in a Non-Resident Production for this role. Block received great reviews for a show-stopping performance. After performing with the tour for a year, Block left the production in March 2006 and was replaced by Julia Murney.
In 2007 Block performed in the title role of the new Broadway musical "The Pirate Queen", with music written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. Block was praised by critics, such as Ben Brantley from "The New York Times", for giving a "truly felt, realistic, performance". She also received a nomination for a Drama League Award for her performance. Plagued by insufficient ticket sales and harsh reviews, the show opened in April and barely played for two months at the Hilton Theatre, closing in June. Later that year Block reprised the role of Elphaba in "Wicked" on Broadway beginning October 9, 2007, where she replaced Julia Murney. She left the production after eight months, on June 15, 2008, and was succeeded by Kerry Ellis.
Block starred alongside Allison Janney, Megan Hilty, and Marc Kudisch in the new musical adaptation of the 1980 film "9 to 5". The production was directed by Joe Mantello with music written by Dolly Parton. The show opened on Broadway in April 2009 at the Marquis Theatre and closed in September 2009. Block starred as Judy Bernly, the frazzled divorcée, the role played by Jane Fonda in the film. For this role Block was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
In 2009, Block released her debut album through PS Classics titled "This Place I Know". Although the album failed to chart, it was a hit with critics with some hailing it as the best album that has come out of the Broadway community in some time. More recently she has done concert work in London's West End. In February 2010 she performed live at the New Players Theatre in London.
Block was seen as Grizabella in the Municipal Opera Production production of "Cats", which ran from July 19–25, 2010. Block also starred as Sonia Walsk alongside Jason Alexander in the Reprise Theatre Company's production of "They're Playing Our Song", which played at the UCLA Freud Playhouse for two weeks from September 28–October 10, 2010.
Block made her off-Broadway debut as Gloria Mitchell in the play "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage alongside Karen Olivo and David Garrison. "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" played at Second Stage Theatre through June 12, 2011. "Entertainment Weekly" wrote that Block's performance in the show was, "terrifically over-the-top". She received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play.
Block starred as Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of "Anything Goes", first playing the role for three weeks in November 2011 while Sutton Foster was away filming a pilot episode. Block performed with co-star Colin Donnell on the 2011 CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade. Block returned to the role on March 15, 2012, as Foster left the production permanently on March 11. She remained with the show until its closure on July 8, 2012.
Block performed the lead role in Roundabout Theatre Company's production of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", which ran from November 13, 2012, to March 10, 2013. For this role, she was nominated for another Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
From November 14 to December 15, 2013, Block appeared in the Off-Broadway production of "Little Miss Sunshine" at Second Stage Theatre as Sheryl Hoover. For this role, she received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.
Block played Trina in the 2016 Broadway revival of "Falsettos", directed by James Lapine. She was joined by Christian Borle and Andrew Rannells who played Marvin and Whizzer, respectively. The musical began previews on September 29, 2016, and opened officially on October 27, 2016. The limited run ended on January 8, 2017. For her performance, Block received rave reviews, with "The New York Times" writing that she is "better here than ever". She received nominations for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.
Block had a recurring role in the NBC series "Rise", playing Patricia, a devout Catholic who ends up at odds with her husband over their son's involvement in a controversial high school play.
Block played singer Cher in the biomusical "The Cher Show". The musical played an out-of-town tryout in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre, beginning on June 12, 2018, and running through July 15. The production opened on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre in December 2018. For this performance, Block won the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She also won an Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Drama League Award. "The Cher Show" ended its run on August 18, 2019.
Personal life.
Block married actor Sebastian Arcelus on October 25, 2007. Arcelus starred alongside Block in the first national tour of "Wicked" as the Fiyero replacement from January to October 2006 and again on Broadway from October to December 2007. They have one daughter, Vivienne Helena Arcelus, who was born January 19, 2015.