Boléro

# Boléro

## Abstract

Boléro is a 1928 work for large orchestra by French composer Maurice Ravel. It is one of Ravel's most famous compositions. It was also one of his last completed works before illness diminished his ability to write music.

## Composition

The work's creation was set in motion by a commission from the dancer Ida Rubinstein, who asked Ravel for an orchestral transcription of six pieces from Isaac Albéniz 's set of piano pieces, Iberia. While working on the transcription, Ravel was informed that Spanish conductor Enrique Fernández Arbós had already orchestrated the movements, and that copyright law prevented any other arrangement from being made. When Arbós heard of this, he said he would happily waive his rights and allow Ravel to orchestrate the pieces. But Ravel decided to orchestrate one of his own works instead, then changed his mind and decided to compose a completely new piece based on the bolero, a Spanish dance musical form.

While on vacation at St Jean-de-Luz, Ravel went to the piano and played a melody with one finger to his friend Gustave Samazeuilh, saying, "Don't you think this theme has an insistent quality? I'm going to try and repeat it a number of times without any development, gradually increasing the orchestra as best I can." Idries Shah wrote that the main theme is adapted from a melody composed for and used in Sufi training.

## Premiere and early performances

The composition was a sensational success when it premiered at the Paris Opéra on 22 November 1928, with choreography by Bronislava Nijinska and designs and scenario by Alexandre Benois. The orchestra of the Opéra was conducted by Walther Straram. Originally, Ernest Ansermet had been engaged to conduct the entire ballet season, but the musicians refused to play under him. A scenario by Rubinstein and Nijinska was printed in the program for the premiere:

Inside a tavern in Spain, people dance beneath the brass lamp hung from the ceiling. to the cheers to join in, the female dancer has leapt onto the long table and her steps become more and more animated.

But Ravel had a different conception of the work: his preferred stage design was of an open-air setting with a factory in the background, reflecting the mechanical nature of the music.

Boléro became Ravel's most famous composition, much to the surprise of the composer, who had predicted that most orchestras would refuse to play it. It is usually played as a purely orchestral work, only rarely staged as a ballet. According to a possibly apocryphal story from the premiere performance, a woman was heard shouting that Ravel was mad. When told about this, Ravel is said to have remarked that she had understood the piece.

The piece was first published by the Parisian firm Durand in 1929. Arrangements were made for piano solo and piano duet (two people playing at one piano), and later, Ravel arranged a version for two pianos, published in 1930.

The first recording was made by Piero Coppola for the Gramophone Company on 13 January 1930. Ravel attended the recording session. The next day, he conducted the Lamoureux Orchestra in his own recording for Polydor. That same year, further recordings were made by Serge Koussevitzky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Willem Mengelberg with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.

### Toscanini

Conductor Arturo Toscanini gave the American premiere of Boléro with the New York Philharmonic on 14 November 1929. The performance was a great success, bringing "shouts and cheers from the audience" according to a New York Times review, leading one critic to declare that "it was Toscanini who launched the career of the Boléro", and another to claim that Toscanini had made Ravel into "almost an American national hero".

On 4 May 1930, Toscanini performed the work with the New York Philharmonic at the Paris Opéra as part of that orchestra's European tour. Toscanini's tempo was significantly faster than Ravel preferred, and Ravel signaled his disapproval by refusing to respond to Toscanini's gesture during the audience ovation. An exchange took place between the two men backstage after the concert. According to one account, Ravel said, "It's too fast", to which Toscanini responded, "You don't know anything about your own music. It's the only way to save the work". According to another report, Ravel said, "That's not my tempo". Toscanini replied, "When I play it at your tempo, it is not effective", to which Ravel retorted, "Then do not play it". Four months later, Ravel attempted to smooth over relations with Toscanini by sending him a note explaining that "I have always felt that if a composer does not take part in the performance of a work, he must avoid the ovations" and, ten days later, inviting Toscanini to conduct the premiere of his Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, an invitation that was declined.

### Early popularity

The Toscanini affair became a cause célèbre and further increased the fame of Boléro. Other factors in the work's renown were the large number of early performances, gramophone records, including Ravel's own, transcriptions and radio broadcasts, together with the 1934 motion picture Bolero starring George Raft and Carole Lombard, in which the music plays an important role.

## Music

Boléro is written for a large orchestra consisting of:

- woodwinds: piccolo, 2 flutes (one doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes (one doubling on oboe d'amore), cor anglais, 2 clarinets (one doubles on E-flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 2 saxophones (sopranino and soprano doubling tenor), 2 bassoons, contrabassoon

- brass: 4 horns, 4 trumpets (3 in C, one in D), 3 trombones (2 tenor and one bass trombone), bass tuba

- 3 timpani and 4 percussionists: 2 snare drums, bass drum, pair of cymbals, tam-tam

- celesta and harp

- strings

The instrumentation calls for a sopranino saxophone in F, which never existed (modern sopraninos are in E ♭). At the first performance, both the sopranino and soprano saxophone parts were played on the B ♭ soprano saxophone, a tradition that continues to this day.

