The Lark Ascending (Vaughan Williams)

The Lark Ascending is a short, single-movement work by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, inspired by the 1881 poem of the same name by the English writer George Meredith. It was originally for violin and piano, completed in 1914 but not performed until 1920. The composer reworked it for solo violin and orchestra after the First World War. This version, in which the work is chiefly known, was first performed in 1921. It is subtitled "A Romance", a term that Vaughan Williams favoured for contemplative slow music.
The work has gained considerable popularity in Britain and elsewhere and has been much recorded between 1928 and the present day.
Background.
Among the enthusiasms of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams were poetry and the violin. He had trained as a violinist as a boy, and greatly preferred the violin to the piano, for which he never had a great fondness. His literary tastes were wide-ranging, and among the English poets of the 19th and early 20th centuries whom he admired were Tennyson, Swinburne, Christina and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Hardy, Housman, and Meredith. Before the composition of "The Lark Ascending" Vaughan Williams had inscribed a verse by Meredith above an early score, now lost.
The composer's second wife, Ursula, herself a poet, wrote that in "The Lark Ascending" Vaughan Williams had "taken a literary idea on which to build his musical thought … and had made the violin become both the bird's song and its flight, being, rather than illustrating the poem from which the title was taken". At the head of the score Vaughan Williams wrote twelve lines from Meredith's 122-line poem:
<poem>He rises and begins to round,
He drops the silver chain of sound,
Of many links without a break,
In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake.
For singing till his heaven fills,
'Tis love of earth that he instils,
And ever winging up and up,
Our valley is his golden cup
And he the wine which overflows
to lift us with him as he goes.
Till lost on his aerial rings
In light, and then the fancy sings.</poem>
It is not known when and where Vaughan Williams composed the piece. The original manuscript has been lost. The soloist for whom the work was written and to whom it is dedicated was Marie Hall, a leading British violinist of the time, a former pupil of Edward Elgar, and celebrated for her interpretation of that composer's Violin Concerto. She worked with Vaughan Williams on the new piece before the premiere, and may have influenced some details of the score, though if so the extent is unknown.
First performances.
The premiere of the violin and piano version was given by Hall and the pianist Geoffrey Mendham (1899–1984) at the Shirehampton Public Hall on 15 December 1920. Hall was again the soloist in the first performance of the orchestral version, in the Queen's Hall, London, on 14 June 1921, at a concert presented by the British Music Society. The British Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Adrian Boult. The music critic of "The Times" noted that "The Lark Ascending" was not the main item on the programme, which featured an early performance of Holst's "The Planets", but it made a favourable impression. He commented that it:
The critic A. H. Fox Strangways wrote in "Music & Letters":
Musical analysis.
The typical playing time of the piece is between 13 and 16 minutes. It begins with a two-bar introduction by woodwind and muted strings in time, after which the soloist enters with an unaccompanied cadenza marked pianissimo and "sur la touche" (that is, placing the bow over the fingerboard, which reduces the higher harmonics and gives an ethereal tone). The cadenza is written "senza misura" – without bar-lines – which "Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians" defines as "freely", "without strict regard for the metre".
Towards the end of the cadenza Vaughan Williams introduces a melody in G major with which the solo violin continues when the orchestra re-enters, in :
A second, unaccompanied cadenza, shorter than the first, leads to a contrasting episode (Allegretto tranquillo quasi andante) with a new melody for flutes:
A section marked Allegro tranquillo begins with solo violin trills, punctuated by off-beat triangle (the only percussion in the piece). The key, which has been a somewhat ambiguous G major up to this point, changes to F major, and the time switches to . The oboe enters after five bars with another new melody marked scherzando:
The melody introduced by the flutes returns, (now marked Allegretto molto tranquillo) played by the violin soloist, and is followed by a reprise of the earlier section. The work ends with the unaccompanied violin in a closing cadenza which reaches up to a D in altissimo (i.e. two octaves above the treble staff) and then drops again a minor third on to B.
Christopher Mark has analysed "The Lark Ascending" in terms of the composer's use of modes. He finds that the work begins in the Dorian mode, and switches between that and the Aeolian mode interspersed with extensive use of the Pentatonic scale.
Alternative versions.
The orchestral version is scored for solo violin with an orchestra of two flutes, one oboe, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, triangle and strings. Vaughan Williams also provided a version for chamber orchestra, with one each of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and triangle, with three or four first violins, the same of second violins, two violas, two cellos and one double bass.
Critical and public reception.
The work has prompted a range of aesthetic responses from analysts and reviewers. In his study of the composer's music, Michael Kennedy comments that "The Lark Ascending" is a unique work, but often underrated "possibly because its very simplicity is deceptive". The critic Paul Conway writes that it "depicts a pastoral scene with the violin imitating the titular songbird and the orchestra … representing the landscape beneath". Christopher Mark similarly sees a distinction between the airborne solo part and the orchestral sections, finding the "folk-like melody" for the flute "shifting the focus from the sky to ground-level and human activity".
The musicologist Lewis Foreman comments, "It is possible to forget what a revolutionary piece this was in the context of the British music of 1914 [with] its rhythmic freedom and flow and its avoidance of tonic-and-dominant cadencing, together with its imagery". Jeffrey Davis writes, "At one level it seems to be an idyll of rural England [but] in view of its composition on the eve of the First World War, there is perhaps an underlying layer of sadness to the music. Rather like the Edwardian era, as viewed retrospectively from the other side of World War One, it seems to reflect nostalgia for a partly mythological lost age of innocence." For Philip Borg-Wheeler, writing in 2014, the piece is "imbued with a profound sense of communion with nature". He adds, "Rather than scorning English pastoralism – as Elisabeth Lutyens and others did with observations such as 'the cowpat school' – we should value this rare quality expressed so perfectly by Vaughan Williams in particular. The same writer draws attention to the parallels between Vaughan Williams and Béla Bartók who, he suggests, both assimilated folk-song characteristics so thoroughly that their own melodic invention became indistinguishable – there is no actual folk-song borrowing in "The Lark Ascending".
Frank Howes, in his "The Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams" written towards the end of the composer's life, observes that the work is distinctively Vaughan Williams's own and "like nothing else in music – Beethoven's two Romances for violin and orchestra are the nearest parallels". Like other commentators, Howes remarks on the composer's choice of the term "A Romance" for the piece. It was a term he applied to some of his most profoundly lyrical utterances such as the slow movements of the Piano Concerto and the Fifth Symphony. Howes adds, "'Romance' for Vaughan Williams is devoid of erotic connotation … The lark may be calling to his mate but it sounds more like "joie de vivre" on a spring morning with a slight haze in the air."
In a 2011 poll of BBC listeners to choose Britain's Desert Island Discs, the work was the chosen favourite. From 2007 to 2010, the piece was voted number one in the Classic FM annual "Hall of Fame" poll, over Elgar's Cello Concerto, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and another work of Vaughan Williams, the "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis". In 2011–2013 it was supplanted by the Rachmaninoff work but was placed first in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and took third place in 2018.
In 2011, in a radio poll of New Yorkers for preferences of music to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, "The Lark Ascending" ranked second. "The Lark Ascending" has been a consistent favourite in Radio New Zealand Concert's annual New Year's Day countdown programme, "Settling the Score." It has ranked number one every year from 2007 to 2012, and placed highly in other years.
Recordings.
The work has been recorded frequently. The first recording was made in 1928 by the violinist Isolde Menges with an unnamed orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent. Further 78 r.p.m. sets were issued in the 1940s and early 1950s. In a comparative review in "Gramophone" magazine in 2015, David Gutman compiled a short list of twenty-four recordings, from a 1952 mono set featuring Jean Pougnet, Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic to a 2014 release with Tamsin Waley-Cohen, the Orchestra of the Swan and David Curtis. Soloists include Nicola Benedetti, Sarah Chang, Hilary Hahn, Nigel Kennedy, Tasmin Little and Pinchas Zukerman; among the conductors are Daniel Barenboim, Sir Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Sir Neville Marriner, André Previn and Sir Simon Rattle. The reviewer's top recommendation was a 1967 EMI recording by Hugh Bean and the New Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Boult. That recording is also the preferred version of Rob Cowan's 1997 "Classical 1000".
The version for violin and piano has been recorded by Matthew Trusler and Iain Burnside (2013), and Jennifer Pike and Martin Roscoe (2020).


Turkey Television

Turkey Television is a Canadian teen sketch comedy originally aired on Nickelodeon. The show was created by Roger Price and Geraldine Laybourne at the request of Nickelodeon in response to the popularity of "You Can't Do That on Television", another Canadian children's sketch comedy airing on Nick. It was originally broadcast in 1985 for one season.
The series was about an animated turkey named Thurman T. Turkey (voiced by Jim Thurman), who traveled around the world filming television shows from other countries, then "bringin' it home to Hollywood and puttin' it on the air". The cast featured Les Lye, Christine McGlade, Kevin Kubusheskie, and Adam Reid, all of "You Can't Do That on Television" fame, as well as several newcomers from Toronto: Steven Aiken, T.J. Criscione, and Craig Warnock. McGlade was also credited as a producer and a director. The cast also included John Koensgen as "Ivan Telaly" the Russian news announcer. John also co-hosted at least one episode as himself. Some of the most notable skits include parodies of Dr. Joyce Brothers and a parody of Hands Across America in which meat-waving children sing "Hams Across America." Actor Tom Riis Farrell appeared in a frequent segment called "The Uncle Hogram Program", a parody of Mr Bill.
The series also presented material from outside sources of varying vintage, from public domain footage (often re-edited and given new sound tracks, similar to Jay Ward's "Fractured Flickers") to not so old clips presented as is ("e.g.", scenes from Jacques Tati's "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday") to more recent excerpts (skits from the New Jersey Network's "Uncle Floyd Show") to offbeat music videos such as "Fish Heads". Animation was also featured on the show, outside of the opening and interstitials, featuring Thurman in very Looney Tunes-like scenarios, there were also international cartoons including the works of Mordillo. Australian comedy character Norman Gunston appeared often, as well. Videos by "Weird Al" Yankovic also appeared from time to time.


