J. R. Ewing subterfuges to plunder his foes' wealth. The original series concept was a blend of "Bonanza" with a rich, western patriarch and his three dissimilar sons, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with its rival brothers, and their scheming wives, and "Romeo and Juliet" with two star-crossed lovers whose families are sworn enemies. The focus of the series was initially the feuding families, with J.R. just a supporting character, but his popularity grew and the producers acknowledged he became the breakout character. Two highly rated 1980 episodes became part of a cultural phenomenon that year known as "Who shot J.R.?". In
Lovers of the Holy Cross persecutions, disasters, wars and changes of political regimes. As of 2005, there were 24 autonomous congregations of the Lovers of the Cross Sisters. In addition to their native Vietnam, there is one congregation in the United States, three in Thailand and two in Laos. Lovers of the Holy Cross The Lovers of the Holy Cross (, Vietnamese: "Dòng Mến Thánh Giá") is a federation of a number of congregations of diocesan right of Religious Sisters, founded in 1670 by the first Vicar Apostolic in Tonkin and Cochinchina, Pierre Lambert de la Motte, M.E.P. According to 2002 statistics, it has about