### Structure

Boléro is "Ravel's most straightforward composition in any medium". The music is in C major, time, beginning pianissimo and rising in a continuous crescendo to fortissimo possibile (as loud as possible). It is built over an unchanging ostinato rhythm played 169 times on one or more snare drums that remains constant throughout the piece:

On top of this rhythm two melodies are heard, each 18 bars long, and each played twice alternately. The first melody is diatonic, and the second introduces more jazz-influenced elements, with syncopation and flattened notes (technically it is mostly in the Phrygian mode). The first melody descends through one octave, the second through two octaves. The bass line and accompaniment are initially played on pizzicato strings, mainly using rudimentary tonic and dominant notes. Tension is provided by the contrast between the steady percussive rhythm, and the "expressive vocal melody trying to break free". Interest is maintained by constant re orchestration of the theme, leading to a variety of timbres, and by a steady crescendo. Both themes are repeated eight times. At the climax, the first theme is repeated a ninth time, then the second theme takes over and breaks briefly into a new tune in E major before finally returning to the tonic key of C major.

The melody is passed among different instruments: (1) flute, (2) clarinet, (3) bassoon, (4) E ♭ clarinet, (5) oboe d'amore, (6) trumpet and flute (latter is not heard clearly and in higher octave than the first part), (7) tenor saxophone, (8) soprano saxophone, (9) horn, piccolos and celesta; (10) oboe, English horn and clarinet; (11) trombone, (12) some of the wind instruments, (13) first violins and some wind instruments, (14) first and second violins together with some wind instruments, (15) violins and some of the wind instruments, (16) some instruments in the orchestra, and finally (17) most but not all of the instruments in the orchestra (with bass drum, cymbals and tam-tam).

While the melody continues to be played in C throughout, from the middle onward other instruments double it in different keys. The first such doubling involves a horn playing the melody in C, while a celesta doubles it 2 and 3 octaves above and two piccolos play the melody in the keys of G and E, respectively. This functions as a reinforcement of the first, second, third, and fourth overtones of each note of the melody (though the "G major" is 2 cents flat, and the "E major" is 14 cents sharp). The other significant "key doubling" involves sounding the melody a 5th above or a 4th below, in G major. Other than these "key doublings", Ravel simply harmonizes the melody with diatonic chords.

The following table shows the instruments playing in each section of the piece (in order):

The accompaniment becomes gradually thicker and louder until the whole orchestra is playing at the very end. Just before the end (rehearsal number 18 in the score), there is a sudden change of key to E major, but C major is reestablished after just eight bars. Six bars from the end, the bass drum, cymbals, and tam-tam make their first entry, and the trombones play raucous glissandi while the whole orchestra beats out the rhythm that has been played on the snare drum from the first bar. Finally, the work descends from a dissonant B ♭ minor over F minor chord to a C major chord.

### Tempo and duration

The tempo indication in the score is Tempo di Bolero, moderato assai ("tempo of a bolero, very moderate"). In Ravel's copy of the score, the printed metronome mark of 76 per quarter is crossed out and 66 is substituted. Later editions of the score suggest a tempo of 72. Ravel's own recording from January 1930 starts at approximately 66 per quarter, slightly slowing down later on to 60–63. Its total duration is 15 minutes 50 seconds. Coppola's first recording, at which Ravel was present, has a similar duration of 15 minutes 40 seconds. Ravel said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that the piece lasts 17 minutes.

An average performance lasts about 15 minutes, with the slowest recordings, such as that by Ravel's associate Pedro de Freitas Branco, extending well beyond 18 minutes and the fastest, such as Leopold Stokowski 's 1940 recording with the All American Youth Orchestra, approaching 12 minutes. In May 1994, with the Munich Philharmonic on tour in Cologne, conductor Sergiu Celibidache at the age of 82 gave a performance that lasted 17 minutes and 53 seconds, perhaps a record in the modern era.

At Coppola's first recording, Ravel indicated strongly that he preferred a steady tempo, criticizing the conductor for getting faster at the end of the work. According to Coppola's own report:

Maurice Ravel... did not have confidence in me for the Boléro. He was afraid that my Mediterranean temperament would overtake me, and that I would rush the tempo. I assembled the orchestra at the Salle Pleyel, and Ravel took a seat beside me. Everything went well until the final part, where, in spite of myself, I increased the tempo by a fraction. Ravel jumped up, came over and pulled at my jacket: "not so fast", he exclaimed, and we had to begin again.

Ravel's preference for a slower tempo is confirmed by his unhappiness with Toscanini's performance, as reported above. Toscanini's 1939 recording with the NBC Symphony Orchestra has a duration of 13 minutes 25 seconds.

## Reception

Ravel was a stringent critic of his own work. During the composition of Boléro, he said to Joaquín Nin that the work had "no form, properly speaking, no development, no or almost no modulation". In a 1931 interview with The Daily Telegraph, he spoke about the work as follows:

It constitutes an experiment in a very special and limited direction, and should not be suspected of aiming at achieving anything different from, or anything more than, it actually does achieve. Before its first performance, I issued a warning to the effect that what I had written was a piece lasting seventeen minutes and consisting wholly of "orchestral tissue without music"—of one very long, gradual crescendo. There are no contrasts, and practically no invention except the plan and the manner of execution.