The Stink Files

The Stink Files is a series of three children's mystery books by Jennifer L. Holm and Jonathan Hamel. The main character is a cat named James Edward Bristlefur aka Mr. Stink.


Mohenjo Daro (film)

Mohenjo Daro is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language period action-adventure film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur for UTV Motion Pictures and Sunita Gowariker for Ashutosh Gowariker Productions (AGPPL), and features Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles. It is a cinematic presentation based on the ancient Indus Valley civilization, and its city Mohenjo-daro, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Set in 2016 BC at the height of Indus Valley Civilization, the story follows a farmer Sarman (Hrithik Roshan) who travels to the city of Mohenjo Daro and falls in love with a high-status woman (Hegde), and who must then challenge the city's elite, and fight against overwhelming odds to save their civilization. Gowariker took over three years to research and develop the script, working closely with archaeologists to ensure authenticity in the representation of his fictional story. The film was shot in Bhuj and Mumbai with brief schedules in Bhedaghat (Jabalpur) and Thane.
The score and soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar. The film was released worldwide on 12 August 2016 to generally mixed or negative reviews from critics, and is considered to be a major box office flop.
"Mohenjo Daro" marks the last film production of UTV Motion Pictures, as after the film, there are only two Disney releases, "Dangal" and "Jagga Jasoos", which marked producer Kapur's final projects under Disney-UTV before his contract with the company lapsed on 1 January 2017.
Plot.
The film opens in 2016 BCE with Sarman (Hrithik Roshan), a young man from the village of Amri, who lost his parents at a young age. Sarman kills a crocodile that has been terrorizing his village's fishermen and is hailed as a hero. He asks his uncle, Durjan (Nitish Bharadwaj), to allow him to go to Mohenjo Daro to trade their family's goods, but his uncle refuses. Sarman attempts to sneak away to the city at night with his friend Hojo (Umang Vyas), but is caught by Durjan, who relents and allows both friends to go. He gives Sarman a seal that contains an inscription of a unicorn that Sarman often sees in his dreams, suggesting he use it only once in a life or death situation.
Arriving in Mohenjo Daro, Sarman learns that the city is ruled by the tyrannical Senate Chief Maham (Kabir Bedi) and his wicked son Moonja (Arunoday Singh). He also learns that the unicorn he sees in his dreams is the symbol of the city, and feels as if the city is oddly familiar to him. While Sarman is trading, Maham proposes to impose an additional tax on the farmers so that the city may grow, but Sarman leads the farmers to oppose the taxes so that their families don't starve to death. Sarman gains access to the upper city by showing his uncle's amulet and meets Chaani (Pooja Hegde), the elegant and gorgeous daughter of the head priest (Manish Choudhary) Mohenjo Daro. Sarman is enchanted by Chaani's heavenly beauty and charm and falls in love with her. Upon meeting, the head priest strangely appears to recognize Sarman. Chaani reveals that she has been forcibly betrothed to Moonja, Sarman's enemy, who is cruel and ruthless. Maham discovers Sarman and Chaani love each other and that Sarman is the leader of the tax revolt, and so he challenges Sarman to fight Bakar and Zokhar, his two champions. Sarman proposes that if he wins, Chaani will be released from her engagement, and Maham accepts the terms.
The head priest reveals to Sarman how Maham was expelled from Harappa for illegal trade with the Sumerians. Maham entered Mohenjo Daro as a trader and quickly rose to become the trade chief. Maham had discovered that the mighty Sindhu River held vast gold deposits, so he decided to place a dam on the river and divert its course to mine the gold. The wise Senate Chief Srujan (Sharad Kelkar), who is revealed to be Sarman's father, opposed this, but Maham won the vote to build the dam. He had Srujan framed and arrested for hoarding gold. Chaani's father and Durjan – Sarman's uncle – were coerced by Maham to betray Srujan, and the latter was killed. Maham then took Srujan's place as the new Senate Chief. It is now up to Sarman to defeat the evil Maham and avenge for his father.
In the arena outside the city, Sarman faces the ferocious Tajik mountain cannibals Bakar and Zokhar. After a vicious battle, he kills one of the cannibals but spares the other, and the people of Mohenjo Daro surge even stronger behind him. Enraged, Maham urges Moonja to finish off Chaani and the priest. Moonja kills the priest, but Sarman saves Chaani and kills Moonja.
Chaani exposes Maham's plan to use the gold from the Sindhu to enrich himself and to smuggle in weapons from the Sumerians. All the chiefs now stand against Maham. The people elect Sarman as the new chief, but Sarman suggests Mohenjo Daro needs a people's government, not a chief. With the arrival of a heavy thunderstorm, Sarman realizes that the dam will burst and the Sindhu River will flood the city. He rallies the people to lash boats together and form a floating bridge. They evacuate Mohenjo Daro and cross to the other side of the river. The dam collapses, and Maham, chained in the city square, is drowned. The once renowned Mohenjo Daro is no more. The survivors migrate to another river, where Sarman sees the unicorn of his dreams and names the river Ganga.
Production.
Development.
Director Ashutosh Gowariker was first inspired to make a film set in the ancient Indus Valley civilization when he was in Bhuj, Gujarat, scouting locations for his then-upcoming "Lagaan" (2001), and stumbled across the massive excavations in progress at the ruins of Dholavira: "I thought, My God! This is incredible! What happened to this civilization, who were the people, how did they live?"
Several other films projects later, Gowariker announced the film "Mohenjo Daro" officially in February 2014 with A. R. Rahman composing the film score.
On taking up the project, in an interview, Gowariker stated that there was meagre and superficial information available about the people in that civilisation, particularly about their lifestyle, food, and feelings. The lack of information about the period troubled Gowariker, and he decided that whenever he would get a story to tell, it will be depicted circa 2500 BC at Mohenjo-daro which, despite being the largest city yet discovered from that ancient civilization, is today known only by the name—which translates as "Mound of the Dead" in English—ascribed by the Sindhi locals to the site when its ruins were discovered in 1922. "Mohenjo Daro" is not only the official name associated with that ancient city by the United Nations (as a World Heritage site since 1980), but also the only name associated with it by archaeologists and historians around the world, as well as the general public. Thus, regardless of the literal translation of the words, "Mohenjo Daro" was the only possible title for an audience to identify with the actual reference point despite the fact that the city could have not been so named in ancient times.
On the film's plot, he was quoted as saying, "While the plot will follow Mohenjo-daro and the culture and the vibe of the ancient civilization, it will largely centre on a love story." It took Gowariker three years to piece together a plot of the entire civilisation through various cities and weave a love story into it.
The challenges of adapting for cinema a story based on one of the greatest ancient civilisations of the world whose written language has not yet been deciphered have proved unique. Because modern science can not yet read anything the Indus Valley peoples wrote about themselves, any aspect about their civilization has to be conjectured from what relics survive to discovery by archaeologists working at their various ruins. As "The Indian Express" pointed out, "whatever we do know about Mohenjo-daro is perhaps as much an imagination of the historian as that of a filmmaker who depicts it in visual terms."
During Ashutosh Gowariker's research, he met as many as seven archaeologists who are closely involved in excavating sites and studying the Indus Valley Civilization. After much reading of published archaeological reports on his own, he brought in the American archaeologist Jonathan Mark Kenoyer of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, considered one of the world's leading experts on the ancient Indus Valley civilization, who has worked at the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro over 35 years. He brought together Kenoyer to round-table with five other expert archaeologists who have also been working on this topic for many years—P. Ajit Prasad, V. N. Prabakhar, K. Krishnan, Vasant Shinde, and R. S. Bisht, "who are all from the Archaeological Survey of India, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and other institutions, all with expertise in different aspects of the same civilization." Gowariker had also personally revisited the archaeological dig at Dholavira in Gujarat.
Kenoyer later visited Bhuj to inspect and approve the sets and props built by the filmmakers.
The symbol ultimately selected for the film "Mohenjo Daro" recalls one of the earliest discovered artifacts from the initial archaeological excavations at the ruins of the ancient city itself: 'Another [seal] shows six animal heads—"unicorn", bison, antelope, tiger, the remaining two broken—radiating from a ring, and recalling a whorl on another seal from the same site with a single "unicorn" and five featureless lobes', the "unicorn" being one of the 'most frequently represented' animals portrayed among the 'over 1,200 of them [seals] [which] have been found at Mohenjo-daro alone'. The filmmaker has chosen to identify the "unicorn" with his central character.
The broadest artistic license required in bringing the Indus Valley civilization to the cinema, inevitably, would be costuming. Because although "undisputed traces of cotton cloth have survived at Mohenjo-Daro" and the Indus culture is believed by archaeologists to have pioneered the cultivation of cotton for clothmaking in the ancient world, no actual samples of finished clothing or other organic matter have survived over these four thousand years, due to the "damp alkalkine soil" prevailing at the Indus sites. Thus, the only reference material is the relative handful (compared with the broad abundance of seals found, or commercial items such as weights and measures) of terracotta humanoid figurines or small stone statues found at various excavations, which are mostly only partially intact and of mostly unknown purpose—but male or female, are mostly naked. Some of the female figures, for instance, wear elaborate headdresses and jewellery but little else. Explained the director in an interview, "I cannot make a movie with so much nudity, obviously. So I had to create and imagine a costume which will be away from all the different styles that we have seen in other movies, and yet be special for this civilization."
With the film being set in a certain period, the whole site had to be recreated in a film studio. He was involved in working out the logistics during June 2014. The film's stunts were choreographed by Glenn Boswell and the costumes were designed by April Ferry and Neeta Lulla. U.K. based trainer Joshua Kyle Baker was roped in to train Roshan for his character in the film. He described the three-month training so as to allow Roshan to appear 'lithe' and 'agile' rather than muscular. Relating the natural environment required for "Mohenjo Daro", Gowariker was impressed with the calamitous VFX seen in the films "The Day After Tomorrow" and "10,000 BC" that were designed by Karen Goulekas. In September 2014, as a visual effects supervisor, Goulekas was brought on board for the film. Gowariker revisited Bhuj in December 2014 to begin production.