In 1934, in his book Music Ho!, Constant Lambert wrote: "There is a definite limit to the length of time a composer can go on writing in one dance rhythm (this limit is obviously reached by Ravel towards the end of La valse and towards the beginning of Boléro)."

Literary critic Allan Bloom commented in his 1987 bestseller The Closing of the American Mind, "Young people know that rock has the beat of sexual intercourse. That is why Ravel's Bolero is the one piece of classical music that is commonly known and liked by them."

In a 2011 article for The Cambridge Quarterly, Michael Lanford wrote, "throughout his life, Maurice Ravel was captivated by the act of creation outlined in Edgar Allan Poe 's Philosophy of Composition." Since, in his words, Boléro defies "traditional methods of musical analysis owing to its melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic repetitiveness," he offers an analysis that "corresponds to Ravel's documented reflections on the creative process and the aesthetic precepts outlined in Poe's Philosophy of Composition." Lanford also contends that Boléro was quite possibly a deeply personal work for Ravel. As evidence, Lanford cites Ravel's admissions that the rhythms of Boléro were inspired by the machines of his father's factory and melodic materials came from a berceuse Ravel's mother sang to him at nighttime. Lanford also proposes that Boléro is imbued with tragedy, observing that the snare drum "dehumanizes one of the most sensuously connotative aspects of the bolero", "instruments with the capacity for melodic expression mimic the machinery," and the melody consistently ends with a descending tetrachord.

## In popular culture

The piece gained new attention after it was prominently featured in the 1979 romantic comedy 10, costarring Dudley Moore and Bo Derek. This resulted in massive sales, generated an estimated $1 million in royalties and briefly made Ravel the best-selling classical composer 40 years after his death.

The French film Les Uns et les Autres was also distributed under the name Boléro, and features a Boléro dance sequence, by Jorge Donn, at the end.

The ice dancing pair Torvill and Dean danced to a six-minute version of the work in winning the gold medal in ice dancing at the 1984 Winter Olympics, receiving perfect 6.0s for artistic merit.

The eight-minute short film Le batteur du Boléro (1992) by Patrice Leconte concentrates on the drummer, played by Jacques Villeret, and the problems of his musical part. The film was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

This song played during the torch-lighting ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

It was used by Kamila Valieva in her 2021–22 season's free skate program.

A version was recorded with Frank Zappa conducting an all-brass big-band ensemble.

Koji Kondo, composer at Nintendo, planned to use Boléro as the main theme for the first The Legend of Zelda video game, but reworked it into an original piece shortly before release due to copyright concerns.

Angélique Kidjo performed an adaptation of Bolero in the song "Lonlon" for her 2007 album Djin Djin.

Sigge Eklund played the song repeatedly in his episode of the swedish radio programme Sommar (radio program) because his grandfather – actor Bengt Eklund, whom the programme is about, liked this orchestra piece in particular.

## Public domain

This piece's copyright expired on 1 May 2016 for many countries, but not worldwide.

The work is public domain in Canada, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and many others where the copyright term is "Life + 50 years". It is also public domain in the European Union (where the term is Life + 70 years). In the U.S., Boléro remains under copyright until 1 January 2025 as it was first published in 1929 with the prescribed copyright notice. The last remaining rights owner, Evelyne Pen de Castel, has entered a number of claims that the work was in fact co-created with the designer Alexandre Benois. The effect would be to extend the copyright (when performed as a ballet) until 2039. The claims have been rejected repeatedly by French courts and the French authors society SACEM. The matter was due to be decided on 24 June 2024 before the court in Nanterre, and on 28 June it was reported that the court rejected the claim.


Jüri Vips

# Jüri Vips

## Abstract

Jüri Vips (Estonian pronunciation:; born 10 August 2000) is an Estonian racing driver. He competes part-time in the NTT IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, driving the No. 75 Honda - Dallara. He has previously driven in both the FIA Formula 2 Championship and FIA Formula 3 Championship, and was formerly a part of the Red Bull Junior Team. He was the 2017 ADAC Formula 4 champion.

## Career

### Karting

Vips was born in Tallinn and began competitive karting in 2011 in his native Estonia. After winning the Rotax Junior Estonian Championship in 2013, Vips qualified for the 2014 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in the Junior category, in which he claimed victory. He competed in the CIK-FIA European KF1 Championship in 2015, racing against future FIA Formula 3 competitors Richard Verschoor and Marcus Armstrong. Vips ended the championship in twelfth place.

### Formula 4

In 2016, Vips made his car-racing debut in the Italian F4 and ADAC Formula 4 championships with Prema Powerteam. He finished sixth in ADAC Formula 4 and fifth in Italian F4, where he won the final race of the season and took the title of rookie champion. In the winter of 2016–17, Vips took part in the Indian-based MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship, taking three podium places and finishing sixth in the standings.

In 2017, Vips continued with Prema in Italian F4 and ADAC Formula 4. His appearances in Italian F4 were as a guest driver and he was ineligible to place in the championship, however he took two pole positions and a race victory at Mugello. In ADAC Formula 4, Vips was involved in a title fight with teammate Marcus Armstrong. Vips claimed the title in the final race at the Hockenheimring after pole-sitter Armstrong lost the lead of the race to Artem Petrov.

### Formula 3

In September 2017, after his ADAC Formula 4 victory, Vips tested Formula 3 machinery with Prema at Magny-Cours. In October he made his debut in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship as a guest driver, replacing absent Motopark driver Petru Florescu.

Vips secured a full-time seat with Motopark for the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He took three pole positions and four race wins on his way to fourth place in the championship, behind teammate Dan Ticktum and Prema drivers Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman. In November 2018, Vips made his first appearance at the Macau Grand Prix. He placed fourteenth in qualifying and improved to seventh in the qualification race. He maintained his position in the main race, finishing seventh, but was handed a 40-second time penalty for making an overtake under red-flag conditions, demoting him to nineteenth place.

In December 2018 it was announced that Vips would compete in the new FIA Formula 3 Championship, joining Hitech Grand Prix for the 2019 season. He took victory in the feature races at the Red Bull Ring and at Silverstone, the latter from pole position, and won the sprint race at the Sochi. He ended the season fourth in the drivers' championship, behind the three Prema entries of Robert Shwartzman, Marcus Armstrong and Jehan Daruvala.

Vips continued with Hitech to contest the 2019 Macau Grand Prix. He set the fastest qualifying time – a new lap record – and converted pole position for the qualifying race into victory, putting him on pole for the main race. Vips led in the early part of the race, but crashes from Leonardo Pulcini and Ferdinand Habsburg nullified his lead as the safety car was deployed. He was overtaken by Richard Verschoor when the race resumed and finished in second place, 0.792 seconds behind Verschoor.

### 2020: Disrupted campaigns

In October 2019, it was announced that Vips would replace Patricio O'Ward at Team Mugen for the final round of the 2019 Super Formula Championship. He qualified nineteenth and ran as high as fifth in the race. However, he stalled the car during his pit stop, losing around half a minute while sat stationary and causing him to drop to eighteenth by the finish. Vips re-joined Team Mugen in a December 2019 test at Suzuka. In January 2020, it was announced that Vips would drive for the team in the 2020 Super Formula Championship alongside Tomoki Nojiri. However, the start of the Super Formula season was postponed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the closure of Japan's borders to foreign nationals put Vips' ability to compete into doubt.

In June 2020, Vips took part in a Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) test at Imola with the Finnish KIC Motorsport team. He was then announced as part of the team's lineup for the 2020 season. Vips' manager Marko Asmer clarified that his Super Formula campaign was the priority, but that FREC would be a "back-up" if travel to Japan became impossible. Vips' first FREC race at Misano ended in retirement after a spin into the gravel.

Vips was ultimately unable to enter Japan in time for the first round of the Super Formula championship at Motegi. He was replaced at Team Mugen by Ukyo Sasahara. Shortly after claiming a double podium finish in the FREC round at Circuit Paul Ricard, Vips was called up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship to replace injured DAMS driver Sean Gelael. Vips finished narrowly outside the points in his first four races at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. He scored first points of the season at Mugello where he finished seventh in the feature race and third in the sprint race. Formula 2 commitments forced Vips to miss the FREC round at the Red Bull Ring, but he returned to FREC at the following round at Mugello, claiming a second-place finish.

After missing the first three rounds, Vips was set to return to Super Formula for the fourth round at Autopolis, having successfully entered Japan and completed a two-week quarantine period. This caused him to miss the fifth and sixth rounds of FREC, limiting his chances of earning FIA Super Licence points through that series. However, on the week before the race at Autopolis, Team Mugen confirmed that Vips would not take part in any of the remaining rounds. Formula One team Red Bull Racing later revealed that Vips had been recalled from Super Formula to complete testing and reserve driver duties.

### FIA Formula 2 Championship

#### 2021

In January 2021, it was announced that Vips would make his full-time Formula 2 debut, contesting the 2021 season with Hitech Grand Prix alongside Liam Lawson. At the first round at the Bahrain International Circuit, Vips qualified 5th. However, he was excluded from qualifying due to a technical infringement. Vips charged from the back all the way to tenth. Progressing to tenth place in the opening race earnt him reverse-grid pole position for the second race. He survived an attack from Lirim Zendeli at the race start. He finally succumbed to the lead on lap 5 after Zhou Guanyu passed him. On lap 15, the safety car was brought out and Vips made the choice to pit for fresher tyres. But with less than 3 laps to go, whilst running in 2nd place, Vips suffered a gearbox issue that fell him to 16th at the flag. The feature race saw little for Vips, ending the race in 13th. He ended the round without scoring points, describing his luck as "laughable". In Monaco, Vips finished 5th in the first sprint, holding off Dan Ticktum in the closing stages. The second sprint saw Vips finish the race in fourth place after going past Theo Pourchaire on lap 24 of 30. However, when Lawson was disqualified, Vips was promoted to third, hence scoring his first podium for Hitech.