Casting.
In August 2014, Hrithik Roshan, who had starred in Ashutosh Gowariker's critically and commercially successful "Jodhaa Akbar" in 2008, was confirmed to play the male lead role again for "Mohenjo Daro". He reportedly demanded . Said the director, "I wouldn't have made the film, without Hrithik." "[T]his is a different world, and I thought only Hrithik would blend in perfectly."
Telugu and Tamil cinema actress Pooja Hegde was signed as the female lead, and makes her Hindi film debut with "Mohenjo Daro". "While scripting the film, I was thinking that I needed someone with innocence and someone who did not have stardom baggage [to be received by the audience only as this character]. I thus began looking for a fresh face when Sunita (Gowariker) spotted Pooja in a commercial and suggested that we call her. She called Pooja and I auditioned her. And that was it!"
Veteran actor Kabir Bedi was signed as the primary villain, backed by Arunoday Singh as the younger villain.
For supporting roles, casting director, Nalini Rathnam wanted to bring in newer and fresh faces, even from non-Hindi speaking regions. As the director explained this process, "All kinds of actors, including seasoned actors, never get a chance to come to Mumbai or they don't want to as they are happy in their own space. So there is a different kind of freshness there to get them on board. I did this in "Lagaan" and "Jodhaa Akbar." In this film too, I wanted to get some fresh actors, so I have Diganta Hazarika, who is a well-known Assamese actor. It is a time-consuming process but the payoff big."
Since action, as well as romance, are key to his story, perfectionist director Ashutosh Gowariker went to great lengths in casting to ensure his vision reaches the screen.
For example, for one specific action sequence, the director auditioned nearly 300 candidates before finally casting the two giant barbarian fighters who are more than 7 feet tall, in order to make the sequence thrilling and visually appealing when presented to the audience opposite his 6-foot-tall hero.
To populate his recreation of the ancient city, for "Mohenjo Daro" director, Ashutosh Gowariker naturally required a huge number of non-actors as extras. With the full cooperation of the Bhuj panchayat or community council, the filmmakers hosted full-fledged auditions for all the local residents. Many of those seen on-screen in cityscapes and group scenes throughout "Mohenjo Daro" are in their real-life local citizens of Bhuj.
Pre-production.
Construction of the primary outdoor sets to be used in recreating the ancient city duly commenced in Bhuj, Gujarat, near where director Ashutosh Gowariker had shot his early film, "Lagaan" (2001).
As AGPPL producer Sunita Gowariker recounted their initial dialogue when Ashutosh Gowariker decided "Mohenjo Daro" as his next project, her immediate response was that the city does not exist any more, how would they shoot the film. To which Ashutosh responded: "We put up the whole city!" The film sets ultimately built to recreate the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro spanned more than 25 acres.
Painstaking effort was made to ensure precise accuracy of the city's film set construction, matching its proportions and architecture to the actual archaeological ruins. The famous Great Bath, for instance, is built exactly to scale, as are the houses in the film. To quote lead actress Pooja Hegde, "The sets were so detailed that once we stepped onto them, you were enveloped by the ambience. Ashu sir's detailing is so great that if there's a "mashal", the wall behind it would be blackened to resemble soot. Whenever I stepped onto the sets, I automatically got into the mood ... Ashu sir made you feel like you were already there."
However, construction was delayed in mid-September 2014, when workers belonging to Allied Mazdoor Union and Film Studio Setting refused to complete the pre-production work, alleging non-payment of their regular expenses and remuneration. To this stalled situation, Gowariker took a legal route and lodged a complaint with the 'Indian Film and Television Producers Council' accusing the members of stalling work that would result in losses to the company. Lawrence D'Souza, the executive producer of the film, maintained that though their payments were ready, the remote filming locations of Bhuj delayed the reception of the same.
Ayananka Bose had originally been signed as the cinematographer. Still, when the film was delayed, he took up other projects as he was paid on a project-to-project basis. Bose failed to join the discussions prior to filming and requested Gowariker to be allowed to join the set directly after he was done with his other commitments. A displeased Gowariker replaced Bose with C. K. Muraleedharan.
The initial outdoor schedule of principal photography had been projected to begin in November 2014. However, the further delay occurred when lead actor Hrithik Roshan ripped apart his shoulder during training in late October 2014. Because "Mohenjo Daro" was a physically demanding film with challenging action sequences that were to be shot starting with the very first schedule, and no body doubles were to be used, producer-director Ashutosh Gowariker postponed the shoot six weeks until January 2015. Confirming this delay, producer Sunita Gowariker of AGPPL stated, "Ashutosh and I want Hrithik to recuperate fully before beginning the film, since we plan to start with action sequences. Now we will start shooting in the first week of January. It is important to us that Hrithik is 100% fit, and shifting the shooting dates by a few weeks makes a lot of sense."
Filming.
Principal photography commenced in Bhuj on 27 January 2015. But the demanding action sequences needed by the film took a hard physical toll on the cast which resulted in delays due to injury, especially when an accident involved the lead actor, Hrithik Roshan, who was required for the maximum number of scenes. For instance, shooting was delayed for several days in March 2015, when Hrithik sprained his neck during a fight sequence. The first schedule of 101 days nonetheless wrapped up in Bhuj by 23 May 2015. In June 2015, Hrithik started training to fight with tigers in one of the sequences of the film. A second, shorter outdoor schedule resumed in Bhuj in late summer and was completed by October 2015.
Another outdoor schedule of filming began in Jabalpur on 2 November 2015, where a fight sequence with crocodiles was completed on the banks of river Narmada at Bhedaghat.
In December 2015, the next schedule began at Film City in Mumbai, where most interior sets used for the film had been constructed. Unfortunately, however, an on-set accident during an action sequence in January 2016 tore two ligaments and severely sprained the ankle of lead actor Hrithik Roshan, which kept him home on crutches and doctor-ordered bed rest for two whole months before primary photography could resume in late March.
On 4 April 2016, the crew filmed the climax of the film at China Creek in Thane. Principal photography of "Mohenjo Daro" finally wrapped on 8 April 2016.
Post-production.
Post-production of "Mohenjo Daro" was supervised by director Ashutosh Gowariker in conjunction with editor Sandeep Francis. Sound re-recording was performed at Futureworks by Justin Jose K. according to the sound design by Parikshit Lalwani and Kunal Mehta. Digital intermediate was done by Prime Focus, colorist Makarand Surte. Visual effects were completed by the firm Drishyam VFX under the guidance of VFX consultant Karen Goulekas in conjunction with VFX supervisor Govardhan Vigraham.
On 3 August 2016, the Bombay High Court not only rejected into allegations by Akashaditya Lama that "Mohenjo Daro" (2016) film director Ashutosh Gowariker had stolen his script, but also "... imposed exemplary and punitive costs of Rs. 150,000 against Lama for putting false allegations and harassing makers of the film. The court has also slammed Lama for giving interviews, media articles and related material put on social media to harass the director and other stars of the film." Gowariker donated the entire fine received (approx. $2,246) to the Naam Foundation, a charity to benefit Maharashtra's drought-hit farmers.
India's mandatory Central Board of Film Certification cleared "Mohenjo Daro" for release without any cuts, awarding it a "U/A" certificate.
Soundtrack.
The music for the film was composed by A. R. Rahman while the lyrics were penned by Javed Akhtar. The music rights were acquired by T-Series. The song album of the film was released on 6 July 2016.
Release.
"Mohenjo Daro" released in 2600–2700 screens in India. Disney India announced in September 2016, that the company would end production of Bollywood films and instead would shift focus on releasing Disney films produced in the United States.
Locarno International Film Festival.
Even before the film's theatrical release to the public, "Mohenjo Daro" had been honoured by selection as the Closing Film of the 69th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. Thus on 13 August 2016, "Mohenjo Daro" was screened at the Piazza Grande, immediately before Locarno's award ceremony.
Special screenings.
"Mohenjo Daro" was screened at the 45th Annual Conference on South Asia in Madison, Wisconsin (United States) on 23 October 2016. A special screening of the film was also arranged for the officials of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in New Delhi on 18 September 2016.
Reception.
Critical reception.
Critical response was generally mixed to negative. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 43%, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. Metacritic, which uses a normalised rating, gives the film a score of 39 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally unfavourable reviews".
"Mohenjo Daro" was criticized for historical inaccuracies, with historians and critics mentioning inaccuracies in the portrayal of several elements, such as the depiction of horses in the movie when no evidence for horses being part of Indus Valley culture is available. However, Gowariker defended his film by stating, "There was nothing about the Indus Valley Civilisation in a popular culture other than what was found during the excavations. And that gave me more liberty to create my characters and my story. For instance, we have seen pictures of an excavated figurine of a man playing the drums. That became the inspiration for Sarman, played by Hrithik Roshan. The figurine of a dancing girl from the site was my inspiration for Chaani, played by Pooja Hegde. I have taken plenty of artistic liberties with the looks of the characters – after all, I cannot show nudity for the sake of reality. But I did not take liberties with the architecture, the culture. You must realise that there is still a lot of speculation about the civilisation because we know so little. Scholars are still debating, trying to redevelop the era. There is a lot that is based on a hypothesis. But all this is the space for a scholarship. I have only made a film and at no point do I say that it is meant to be a part of academic discourse on the subject."
Box office.
"Mohenjo Daro" grossed worldwide in its first 10 days. The film grossed worldwide in its opening weekend. Its final worldwide gross was , including in India and overseas. In addition to its box office gross, the film also earned from satellite rights (450 million) and music rights (150 million).
India.
The film has a lifetime net of .
Overseas.
"Mohenjo Daro" grossed US$3.9 million in first 10 days in overseas. The film grossed $991,239 in North America.