At the third round at the Baku City Circuit, Vips qualified a season best 2nd, locking up a Hitech front row alongside Lawson on pole. He finished 7th in the sprint race 1, having missed 7th place to Marcus Armstrong by less than a tenth. Vips claimed his maiden win the next race, passing Bent Viscaal and David Beckmann en route to victory in Formula 2's 100th race. He described his victory as "redemption" and "relief" after his misfortune in Bahrain. Vips won once again, holding off Oscar Piastri by a second during the feature race. In doing so, Vips became the first driver to win two Formula 2 races in a weekend. This raised him into fourth in the championship. Vips started 2nd in the first sprint at Silverstone Circuit and jumped Christian Lundgaard at the start. Ultimately they were both jumped by Prema 's Robert Shwartzman who took the lead. Vips was unable to pass Shwartzman and settled for second place. The next two races yielded 6th and 7th for Vips.

Vips qualified 9th in Monza, hence would start 2nd for sprint race 1. He took the lead from Beckmann into the first corner. He would keep the lead until lap 15, when Pourchaire passed him. Things went downhill for Vips from then on in the race, as he would struggle and fall to 8th. Vips retired on lap 7 in the feature race following a mechanical issue with his car. In Sochi Autodrom, Vips obtained second place in the first sprint in mixed conditions, unable to pressure race winner Dan Ticktum throughout the race. Vips did not finish the feature race, due to a mechanical failure once again. He voiced out that he was "very frustrated" and considered reliability to be "a bit of a joke".

Vips took 3rd place in the inaugural race at Jeddah Street Circuit. Having starting at the same position in the first sprint, he lost the position to Ralph Boschung before reclaiming the position on lap 10. He did not finish the second sprint after making contact with Drugovich and ripping off his front wing in the process. Vips would go on to finish 6th in the red-flagged feature race. The season finale at Abu Dhabi yielded little for Vips, as he qualified poorly in 15th. He was unable to progress in the sprint races, finishing 12th in the first one. He retired in the second sprint following contact with newly champion Piastri. He managed to recover in the feature race, finishing 8th after passing a few drivers in the later stages on fresher tyres. Vips finished the 2021 season in 6th place with 120 points, three places higher than teammate Lawson. During the season, Vips netted a total of 2 wins, 6 podiums and a fastest lap.

#### 2022

He continued in the series with Hitech for 2022, alongside former Formula 4 teammate Marcus Armstrong.

## Formula One

In October 2018, Vips was linked to a place in the Red Bull Junior Team. He was confirmed with the program the following month prior to the Macau Grand Prix.

In November 2020, Vips received his FIA Super Licence after completing a 300 km test with Red Bull Racing, driving the Red Bull RB8 at the Silverstone Circuit. He served as a reserve driver for Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri at the Turkish, Bahrain, Sakhir and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. He took part in the end-of-season Abu Dhabi young driver test with Red Bull, driving the RB16. He again took part in the Abu Dhabi young driver test at the end of the 2021 season, driving the RB16B.

Vips was one of the reserve drivers for Red Bull in 2022. He made his Formula One free practice debut with Red Bull at the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix, taking Sergio Pérez 's place.

In June 2022, Vips was suspended by Red Bull pending an investigation after he was heard using the word " nigga " while playing a video game on his teammate Liam Lawson 's Twitch livestream. His contract with Red Bull Racing and the Red Bull Junior Team was terminated on 28 June following the completion of the investigation. He was replaced as reserve driver by Liam Lawson. On July 6, Christian Horner, Red Bull's team principal, made some statements that implied that they would continue to support Jüri Vips "from a mental health and educational perspective" since "everybody at some point deserves a second chance" and that he would continue in the Red Bull Junior Team, even if his contract as a reserve and test driver was terminated. However, on July 19, Helmut Marko confirmed that Vips was no longer receiving support of any kind from Red Bull.

## IndyCar Series

In October 2022 Vips took part in a private IndyCar driver evaluation test at Sebring with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He was second fastest out of the 5 participants, three tenths off Tom Blomqvist. On 13 March 2023, Vips participated in a second IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at Barber, replacing Jack Harvey who was deemed unfit following an injury at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

### 2023 season

At the end of August 2023, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced that Vips would make his IndyCar debut, partaking in the final two races of the 2023 season, replacing the departed Jack Harvey. He finished his first race Grand Prix of Portland in 18th place and winning the rookies race. Vips ended the season with 18 points and in 33rd place. Vips ultimately was not selected to replace Harvey going forward with RLL, with the seat instead going to Pietro Fittipaldi.

### 2024 season

On August 7, 2024, it was announced that Vips will return to drive for RLL at Portland, this time driving the No. 75 entry.

## Personal life

Vips is noted for his ability to perform complex mental calculations from a young age, having appeared on an Estonian talent show to demonstrate this ability.

## Karting record

## Racing record

### Racing career summary

As Vips had not competed in the required number of rounds, he was ineligible for a championship position. As Vips was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

### Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete Italian F4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Vips did not compete in the required number of rounds to be eligible for a championship position.

### Complete MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

As Vips was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

### Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

### Complete Super Formula results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

### Complete Formula One participations

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### American open-wheel racing results


Continental climate

# Continental climate

## Abstract

Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typically in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 or 60 degrees north), often within large landmasses, where prevailing winds blow overland bringing some precipitation, and temperatures are not moderated by oceans. Continental climates occur mostly in the Northern Hemisphere due to the large landmasses found there. Most of northeastern China, eastern and southeastern Europe, much of Russia south of the Arctic Circle, central and southeastern Canada, and the central and northeastern United States have this type of climate. Continentality is a measure of the degree to which a region experiences this type of climate.

In continental climates, precipitation tends to be moderate in amount, concentrated mostly in the warmer months. Only a few areas—in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest of North America and in Iran, northern Iraq, adjacent Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia —show a winter maximum in precipitation. A portion of the annual precipitation falls as snowfall, and snow often remains on the ground for more than a month. Summers in continental climates can feature thunderstorms and frequent hot temperatures; however, summer weather is somewhat more stable than winter weather. Continental climates are considered as temperate climate varieties due to their location in the temperate zones, but are classified separately from other temperate climates in the Köppen climate classification system where they are identified by their first letter, a capital D. In the Trewartha climate classification, they are identified as Dc.

## Köppen climate classification

Continental climate has at least one month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) and at least one month averaging above 10 °C (50 °F).

- Dfa = Hot-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)), at least one month's average temperature above 22 °C (71.6 °F), and at least four months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). No significant precipitation difference between seasons (neither the abovementioned set of conditions fulfilled).

- Dfb = Warm-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)), all months with average temperatures below 22 °C (71.6 °F), and at least four months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). No significant precipitation difference between seasons (neither the abovementioned set of conditions fulfilled).

- Dfc = Subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)) and one–three months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). No significant precipitation difference between seasons (neither the abovementioned set of conditions fulfilled).

- Dfd = Extremely cold subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below −38 °C (−36.4 °F) and one–three months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). No significant precipitation difference between seasons (neither the abovementioned set of conditions fulfilled).

- Dwa = Monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)), at least one month's average temperature above 22 °C (71.6 °F), and at least four months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). At least ten times as much rain in the wettest month of summer as in the driest month of winter.

- Dwb = Monsoon-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)), all months with average temperatures below 22 °C (71.6 °F), and at least four months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). At least ten times as much rain in the wettest month of summer as in the driest month of winter.

- Dwc = Monsoon-influenced subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)) and one–three months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). At least ten times as much rain in the wettest month of summer as in the driest month of winter.

- Dwd = Monsoon-influenced extremely cold subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below −38 °C (−36.4 °F) and one–three months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). At least ten times as much rain in the wettest month of summer as in the driest month of winter.

- Dsa = Mediterranean -influenced hot-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)), average temperature of the warmest month above 22 °C (71.6 °F) and at least four months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). At least three times as much precipitation in the wettest month of winter as in the driest month of summer, and the driest month of summer receives less than 30 mm (1.2 in).

- Dsb = Mediterranean-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)), average temperature of the warmest month below 22 °C (71.6 °F) and at least four months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). At least three times as much precipitation in the wettest month of winter as in the driest month of summer, and the driest month of summer receives less than 30 mm (1.2 in).

- Dsc = Mediterranean-influenced subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)) and one–three months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). At least three times as much precipitation in the wettest month of winter as in the driest month of summer, and the driest month of summer receives less than 30 mm (1.2 in).

- Dsd = Mediterranean-influenced extremely cold subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below −38 °C (−36.4 °F) and one–three months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F). At least three times as much precipitation in the wettest month of winter as in the driest month of summer, and the driest month of summer receives less than 30 mm (1.2 in).

## Seasons

Annual precipitation in this zone is usually between 600 millimetres (24 in) and 1,200 millimetres (47 in), The timing of intermediate spring-like or autumn-like temperatures in this zone vary depending on latitude and/or elevation. For example, spring may arrive as soon as March (in Northern hemisphere, September in Southern hemisphere) in the southern (in Northern hemisphere, northern in Southern hemisphere), parts of this zone or as late as May (November) in the north (south). Summers are warm or hot while winters are below freezing and sustain lots of frost.

## Climatology

Continental climates exist where cold air masses infiltrate during the winter from shorter days and warm air masses form in summer under conditions of high sun and longer days. Places with continental climates are as a rule either far from any moderating effect of oceans or are so situated that prevailing winds tend to head offshore. Such regions get quite warm in the summer, achieving temperatures characteristic of tropical climates but are colder than any other climates of similar latitude in the winter.

## Neighboring climates

In the Köppen climate system, these climates grade off toward temperate climates equator-ward where winters are less severe and semi-arid climates or arid climates where precipitation becomes inadequate for tall-grass prairies and shrublands. In Europe these climates may grade off into oceanic climates (Cfb) or subpolar oceanic climates (Cfc) in which the influence of cool oceanic air masses is more marked toward the west. In western and eastern Asia, and the central United States these climates grade off toward humid subtropical climates (Cfa/Cwa), subtropical highland climates (Cwb), or Mediterranean climates (Csa/Csb) to the south.