Run, Joe, Run

Run, Joe, Run was a Saturday-morning television program that aired on NBC from 1974 to 1975. It centered on Joe, a German Shepherd in the military's K-9 corps, and his master, Sergeant Will Corey (played by Arch Whiting).
The show was considered as a cross between "Lassie" and "The Fugitive". Like "The Fugitive", and later "The Incredible Hulk", it centered on a falsely accused person (in this case, the "person" was a dog) running from authorities and helping people it meets along the way. The show was produced by D'Angelo Productions, which also produced the NBC young adult drama "Westwind", and other live-action series for Saturday mornings.
Plot.
One day, during training, Joe was falsely accused of attacking his master, a crime for which the dog would be euthanised as punishment. However, the dog escaped before being killed and a $200 bounty was put on its head. Sgt. Corey believed Joe was innocent and joined the pursuit, hoping to find Joe before the authorities did.
During the show's second season, Sgt. Corey, having never found Joe (although he always came close), was called back to duty. Joe then teamed with a hiker, Josh McCoy (played by Chad States), and continued to help others, all the while still on the run.
Cast.
Paul Frees provided the voice narration for the program.


Bullfighter and the Lady

Bullfighter and the Lady is a 1951 drama romance sport film directed and written by Budd Boetticher starring Robert Stack, Joy Page and Gilbert Roland. Filmed on location in Mexico, the film focused on the realities of the dangerous sport of bullfighting. During production, one stunt man died. Boetticher, who had experience in bullfighting, used a semidocumentary approach in filming the sport and the lives of matadors.
Plot.
Chuck Regan (Robert Stack), a young American film producer travels to Mexico, where he takes up bullfighting to impress a local beauty, Anita de la Vega (Joy Page). Manolo Estrada (Gilbert Roland), an aging matador, reluctantly agrees to teach the brash, self-centered Regan.
Production.
The film was originally called "Torero". Boetticher had been a bullfighter and told his life story to Ray Nazarro when working as an assistant director to the latter at Columbia. Boetticher says he wrote it down and Nazarro typed it up and sold the project to Dore Schary at MGM. He says this it why Nazarro has credit.
Boetticher says the film got made because John Wayne liked the story. He says Wayne "and John Ford cut 42 minutes out of" the film "so that it would be less than 90 minutes, a "B" picture. It took me forty years to get it back the way I wanted it.. It was a helluva blow, I tell you."
Reception.
"Bullfighter" earned Boetticher his only Academy Award nomination, for Best Story, which he shared with co-writer Ray Nazarro. Together with "Seven Men from Now", Boetticher regarded "Bullfighter" as one of "the two best films I ever made."
The complete 124 minute version of "The Bullfighter and the Lady" was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on July 30, 2013.
Alternate Versions.
For the film's American theatrical release, "Bullfighter" was cut to 87 minutes in order to share a double bill. The UCLA Film Archive recently restored the film to its full 124 minute length.


List of Donkey Kong video games

"Donkey Kong" is a video game series created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. It is published by Nintendo, with entries in the series developed by Nintendo, Rare, Namco, Retro Studios, and Paon. The series debuted in 1981 with the arcade game "Donkey Kong", which was a sales success that brought Nintendo into the North American market. Most "Donkey Kong" games have either been arcade games or released for Nintendo consoles and handhelds dating from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the current generation of video game consoles. However, some of the original arcade games were ported into versions on third-party home consoles and developed by several companies. "Donkey Kong" is among the best-selling video game franchises, with more than 48 million games sold worldwide.
Most of the games in the franchise are platform games, although the series also includes other genres such as racing and rhythm games. The franchise centers on the anthropomorphic gorilla Donkey Kong and his family, who are usually the series's protagonists. Many of the "Donkey Kong" games use supporting characters throughout gameplay, allowing the player to control different members of the family. The success of the series is commonly attributed to its technical innovation and entertaining platforming sequences.


The Wonders (film)

The Wonders () is a 2014 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Alice Rohrwacher. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival; it won the Grand Prix.
Plot.
Gelsomina and her three younger sisters live with their parents on an Italian farm. As the eldest, she takes on a heavier burden, taking care of her sisters and assisting her father, Wolfgang, with beekeeping. One evening, as the family is playing on the beach, they are told to be quieter and discover that a TV show is being filmed nearby. They watch and, as they are about to leave, the star, Milly, calls them over and gives Gelsomina a hair clip.
Watching the program on TV, Gelsomina learns that it is launching a competition called Countryside Wonders, in which seven farmers will compete to have their products featured. While her father is strongly against participating, her mother warms to the idea, even though the quality of their honey is not great.
Meanwhile, Wolfgang hires a juvenile delinquent named Martin to help with honey production. Martin never talks. Though Wolfgang tries to help Martin, he discovers that he is ineffectual.
Unbeknownst to her father, Gelsomina applies on behalf of her family. She forgets about it after her father's old friend comes to stay. Later, left alone by their parents, while switching out the honeycombs to put in the processor, she accidentally injures one of her sisters, Marinella. At the hospital, while Marinella is being stitched up, Gelsomina realizes that Martin forgot to change the bucket which collects the processed honey and, on returning home, they find honey spilled over the floor. At the same time, they are visited by a man from the competition to inspect their production room. The children clean the work area and they are accepted. However, Wolfgang is infuriated by the news.
Nevertheless, the family competes on the show, where they are dressed in ridiculous garb and must plead their case to the judges. On TV, Wolfgang freezes and cannot explain what makes his honey so special. However, Gelsomina steps up and, with Martin, performs a trick in which he whistles and bees crawl out of her mouth onto her face. The family loses the competition, however. Martin runs away and Gelsomina follows him but cannot find him. On the last boat ride back from the island, she finds herself alone with Milly, who takes off her wig and gives Gelsomina a hairpin. Gelsomina swims back to the island and finds Martin, but returns to her family without him. Because they lost the competition and have no money, the family is forced to leave the farm. Before they go, they discuss leaving something behind under the floorboards for someone else to discover.
Production.
Director Alice Rohrwacher based the movie on her memories of her childhood working for her parents, who were beekeepers. Rohrwacher stated that some parts of the film were filmed illegally, particularly the parts with the bees which they were not supposed to film for insurance purposes and which she filmed anyway on a national holiday when no one was around to stop her.
Reception.
"The Wonders" premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""The Wonders" offers a charming coming-of-age tale that doubles as a quietly effective tribute to a vanishing way of life." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 76 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".


Belly Up

Belly Up is a 2010 children's mystery novel by author Stuart Gibbs. Teddy Fitzroy and his friends investigate the suspicious death of a hippopotamus.
Reception.
"Kirkus Reviews" stated in its review "Overall, the story is great fun, despite a sometimes plodding approach to the narrative that is too reminiscent of a report. In his authorial debut, screenwriter Gibbs combines details of the inner workings of zoos with some over-the-top action for an entertaining read". "Publishers Weekly", wrote "A likable protagonist, a very kid-friendly brand of humor, and the outrageous setting should keep readers' interest, especially animal lovers". Common Sense Media gave "Belly Up" four out of five stars and said in its review of the book, "At times Fitzroy's voice is a bit more adult-like than one might expect from a 12-year-old boy, and the jokes can be a little dated, but this is a fun, engaging read that moves through suspense as if it written for the big screen."
Sequels.
"Belly Up" is the first installment in the FunJungle Collection, which takes place at a zoo+theme park in central Texas. Other books in the series are "Poached" (2014), which is about a missing koala; "Big Game" (2015), a threatened rhinoceros; "Panda-monium" (2017) an abducted giant panda; "Lion Down" (2019), a mountain lion falsely accused of killing a famous dog, and "Tyrannosaurus Wrecks", (2020) a T-Rex skull is stolen.


Pastry Panic

Pastry Panic is a platform video game and the second release from American independent game developer Underground Pixel. The game was released in May 2012 for iOS. Since its release, the game has been generally well received by critics. The gameplay revolves around the player character eating as many sweets as possible to score points.
Gameplay.
In "Pastry Panic", the core gameplay revolves around a dinosaur-lizard hybrid named Dino eating as many sweets as possible to score points, while also consuming all of the bolts that appear on-screen. When the bolt counter hits zero, too many pieces of metal have escaped, clogging the gears and ending the game.
The player has a choice between two different modes, Mad Dash and Tongue Tied. The former offers the player the opportunity to walk along conveyor belts eating different treats. In the latter, the player remains static in the center and grabs snacks using his long tongue.
The game offers the player power-ups to boost their scores, such as slowing down the conveyor belts. Other power-ups can have negative consequences and make the game more difficult, such as taking an extra bolt away from the counter or reversing the belt direction.
Reception.
"Pastry Panic" was favorably received by critics and holds a score of 70/100 on Metacritic review score aggregator. Harry Slater of PocketGamer gave the game 7/10 calling it simple and addictive, but lacking greater features. Rob Rich of 148Apps rated "Pastry Panic" 4/5 stars, calling it "another pick-up-and-play iOS game destined for classic status." Dant Rambo of Gamezebo shared similar sentiments, giving it the same rating and noting its simplicity and addictiveness, as well praising its retro graphics.


Employee of the Month (song)


Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (video game)

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo is a 1991 platform game developed by British studio PAL Developments and published by Hi-Tec. It is part of the "Scooby-Doo" franchise, and was released in Europe for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. The game received praise for its graphics.
Gameplay.
"Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo" is a platform game in which the player takes control of Scrappy-Doo. When Shaggy and Scooby-Doo get lost while looking for food, Scrappy sets out to find them. Gameplay takes place across various levels, each with monster enemies that must be avoided by the player. Scooby Snacks can be collected to earn an extra life, while points can be earned through the collection of burgers.
The Amiga and Atari ST versions feature nine levels, including a cruise ship, an island of pirates, a snowy environment, and a forest. The Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum versions feature four levels, including a ghost town, a graveyard, a mansion, and a dungeon.
Reception.
"Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo" received praise for its graphics. Richard Leadbetter of "Computer and Video Games" wrote that the graphics "capture the knock-out atmosphere of the cartoon and there is a nice variation in the backgrounds and sprites." "Amiga Action" called the graphics "smooth and dazzlingly colourful". The magazine considered the game too easy and simple, but stated that it was, "Not bad for short term, relaxing fun." "Zzap!64" wrote that the gameplay was simple enough to have particular appeal for younger players, while only "cynical, older players" would wonder "why there isn't more variety."
"Games-X" believed the game would appeal to both younger and older people, while Chris Jenkins of "Sinclair User" stated that it was best suited for younger people because of its lack of challenging gameplay. "Your Sinclair" stated that the game lacked originality and was repetitive, but also called it "a bit of a nice surprise," writing that it was the best cartoon-based tie-in from Hi-Tec to date. "Crash" praised the game and considered it addictive and entertaining, while Leadbetter considered it simple but "very entertaining."
"Amiga Format" called it "fun but disposable", and stated that the gameplay "has little basis in the cartoon reality from whence it came." The magazine also wrote that the game suffers from "some rather iffy collision detection, but as this works in your favour it doesn't harm the game." Stuart Campbell of "Amiga Power" described it as a "joyful and magnificently entertaining" game, and wrote that the levels become progressively "bigger and smarter, with enough exploration potential to keep you amused for weeks." Jenkins opined that an earlier "Scooby-Doo" game by Gargoyle Games was superior.