## List of locations with a continental climate

### Africa

#### Morocco

- Imilchil (bordering Cfb)

### Eurasia

#### Asia

- Afghanistan: Chaghcharan (Dsb), Fayzabad (Dsa bordering Csa), Ghazni (Dsa bordering BSk), Puli Alam (Dsa)

- Armenia: Gyumri, Jermuk (Dsb bordering Dfb), Kapan, Sisian, Vanadzor, Yerevan (bordering BSk)

- Azerbaijan: Qabala (bordering Cfa), Shamakhi (bordering Cfa)

- China: Anshan, Beijing, Biru County, Changchun, Dalian, Daqing, Hailin, Harbin, Hulunbuir, Heihe, Jiamusi, Jilin, Jinan (bordering Cwa), Mudanjiang, Qiqihar, Shenyang, Shigatse, Suihua, Tangshan, Ulanhot, Ürümqi (bordering BSk), Xi'an (bordering Cwa), Yanji, Yantai, Yichun

- Georgia: Akhaltsikhe

- India: Badrinath (bordering Cfb), Dras (Dsb bordering Dfb), Kargil

- Iran: Abali (Dsb), Arak (Dsa bordering BSk), Ardabil (bordering BSk), Hamadan (Dsa bordering BSk), Saqqez (Dsa), Sardasht (Dsa), Tabriz (Dsa bordering BSk), Urmia (bordering BSk)

- Japan: Aomori, Asahikawa, Hakodate, Kushiro, Mount Aso, Mutsu, Nagano (bordering Cfa), Nichinan (bordering Cfa), Sapporo, Tendō

- Kazakhstan: Aktobe, Almaty, Astana, Karaganda, Oskemen, Pavlodar, Semey, Shymkent (Dsa), Taraz (Dsa bordering BSk)

- Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek (Dsa), Jalal-Abad (Dsa), Osh (Dsa)

- Mongolia: Baruunturuun (bordering Dwc), Darkhan, Kharkhorin

- North Korea: Chongjin, Haeju, Kaesong, Kimchaek, Nampo, Pyongyang, Rason

- Russia: Abakan (bordering BSk), Barnaul, Birobidzhan, Blagoveshchensk, Chelyabinsk, Chita (bordering Dwc), Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kurilsk (bordering Dfc), Nakhodka, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

- South Korea: Cheonan, Cheongju, Chuncheon, Chupungnyeong, Daejeon, Incheon, Pyeongchang, Seoul, Wonju, Yeongcheon (bordering Cfa)

- South Ossetia: Tskhinvali (disputed with Georgia)

- Tajikistan: Isfara (Dsa), Konibodom (Dsa), Panjakent (Dsa), Roghun (Dsb)

- Turkey: Ağrı (Dsb), Ardahan, Bitlis (Dsa), Çankırı (bordering BSk/Cfa), Çorum (bordering Cfa/Cfb), Erzurum, Hakkâri (Dsa), Kars, Muş (Dsa), Sivas (Dsb), Van (Dsa)

- Uzbekistan: Chirchiq (Dsa bordering Csa)

#### Europe

- Albania: Pogradec

- Andorra: Canillo, El Pas de la Casa (bordering Dfc)

- Austria: Baden bei Wien (bordering Cfb), Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Neukirchen bei Lambach

- Belarus: Brest, Gomel, Minsk, Pinsk

- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Goražde, Istočno Sarajevo, Livno

- Bulgaria: Pazardzhik (bordering Cfa), Pernik, Pleven, Ruse (bordering Cfa), Smolyan (Dsb), Sofia (bordering Cfb), Veliko Tarnovo, Vratsa

- Croatia: Gospić

- Czech Republic: Brno, České Budějovice, Liberec, Olomouc, Ostrava, Plzeň

- Estonia: Hiiumaa, Pärnu, Saaremaa, Tallinn, Tartu

- Finland: Åland, Hämeenlinna, Helsinki, Kouvola, Lappeenranta, Pori, Tampere (bordering Dfc), Turku

- France: Chamonix, Mouthe, Saint-Véran (bordering Dfc)

- Germany: Ansbach, Augsburg (bordering Cfb), Bayreuth, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Görlitz (bordering Cfb), Ingolstadt, Kempten, Sigmaringen, Weiden in der Oberpfalz

- Greece: Aetomilitsa, Kato Vermio, Samarina

- Hungary: Debrecen, Kecskemét (bordering Cfa/Cfb), Miskolc, Szeged (bordering Cfa/Cfb), Szombathely (bordering Cfb)

- Italy: Bruneck, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, Rocca di Mezzo (bordering Cfb), Toblach

- Kazakhstan: Oral (bordering BSk)

- Kosovo: Pristina (disputed with Serbia)

- Latvia: Daugavpils, Jelgava, Liepāja, Riga

- Liechtenstein: Schaan (bordering Cfb)