Bear Whisperer

Bear Whisperer is a weekly based reality television series that focuses on black bear conservation "(Ursus americanus)". It aired on Sportsman Channel and ran from January 1, 2011, to June 21, 2012. "Bear Whisperer" pertains to a person named Blaine Anthony. It will run on Pursuit Channel from July 2013.
History.
Anthony used to provide bear hunts to hunters for seven years. Through this, Anthony acquired knowledge on the black bear, the world of hunting and on all types of bears from different regions. As many bears are killed while hunting, bear conservation has become a must. Thus the TV serial "Bear Whisperer" started with a view to conserving the bears.
Format.
"Bear Whisperer" is a documentary-style reality show where Blaine Anthony goes into bear dens and tags bears, discusses the reasons of bear attacking and relocates nuisance bears from campgrounds. In the program, Anthony travels the forests around North America showing different process of hunting bears and conserving them.


Venomous (film)

Venomous is a 2001 disaster horror film directed by Fred Olen Ray, credited as Ed Raymond, and starring Treat Williams, Mary Page Keller and Hannes Jaenicke.
Plot.
In 1991, a group of Iraqi commandos penetrate a secret American government lab, releasing genetically modified rattlesnakes. Over the following years, the snakes breed and multiply. In the present day, an earthquake drives them from the underground to the surface, and the snakes infect whoever they bite with a fatal virus. A small-town doctor tries to correct the situation, but the government wants to hide the traces of its wrongdoings.


The Wild Nation

The Wild Nation (original French title: La Fête Sauvage) is a 1976 French wildlife documentary film directed by Frédéric Rossif. The film focuses in showing wildlife according to three main themes: love, death and dream.
Description.
Filmed at a great distance, The Wild Nation features various animals species in several locations, without any human interaction. Frédéric Rossif wanted to film the spontaneity and lack of reflection that takes part in the animals' lives.
Sometimes three narrators describe the animals and their behavior, relating them to mythology and how the animals' lives are influenced by love and death. The narrators' presence is rare, with most of the film showing the animals alone accompanied by music specially created for it.
Re-Release.
In 2014 the movie was restored and re-released by Zoroastre with the support of Studio Canal.
Soundtrack.
The movie soundtrack was composed by Vangelis. It was released as an album in 1976.


Lily and the Octopus

Lily and the Octopus is the 2016 debut novel of Steven Rowley.
Plot.
A 42-year-old writer finds that a small octopus has attached itself to the head of his aging dachshund, Lily.
Background.
Rowley, a 43-year-old paralegal and screenwriter, had sold several unproduced screenplays before writing a short story about the death of his dachshund, Lily, to cope with his grief. Rowley's boyfriend encouraged him to expand it into a novel. Rowley wrote "Lily and the Octopus" in 100 days and submitted it to approximately 30 literary agents, who all declined to represent him. Rowley said of the manuscript, "I was proud of it as a piece of writing, but I never thought that this was going to change my life."
Intending to self-publish, Rowley hired freelance editor Molly Pisani, who later pitched the novel to her former colleague, Karyn Marcus of Simon & Schuster. Impressed by the quality of the book, Marcus forwarded it to Simon & Schuster editor-in-chief Marysue Rucci. According to Marcus:
In April 2015, "Publishers Weekly" reported that Marcus had acquired the novel for Simon & Schuster in a "nearly seven-figure" book deal. "The Hollywood Reporter" noted that the offer "was made with unusual speed", with "The New York Observer" calling it "a timeline unheard of in the slow-paced publishing industry".
Publication.
"Lily and the Octopus" was published on June 7, 2016.
Reception.
"Booklist" praised "Lily and the Octopus" as "an exceedingly authentic, keenly insightful, and heartbreakingly poignant tribute to the purity of love between a pet and its human". "Publishers Weekly" called the novel "sensitive, hilarious, and emotionally rewarding", adding that "in generous helpings of bittersweet humanity, Rowley has written an immensely poignant and touchingly relatable tale". "Kirkus Reviews" wrote, "In his funny, ardent, and stanchly kooky way, Rowley expresses exactly what it's like to love a dog." Sara Gruen called "Lily and the Octopus" "A quirky and deeply affecting charmer of a novel [that] is funny, wise, and utterly original in its exploration of what it means to love any mortal creature." Julie Klam of "The Washington Post" described the novel as "heart-wrenching but ultimately breathtaking", and Garth Stein praised it as "a profound exploration of grief".
In June 2016, "Lily and the Octopus" made the American Booksellers Association's IndieBound Bestseller List. "The Washington Post" put the novel on its list of "Notable Fiction in 2016".
Film adaptation.
In April 2018, Amazon Studios acquired the rights to develop the novel into a feature film.


Seabert

Bibifoc (Seabert) is a 1985 French animated television series. It was created by BZZ Films in Paris and originally aired in French on Antenne 2, before being translated into different languages around the world. In the United States, the show aired on HBO starting in 1987. There were 26 episodes. The authors are: Marc Tortarolo for the theme, Philippe Marin for the design, and Jacques Morel with Éric Turlot for the stories.
Development.
The production for the series was handled by Mill Valley Animation on a contract from SEPP International S.A., the noted Brussels's production house which also featured animation series and properties including "The Smurfs", "Snorks" and "Foofur". Jerry Smith, owner of Mill Valley Animation, was also responsible for many of the below the line fulfillment needs of many Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, and some DIC animation series. Director for "Seabert" was Dirk Braat of Amsterdam and series Casting Director was Ron Knight, principal of Knight Mediacom (formerly Image One Productions, San Francisco). See Knight Mediacom International.
Plot.
"Seabert" is about a boy named Tommy, an Inuit girl named Aura, and their "pet" whitecoat seal Seabert. After Seabert's parents are killed by hunters, the three band together. They go on adventures in which they encounter more hunters and poachers (including Tommy's Uncle Smokey, his bumbling henchmen Carbonne and Sulfuric, and a villain named Graphite) and save various animals from harm.


No Time Like Show Time

No Time Like Show Time is a children's fantasy mystery novel by Michael Hoeye, first published in 2004. It is the third book in the Hermux Tantamoq series, which includes "Time Stops for No Mouse", "The Sands of Time", and "Time to Smell the Roses".
Plot introduction.
Hermux is back in Pinchester after his adventures in the desert, trying to return to his normal life as a watchmaker. He receives a mysterious invitation to the Varmint Variety Theater from the impresario, Fluster Varmint. Fluster is being blackmailed and needs Hermux's help to save his theatre. But show business is a whole new world of weirdness for our modest hero.
Trivia.
There is a character nicknamed "Parrot of 1,000 Voices", which may be a reference to Mel Blanc.


The Giant Gila Monster

The Giant Gila Monster is a 1959 hot rod/monster/science fiction film, directed by Ray Kellogg and produced by Ken Curtis. This low-budget B-movie starred Don Sullivan, a veteran of several low budget monster and zombie films, and Lisa Simone, the French contestant for Miss Universe of 1957, as well as comic relief Shug Fisher and KLIF disc jockey Ken Knox. The effects included a live Mexican beaded lizard (not an actual Gila monster) filmed on a scaled-down model landscape. The film is considered a cult classic.
Plot.
The movie opens with a young couple, Pat Wheeler (Grady Vaughn) and Liz Humphries (Yolanda Salas), parked in a bleak, rural locale overlooking a ravine. A giant Gila monster attacks the car, sending it into the ravine and killing the couple. Later, some friends of the couple decide to assist the local sheriff (Fred Graham) in his search for the missing teens. Chase Winstead (Sullivan), a young mechanic and hot rod racer, locates the crashed car in the ravine and finds evidence of the giant lizard. However, it is only when the hungry reptile attacks a train (a model train set substituted as a low-budget effect) that the authorities realize they are dealing with a (roughly) 70-foot long venomous lizard. By this time, emboldened by its attacks and hungry for prey, the creature attacks the town. It heads for the local dance hall, where the town's teenagers are gathered for a sock hop. However, Chase packs his prized hot rod with nitroglycerin and rigs it to speed straight into the Gila monster, terminating the lizard in a fiery explosion and heroically saving the town.
Production.
Filmed near Dallas, Texas, the film was budgeted at $175,000 and was produced by Dallas drive-in theater chain owner Gordon McLendon who wanted co-features for his main attractions. McLendon shot the film back to back with "The Killer Shrews". Both films were feted as the first feature films shot in and produced in Dallas, and the first movies to premiere as double features. Unlike most double features released in the South, these films received national and even foreign distribution.
In exchange for doing the special effects, Kellogg was allowed to direct the film. Curtis allowed Sullivan to pick the songs with the teenage market in mind. Knox, who played Horatio Alger "Steamroller" Smith, was an actual disc jockey working at radio stations in Texas owned by McLendon. The "Gila monster" in the movie is actually a Mexican beaded lizard.
Reception.
On his website "Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings" Dave Sindelar gave the film a positive review, writing, "Whatever flaws there are with the story, I find myself drawn to the regional feel of the movie, and especially to the likable characters that inhabit this environment...It's rare for a movie to have this many likable characters, and I think the reason I watch the movie again and again is because I just like to spend time with them".
"TV Guide" gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, calling it "a rear-projected monster just doesn't put audiences in a deep state of fear, especially when it's a lizard. It does, however, induce occasional uncontrolled laughter". Alan Jones from "Radio Times" awarded the film 1 out of 5 stars, calling it "unintentionally amusing rather than scary".
References in popular culture.
The film was featured on a season 5 episode of "Cinema Insomnia" and season 4 of "Mystery Science Theater 3000".
A giant Gila monster resembling the one in the film made an appearance in the "" episode "Freak Show".
Remake.
A made-for-TV remake, "Gila!", directed by Jim Wynorski, was released in 2012.


Meatless Flyday

Meatless Flyday is a 1944 Warner Bros. "Merrie Melodies" directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on January 29, 1944.
The title is a pun on Meatless Friday, a reference to the traditional Roman Catholic practice of abstinence from meat on Fridays.
Plot.
An overconfident and guffawing spider (voiced by Cy Kendall) spots his intended prey, a mute fly, on the ceiling, and indulges in various cat-and-mouse schemes to try to catch him for food, including painting a load of buckshot with "Kandy Kolor" and luring the fly to eat it and drawing him closer with a magnet, which only succeeds in attracting a set of metal cutlery which the spider has to dodge to save himself. At one point, the fly manages to set fire to the spider's feet, and as the spider nose-dives like a plane, he exclaims "Look! I'm a Zero, I'm a Zero," referring to the Mitsubishi Zero in use by the Japanese during World War Two. He sees the fly on a wedding cake as a bride and dresses as the groom only to be blown up by a dynamite stick, left in blackface.
Eventually, the spider catches his prey, and, when he is about to carve him up while singing the song "Would You Like to Take a Walk?", the fly points to a wall calendar giving the day as "Meatless Tuesday", a reference to food rationing during World War II. The frustrated spider runs to the United States Capitol and rants to Congress "You can't do this to me! You just can't! You can't! You can't! You can't! You can't!"


Tea for Two Hundred

Tea for Two Hundred is a 1948 American animated short film directed by Jack Hannah. Part of the "Donald Duck" film series, the film was produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters by RKO Radio Pictures on December 24, 1948. The cartoon stars a picnicking Donald Duck who faces an army of ants trying to steal his food. Clarence Nash stars as Donald while the ants were voiced by Pinto Colvig. The film includes original music by Oliver Wallace.
"Tea for Two Hundred" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1949, but lost to "The Little Orphan", an MGM Tom and Jerry film which shared one of 7 Oscars for the Tom and Jerry series. The title of the film is a reference to the song "Tea for Two." Animation from the short was later used in "Uncle Donald's Ants" (1952).
Plot.
While camping in the mountains, Donald Duck sits down to eat a picnic. Soon a line of ants emerges from a nearby bush and marches past Donald, each carrying a grain harvested in the wild. Donald takes interest in the straggler, a small ant who seems to be carrying a bean several times his body weight. Donald begins to test the ant to see how much he can take. The ant, seemingly unaware of Donald, continues to march. Finally Donald balances several food items from his picnic on the ant, which the ant carries. But when Donald makes the ant walk a tight rope, Donald plucks the string causing the ant to fall into a large custard pie.
The ant is angry with Donald at first, but when he tastes the pie and sees all of Donald's food, he becomes elated. He enthusiastically runs back to the ant colony and tells the ants about all of Donald's food. The ants call the colony together using mushrooms as drums.
Later, while Donald is sleeping against a tree next to his picnic basket, a small team of ants sneak up on him. They open the basket, but Donald, still asleep, instinctively puts his hand over the basket to keep the ants out. Then all of the ants fill in around Donald and pick him up. They carry him over to a cliff where they throw him off into the water and he squawks angrily and races back up the cliff just in time to see the ants are carrying food items out of his basket into their hole and tries to keep them from doing so. The ants huddle and make a plan then faces Donald, who gets ready, exclaiming "Oh, yeah?" as he does. The ants tackle Donald as if they play football. As he tries grab his food directly from their hole, the ants pull of Donald's shirt as well. He then puts on a barrel to protect his modesty, and uses dynamite to try destroying the anthill. However, the explosion of the dynamite causes a large part of the cliff to fall away, and Donald falls into the water a second time, screaming as he does.
The ant colony congregates around a large cupcake. The little ant whom Donald had been harassing runs to the top and eats the cherry.
Home media.
The short was released on December 11, 2007 on "".
Additional releases include:


Celebrity Dog School

Celebrity Dog School was a short-lived Australian reality series which aired on Network Ten. It was based on the original version aired in the UK. The show was hosted by Larry Emdur, who also hosted "The Price is Right" on the Nine Network, and "Wheel of Fortune" on the Seven Network. It was a Pett Productions format for BBC Worldwide, produced by Freehand Group Pty Limited.
The show involved six celebrities and their dogs given an obedience task, an agility task, and they must train them throughout the week. At the end of the week, they would perform these tasks in front of the other celebrities and the expert judges.
Home viewers had the option to vote for their favourite celebrity and dog pair via text message, with proceeds from each vote going to the RSPCA.
Towards the end of the series, there was to be a 'Grand Final Best in Show Spectacular' where they were to perform in front of a live audience. The most popular couple who was not eliminated would have won the 'Best in Series'. Bootsie scored a perfect score from all three judges; sadly, no such thing happened. After only three episodes, Network Ten placed the show in 'hiatus', and it ended up never returning.
Celebrities.
The six celebrities in the show included:
Expert Judges.
The expert judges on "Celebrity Dog School" were Steve Austin, who is Australia's premier dog trainer, and Dr Julie Summerfield, who is a qualified veterinarian and is currently the resident vet in the program "9am with David and Kim".


The Sharkfighters

The Sharkfighters is a 1956 American adventure film about U.S. Navy scientists working to invent a shark repellent to protect military personnel down at sea. Directed by Jerry Hopper, it stars Victor Mature, James Olson, and Claude Akins. The fictional storyline is based on the invention of "Shark Chaser", an historical shark repellent developed by researchers during World War II.
Plot.
In August 1943, Lt. Commander Ben Staves (Mature), recovering from the sinking of his destroyer in battle and the loss of part of his surviving crew to shark attack, is flown to Project Shark Chaser, a tiny and isolated Naval Research Laboratory post on the Isle of Pines in Cuba. Its rich environment for sharks and indigenous English-speaking population of Caymanero fishermen makes it an ideal testing ground for the development of an effective shark repellent. The small research team has been led during its first ten months of investigation by Lt. Commander Leonard "Len" Evans (Coolidge), an ichthyologist formerly with the Scripps Institution, assisted by a chemist, Ensign "Dunk" Duncan (Olson), and a cameraman, Chief Petty Officer "Gordy" Gordon (Akins).
Ben assures Evans that he is there to help him, not take over the project. When Evans tells him they'll get started "first thing in the morning", Ben counters with "Why not now?". The team heads out into the bay on a small fishing boat crewed by a local Caymanero and his teenage son Carlos (Campos) to test copper acetate as a repellent. Evans advises that the project has already tested over 200 methods, including poisons, repulsive odors, color clouds, and ultrasonics, none of which has a lasting effect in driving away sharks. The test is initially successful until the acetate cloud dissipates after a few minutes.
Duncan approaches Ben and asks for a transfer to sea duty, but relents when Ben asks him to postpone the request, which he would have to disapprove because the young chemist is too valuable to the project. Ben reviews Evans's reports, chafing at the slowness of the numerous trials, but Evans defends his work, saying their best success has been only 80% effective because they don't have human test subjects. Ben suggests that they test other methods simultaneously. Evans resents Ben's emphasis on urgency over carefully drawn scientific conclusions.
When Duncan supports Evans, Ben informs them that they will work seven days a week without their usual weekends off in Havana. Gordy suggests that the officers substitute for him every other weekend on trips to Havana to have the classified color film processed. Ben's wife Martha (Steele) is staying in Havana, and during a night out dancing on their next visit, Evans tells Martha that while he admires Ben's determination, he is worried that Ben never lets down his guard. She replies that he and Ben are a lot alike in their integrity, and that Ben and the scientist make a perfect team to achieve success.
Two weeks into the next series of tests, 72 consecutive positive results convince Ben that they've found the answer. Evans still shows reluctance, suggesting two more weeks of trials are needed, so Ben angrily pulls rank on him and orders the results submitted. Carlos accidentally falls overboard while clowning around on the boat, and swims into the repellent cloud for protection. He panics and stabs a shark that ventures too close, drawing a pack that kills him despite the repellent.
After Carlos' funeral, the demoralized Evans rebels when Ben suggests they try an earlier theory about using octopod ink as a repellent. He admits his resentment of being told by Ben how to do his job, and of not being listened to when he had doubts about the repellent that didn't save Carlos. Ben agrees not to push for results this time, but announces that if the tests are conclusive, he's going to put a man in the water to test it before he sends it up. When tests with an octopus are promising, Duncan creates a repellent combining synthetic ink, copper acetate, and water-soluble wax to keep dissipation from occurring. He volunteers as the human bait but Ben is noncommittal.
Before the tests begin, Evans sets up a viewing of the film of Carlos' death to show that although the acetate dissipated when the pack gathered, the octopus tests showed that group attacks can be deterred. Ben forces Len to commit to a hard number of further tests, which is twice what they have done before. Ben cuts the number in half and when Evans sneers that it "has to be your way", Ben retorts that "it's my neck"—he is the logical candidate for the human test—and accuses Len of trying to stop him by using the film as a scare tactic. Ben visits the embassy in Havana to request the naval attaché (Neise) to assign two expert riflemen to the project.
The suspicious attaché maneuvers Ben into revealing his plan to run a test on himself and advises him to seek Navy approval first, but agrees to send the riflemen after Ben insists that he's only setting up preliminary plans. After more positive results than they've ever achieved before, Ben abruptly orders the final test for the next day. Evans argues but begrudgingly acquiesces, admitting to Duncan that Ben has always been right. The repellent works effectively. As numerous sharks begin circling Ben, a marksman nervously shoots one, causing a feeding frenzy. Ben makes for the boat as Evans frantically showers him with extra repellent, which deters the frenzied sharks from attacking. Back aboard, Ben celebrates their success with a beer.
Production.
Samuel Goldwyn Jr. produced the film for Formosa Productions, who released through United Artists. It was Goldwyn Jr's second film, following "Man with the Gun". He announced it in December 1954, based on a script by Art and Jo Napoleon. It was called "Sharkfighter".
It was based on actual events involving the creation of the Navy's shark repellent, "Shark Chaser", a cake combining copper acetate to mimic putrefied shark tissue, black dye as a camouflage agent, and a water-soluble wax binder as described in the script, which some sources attribute to efforts of Julia Child while working for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.
"Shark Chaser" was announced as a successful repellent as early as May 7, 1943. A patent application was made in October 1944 and granted in 1949 to four scientists who also designed the packet, and the product was issued by the Navy until 1973. However its effectiveness is now judged dubious (as is the shark threat inspiring its development) by the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. The actual scientific work consisted of observations of shark behavior in 1942 off Mayport, Florida; Woods Hole, Massachusetts; and the harbor of Guayaquil, Ecuador by civilian scientists of the Marine Studios oceanarium.
Lawrence Roman and John Robinson rewrote the screenplay.
Victor Mature signed to play the lead in December 1955. By this stage, Goldwyn Jr had a camera crew shooting shark footage for several months, although filming did not begin on the film proper until March 1956.
Karen Steele and James Olson, who appeared in the cast, were signed to long-term contracts by Goldwyn.
Filming.
Mature later admitted he did not enjoy filming the action sequences.
"The Sharkfighters" was filmed in Cinemascope and Technicolor on location in Cuba with an opening narration by Charles Collingwood and released in November 1956 by United Artists. It was the first major Hollywood movie shot entirely in Cuba. Shooting mostly look place on the Isle of Pines, south of the main island.
Death during production.
Special effects artist Russell Shearman died from a shark attack while filming underwater scenes for "The Sharkfighters" in the Caribbean Sea off Cuba.
Film score.
The music for "The Sharkfighters" was composed by Jerome Moross in what was his last adventure film before becoming notable for scoring Westerns, described as "lively and unique." While it is not known if he traveled to Cuba with the company, the distinctly ethnic themes of the music appear to be inspired by the filming on location, using syncopation and percussion instruments highly suggestive of his orchestral composition "Biguine."
Thematically the score is characterized by an ostinato that stresses the second half of the second beat but nothing at all on the third beat. This rhythm is employed throughout the varied scene melodies using maracas, xylophones, guitars, claves, and bongos to produce a Caribbean motif. In the Havana night club scene he integrates a rumba into the score, then soothes it to a soft melody underscoring the dialogue between Martha and Len. Also notable is a "unique cue" to announce the presence of sharks. The score of "The Sharkfighters" displays the fully developed elements of style now associated with Moross in Westerns such as "The Big Country".
Release.
Sam Goldwyn Jr later said of the film, "we spent a year and a half doing the big scene and I'm afraid I didn't function so well on the story aspect." He admitted the film "fell flat on its face" commercially.
Adaptations.
The film was adapted as the Dell Comics comic book "Four Color" #762 (Jan. 1957), cover-titled "The Sharkfighters". The 34-page story, by an unknown writer, was penciled and inked by John Buscema.


The Siege of White Deer Park

The Siege of White Deer Park is the fifth book of The Animals of Farthing Wood series. It was first published in 1985 and has since been included in a single book with "In the Path of the Storm" and "Battle for the Park" in the "Second Omnibus" edition (Hutchinson, 1995).
Plot summary.
Of the Farthing Wood animals Kestrel, Hare and Rabbit have died of old age, and as original Farthing Wood smaller animals have and have so many descendants with the animals native to White Deer Park the oath no longer applies to them.
The Farthing Wood animals' third winter in White Deer Park has come to an end. As spring arrives there is an influx of animals from outside the park. Fox suspects that something outside the park is driving these animals to take shelter in the park, so Tawny Owl and Whistler search outside the park for clues. They find nothing, but word starts to spread of a fierce beast making raids in the park during the night.
After searching the reserve and finding no sightings of the mysterious creature, Tawny Owl takes refuge in a tree in a small area of woodland within the park to rest. Before dawn he is awakened by the thought he is being watched. Looking down, he sees the head of a large creature with bright eyes looking at him in a menacing way. Knowing this is what he is looking for, Owl flies further up the tree out of reach, then notices the strange creature has disappeared in an instant. Owl then flies off to warn Fox and the others of his sighting just as the sun rises. Tawny Owl gives Fox a description of what he saw. Adder also hears of these developments. Though Adder says nothing, Fox thinks Adder is hiding something.
Later Adder finds Toad and asks him about some large paw prints he has found near the now deserted Edible Frog's pond. Adder explains that as he does not have paws he cannot judge whether they are from a toad or not. Toad tells him these prints are too big for a toad. A meeting is called and Toad informs the animals of the footprints seen by himself and Adder. Badger states that the graceful nature of this animal reminds him of the Warden's cat and suggests that the animal might be a sort of cat. Tawny Owl pooh-poohs this suggestion. Not long afterwards meeting the Beast kills one of the white deer herd and Friendly discovers the carcass, then talks to some of his younger relatives about his plan to track the creature down.
The Beast kills a white deer fawn and leaves few remains as evidence, so Friendly and the other foxes do not notice what has happened. The Warden does notice the losses and regularly patrols the area with a gun, but the Beast is not discovered. While fishing Whistler spots the Beast when it drinks from the stream, and sees that it is a very large cat. He tells Adder, who notices that the footprints are the same ones that he had seen before, and he decides to pursue the cat with the idea of poisoning it. However, the Beast traps Adder with its paw and toys with him, eventually knocking him into the stream which allows him to escape.
Whistler tells Fox and Vixen of the creature he has seen and Weasel heads off to tell Badger the news. He arrives at Badger's set and discovers Badger talking to a young mole named Mossy, who is trying to tell Badger that Mole is his father. As Badger is unable to accept that Mole is dead Weasel asks Mossy to pretend to be Mole for Badger's sake. He then tells the other animals, who agree to go along with this idea.
As the vixens are looking after their cubs Friendly gathers a group of male foxes - made up of Pace (Friendly's son), Husky (Bold's son), Ranger (Charmer's mate), Rusty (Ranger's son), and Trip (Ranger's son) - to join him on an expedition to search out the Beast. They head to the stream where the creature was seen by Whistler and follow its trail into an area of woodland. Friendly notices something stir in the undergrowth and heads off after it, but he is unable to stay on its trail. Initially the foxes wait for the Beast to return but Friendly lets the young foxes look for food, and they come across another young deer which was killed by the Beast. They feed off the remains of the carcass and head back, but the Beast watches them from a tree as they do so.
Meanwhile, Adder comes across a female adder and tries to impress her with the story of his attack by the Beast, but she shows no interest in him and Adder slides away from her. Adder later tries to find the female adder but is unable to. The next day Whistler discovers that the Warden is setting up a pen by the perimeter of the reserve, and when Tawny Owl tells the animals that the deer are being rounded up they realise that the humans have decided to watch over them to keep them safe. The Beast also realises what the Warden is doing and decides to bide its time so the Warden will think it has left the Park.
That evening Friendly and his group of foxes go in search of the Beast again, and its trail leads them to a small copse. Ranger thinks it is a trap but Friendly insists they go on. They enter cautiously but the Beast leaps down from a tree and grabs Husky in its jaws, before leaping back up carrying the young fox. The other foxes realise they are powerless against such a huge animal and leave to fetch help. Once they are gone the Beast drops Husky to the ground. Friendly and the young foxes look for Fox and Vixen, but they find Badger instead and tell him what has happened. Fox and Vixen soon return and Badger decides to offer himself to the Beast in exchange for Husky. He heads off but the foxes leave soon afterwards and reach the copse before him, only to discover that Husky is dead, and the Beast is long gone.
Fox comes up with a plan and instructs the other animals to spread the word across the park that every inhabitant of the reserve must keep a lookout for clues and report anything they see immediately. The Warden realises that his attempt to lure the Beast has been unsuccessful and releases the deer back into the reserve. Later Adder comes across the female adder again, and she tells him that she has seen the Beast use a large hole in the bank by the stream. Adder finds this hole, then finds Whistler and tells him this information. Whistler immediately flies away to inform Fox, who decides to gather all the park's inhabitants together and try to trap the Beast in its lair.
That evening all the animals have gathered together and they head towards the stream. They find the hole and Toad volunteers to search it for the Beast. He goes inside and discovers the creature sleeping inside, and Fox looks on the other side for another exit. However the Beast wakes up and leaves its lair, causing the group of animals to pull back in terror and watch as the cat washes itself, showing no interest at all in its audience. Eventually the cat takes a few laps from the stream and bounds away out of sight, as the animals can only watch, powerless to stop it.
Most of the animals disperse, but Tawny Owl pursues the Beast through the air, eventually finding the large cat in a ditch near the perimeter of the reserve. Annoyed at being discovered, The Beast asks about Tawny Owl's interest in it, and Owl tells it how terrified all the park's inhabitants are of it. He asks the cat whether it could hunt somewhere else instead and it refuses, but it makes a pledge that no animal will ever see it again although it will still be around, and promises to leave the park if any creature should set eyes on it and tell it so.
Tawny Owl decides to go tell all the animals about how he has spoken to the Beast, but being very tired he decides to sleep first. Now that the deer are back the Beast kills two more deer and stores them until the park's inhabitants have let their guard down. The Warden lays traps for the Beast, but it does not go near them and the Warden eventually decides to remove them. The Beast then goes on a rampage in Farthing Wood territory, killing several of the smaller creatures and nearly killing Leveret, but he escapes and his mate is killed instead.
Adder meets the female adder again and she tells him that she would like to be known as Sinuous. They sunbathe together and Sinuous suggests that the Beast may be living underground. Adder immediately tells Badger and Fox about this theory, and all the foxes, badgers, weasels and rabbits in the park are asked whether they know of a large underground lair, but none do. Badger tells Mossy about the theory and Mossy informs him of a large underground chamber that Mirthful had come across before she died. Badger asks Mossy to find the chamber and inform him if the Beast is living there so that Badger can spot the cat and force it to leave.
Mossy starts his search, but he gets distracted by worms and loses focus. However, he eventually falls into a large chamber and discovers that the Beast is sleeping inside. He tries to leave quickly but the Beast wakes up and pursues him. Mossy digs underground but the Beast digs after him until Tawny Owl shouts out that he has seen the cat and asks him to yield. The cat roars loudly and Badger arrives, asking the Beast to take him instead of Mossy. The Beast tells the animals he could easily slay them all, but just then they all hear the loud cry of another cat in the distance. The two cats call to each other and the Beast rushes out of the park to join the female that was calling to him. The animals realize that spring must be the mating season for the Beast and celebrate that the Beast has finally left the park.
Reception.
This proved to be the poorest received of all the Farthing Wood series, possibly because it is only resolved in the end by a deus ex machina – unlike the other books where the animals work together to overcome their problems.
TV series.
The main plot of this book is not covered in the television series possibly due to its extreme peril themes being too frightening for younger audiences. However, the sub-plot featuring Badger mistaking Mossy for his dead father Mole was included in the second season, while Adder meeting Sinuous was included in the third season.


ParaWorld

ParaWorld is a real-time strategy PC game released on September 25, 2006. It was developed by the German company SEK (Spieleentwicklungskombinat), based in Berlin. The game features more than 50 prehistoric animals, especially dinosaurs and Pleistocene mammals. The game uses TAGES, and therefore installs a driver on the system for copy protection.
Gameplay.
The game-concept is similar to "Age of Empires", which is a real-time strategy game. "ParaWorld" features food, wood, and stone as resources. Food can be picked from bushes, hunted from animals, fished from the sea, or farmed. Stone is located in limited deposits, and wood, cut from trees, is generally scattered throughout a map. Battles can occur on both land and sea.
The story takes place in a parallel dimension, where prehistoric life thrives alongside diverse human civilizations that are not technologically advanced. As a result, dinosaurs take the place of traditional wildlife and livestock, though some of the dinosaurs in-game are highly stylized and not necessarily scientifically accurate. Wild-living dinosaurs can be hunted for food, though some are of dangerous and aggressive species and will attack any player unit that wanders too close. Other prehistoric creatures make an appearance as well, for example woolly mammoths are used where other games might feature elephants.
Players advance through epochs in order to unlock new technologies and upgrades.
Plot summary.
"ParaWorld" ("parallel world") is an alternate universe where dinosaurs and ice age creatures never became extinct. A group of 19th-century scientists, the SEAS (the Society of Exact Alternative Science) led by scientific genius Jarvis Babbit, discovered the parallel world where dinosaurs and primitive human tribes coexist. When they subsequently learned that people don't age in this dimension and that the concept of electricity is inexistant, they decided to remain there to rule.
Later, three young scientists are led to Jarvis Babbit: the American geologist Anthony Cole, Swedish biologist Stina Holmlund, and Hungarian physics genius Béla András Benedek, all of whom having discovered elements in the "real" world that point toward the existence of a parallel world. Jarvis Babbit decides to send the three scientists into "Paraworld", seemingly for an expedition. However, when the three heroes discover the true intentions of the SEAS, they have to rally all the parallel world's warring inhabitants in order to defeat the SEAS.
The three scientists serve as the game's core "hero" units. Their main goal is to return to their home world, but to do this they will need to enlist the aid of enlightened natives and battle against the hostile creatures, tribes, and ultimately the masterminds trying to stop them. Along the way they'll meet several characters who are seemingly based on classical scientists such as Nicola Tesla or Charles Darwin ("Nikolaj Taslow" and "James Warden" in the game). They eventually discover that a man named David Leighton, who is one of Babbit's men, is orchestrating events on the parallel world, and pursue him. They also learn of a plot to permanently seal the world away by moving the planet out of orbit, which will also trigger a cataclysm.
In order to save the planet and secure their own escape from ParaWorld, they are forced to assault Babbit's fortifications. They manage to stop the countdown and Cole kills Leighton in battle. Babbit makes a last-ditch effort to stop the heroes by using a giant robot. Having failed, Babbit falls into lava and presumably dies. The heroes finally go back home. However, Cole is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call of Béla telling him that the dinosaurs have come through as well. The chaos of ParaWorld now ensues on planet Earth.
Reception.
Upon release the game was met with fair reviews with an average critic score of 72% at GameRankings. The developing company SEK shut down due to insufficient sales, and Sunflowers ended their partnership with it. The previously announced expansion pack was cancelled. A German-only Booster Pack for the game was released with Gold GOTY Editions of Paraworld, containing new maps, heroes, and missions, and was only compatible with German copies of the game. However, members of the ParaWorld gaming community "Para-Welt" have created an unofficial downloadable version of the Booster Pack for all regions that incorporates updated community content (such as modifications enabling players to utilise the previously NPC 'SEAS' factions) alongside the official SEK Booster Pack content. According to German newspaper "Die Welt", "ParaWorld" was commercially unsuccessful, with sales of around 100,000 units.


Coral Reef Adventure

Coral Reef Adventure is a documentary film released in 2003 to IMAX theaters. It was directed by Greg MacGillivray and narrated by Liam Neeson.
Embarking on a 10-month expedition through the islands of the South Pacific, husband and wife underwater photography-duo Michele and Howard Hall explore the declining reefs and failing health of the world's oceans. From Australia's Great Barrier Reef, to a friend's coral reef-sustained village in Fiji, the diving expeditions show a range of coral reefs, from flourishing ones filled with unusual and exotic inhabitants, to vast stretches of bleached coral decline which prompted the Hall's activism. Along their journey, scientists working to understand and save the reefs meet with the Hall's.
Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, also makes an appearance, as do well-known dive guide and singer Rusi Vulakoro, brother of Vude singer Laisa Vulakoro, who guides the Halls in their dive adventure.
This documentary film is the third ecologically-themed IMAX production from director MacGillivray, after "The Living Sea" and "Dolphins". Crosby Stills & Nash contribute to the film's soundtrack. The Giant Screen Theater Association named it the best film achievement of 2003.


Tyrant (Spiderbaby Grafix)

Tyrant is a comic book series published by Spiderbaby Grafix about a "Tyrannosaurus rex", written by Steve Bissette.
Publication history.
There were four issues published in the mid 90s.
A new "Tyrant" page appeared in "Sundays" and Bissette has discussed a proposal he prepared involving a "Tyrant" revival.
Plot.
The comic book series focuses on a t-rex's struggles to survive, from even before it emerges from the shell.


The Timid Toreador

The Timid Toreador is a 1940 Warner Bros. "Looney Tunes" cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and Norman McCabe. The short was released on December 21, 1940, and stars Porky Pig.
Plot.
In a Mexican town, there are happy townspeople all around. Inside the bar, there are three Mexican singers. The central singer picks up the other two at one point and uses them as rattles. An old lady is washing some long underwear at a nearby fountain. She beats it up with a cast-iron skillet, but the underwear beats her back and dives into the water.
Then along comes Porky with a box of hot tamales (which, as we will see later, prove to be very hot). He's making his rounds and takes a brief break. A nearby chicken eyes the box of tamales, opens it up and swallows a tamale whole. Unfortunately, the tamale is so hot that it turns her into a roast chicken. Porky, annoyed with what happened, takes back the box and continues on his way.
A bullfight is starting. A short spectator is angry because the huge sombrero of the man in front of him is obstructing his view. So he takes a pin, pokes the sombrero, and it deflates, allowing the angry spectator to enjoy the bullfight. It begins with the introduction of a matador named Ponchi Pancho, and a bull named Slapsie Maxie Rosenbull. Both humans and "contented cows" are excited to watch the fight. The announcer describes the action as though it were a boxing match. When the bell sounds, the matador flaps his cape and Slapsie charges into the matador. At first, Slapsie admires Ponchi's cape, but then takes it from him. Ponchi screams and runs away with Slapsie giving chase. Ponchi makes it over a bullseye fence and Slapsie hits it so hard that a mounted spectator in the ring laughs hysterically at him. Naturally, Slapsie is not happy with the spectator's sense of humor, so he chalks up his horn as though it were a pool cue ("Screwball in the side pocket") and charges into him. The spectator and his horse are hit so hard the two become a centaur.
Later, Porky accidentally arrives in the ring. Slapsie is still chasing Ponchi, but somehow stops chasing him and guns for Porky instead. Porky at first thinks the mad bull is his next customer, but he quickly realizes he is in trouble and runs to grab a nearby sword. The sword's blade melts in fear of Slapsie, and Porky runs for his life. Slapsie chases Porky all around the ring. When Porky reaches the center of the ring and sees the bull still coming for him, he uses his sombrero as a drill to dig into the ground, getting out of harm's way. Porky emerges from the hole and tries to escape, but Slapsie blocks his exit. Then Slapsie sniffs the tamales. They smell delicious. Slapsie takes the box from Porky, admires them, asks "Who's afraid of hot?" and eats nearly the whole box. But the tamales are so hot that Slapsie holds his mouth as steam issues from his ears. He coughs and runs wildly around looking for water. He makes a huge hole in the ring as he runs off, possibly never to be seen again. Meanwhile, Porky is cheered for defeating the bull. The spectators lavish Porky with hats, and when a small derby lands on his head, he imitates Oliver Hardy.


Mug Travel

Mug Travel (, known as My Friend Bernard in English) is a 2007 South Korean computer-animated film, directed by Lim Ah-ron and based on his animated TV series, "Bernard".
Plot.
A little girl named Bebe[English version Sam], all alone on Christmas Eve, is given a magical pendant from Santa Claus and embarks on a fantastical adventure. Travelling in a mug with the power of teleportation, Bebe explores a variety of exotic locations from the desert to the North Pole, accompanied by a host of characters including Backkom the polar bear and Konkongee the penguin.
Production.
Produced by RG Animation Studios and directed by Lim Ah-ron, "Mug Travel" is a feature film adaptation of Lim's computer-animated TV series "Backkom". The film and TV series were made at the same time on a combined budget of $5.9 million, after Lim noticed a gap in the market for shows aimed at preschool children.
Release.
"Mug Travel" was released in South Korea on 22 March 2007, and was ranked eighth at the Korean box office on its opening weekend with 48,244 admissions. Over the course of its theatrical run, the film accumulated a total of 135,261 admissions nationwide, and grossed $608,835.
"Mug Travel" was screened at the Fifth Bimini Animation Festival, held in Latvia in March 2007, where it was the winner of "The Best Film for Children" award. It was subsequently selected to participate in the non-competition category at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film, which ran from 5–17 April 2007 in Belgium.