- Lithuania: Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Vilnius

- Moldova: Bălți, Briceni, Chișinău, Comrat

- Montenegro: Žabljak

- North Macedonia: Berovo

- Norway: Bodø (bordering Dfc), Drammen, Hamar, Lillehammer (bordering Dfc), Oslo, Steinkjer, Trondheim

- Poland: Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Łódź, Lublin, Poznań (bordering Cfb), Suwałki, Toruń, Warsaw

- Romania: Brașov, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Miercurea Ciuc, Ploiești, Sibiu, Timișoara

- Russia: Belgorod, Bryansk, Grozny, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Moscow, Nalchik, Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg, Pskov, Perm, Petrozavodsk (bordering Dfc), Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Stavropol, Taganrog, Tula, Ufa, Vladikavkaz, Vladimir, Volgograd (bordering BSk), Voronezh, Yaroslavl

- Serbia: Nova Varoš, Subotica, Zaječar

- Slovakia: Banská Bystrica, Košice, Pezinok, Prešov, Žilina

- Slovenia: Lendava (bordering Cfb), Murska Sobota

- Spain: Puerto de Navacerrada (Dsb bordering Csb)

- Sweden: Falun, Härnösand, Jönköping, Kalmar (bordering Cfb), Norrköping, Stockholm, Sundsvall, Uppsala, Visby (bordering Cfb)

- Switzerland: Gstaad, La Brévine (bordering Dfc), La Chaux-de-Fonds, Poschiavo

- Transnistria: Tiraspol (disputed with Moldova)

- Ukraine: Dnipro, Donetsk (occupied by Russia), Izmail (bordering Cfa), Kharkiv, Kherson, Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv, Luhansk (occupied by Russia), Lviv, Mariupol (occupied by Russia), Odesa (bordering BSk/Cfa), Uzhhorod, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr

### North America

#### Canada

- Brandon, MB

- Calgary (higher areas are Dwc)

- Castlegar, BC (Dsb bordering Dfb)

- Charlottetown

- Edmonton

- Fredericton

- Gander, NL

- Goose Bay, NL (bordering Dfc)

- Halifax

- Hamilton, ON

- Kelowna, BC

- London, ON

- Marystown, NL

- Moncton

- Montreal

- Moose Factory

- Murdochville, QC

- Ottawa

- Penticton, BC (bordering BSk)

- Prince George, BC

- Quebec City

- Red Deer, AL

- Regina (bordering BSk)

- Rimouski, QC

- Sable Island (bordering Cfb)

- Saint John, NB

- Saguenay, QC

- Sherbrooke, QC

- St. John's, NL

- Saskatoon (bordering BSk)

- Stewart, BC

- Sudbury

- Sydney, NS

- Thunder Bay

- Toronto

- Trois-Rivières, QC

- Windsor

- Winnipeg

- Yarmouth, NS

#### United States

##### Midwest

- Akron, OH

- Bismarck, ND

- Bloomington, IN

- Cahokia Heights, IL (bordering Cfa)

- Cedar Rapids, IA

- Champaign, IL

- Chicago

- Cincinnati (downtown is Cfa)

- Cleveland

- Columbia, MO

- Columbus, OH

- Dayton

- Des Moines

- Detroit

- Duluth, MN

- Fargo, ND

- Fort Wayne, IN

- Grand Rapids, MI

- Green Bay, WI

- Indianapolis

- Kansas City (bordering Cfa)

- Lansing, MI

- Lincoln, NE

- Madison, WI

- Manhattan, KS

- Marquette, MI

- Milwaukee

- Minneapolis

- North Platte, NE

- Omaha

- Rapid City, SD (bordering BSk)

- Rochester, MN

- Rockford, IL

- Sioux Falls, SD

- South Bend, IN

- Springfield, IL

- St. Cloud, MN

- Toledo, OH

- Topeka

- Youngstown, OH

##### Northeast

- Albany

- Allentown, PA

- Augusta, ME

- Bangor, ME

- Binghamton, NY

- Boston

- Bridgeport, CT (bordering Cfa)

- Buffalo

- Burlington, VT

- Cape Cod (east side is Cfb)

- Concord, NH

- Erie, PA

- Harrisburg (downtown and riverfront (including City Island) are Cfa)

- Hartford

- Lancaster, PA (bordering Cfa)

- Manchester, NH

- Matinicus Isle, ME

- New Haven

- New London, CT (bordering Cfa)

- Newport, RI (bordering Cfa/Cfb)

- Paterson, NJ (bordering Cfa)

- Pittsburgh

- Portland, ME

- Portsmouth, NH

- Poughkeepsie, NY

- Princeton, NJ (bordering Cfa)

- Providence, RI

- Reading, PA

- Riverhead, NY (north side facing Long Island Sound is Cfa)

- Rochester

- Scranton, PA

- Southampton, NY

- Springfield, MA

- State College, PA

- Syracuse

- Utica, NY

- White Plains, NY

- Worcester, MA

- York, PA (bordering Cfa)

##### South

- Beech Mountain, NC

- Boone, NC (bordering Cfb)

- Buckhannon, WV (bordering Cfa)

- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (bordering Cfa)

- Clifton Forge, VA (bordering Cfa)

- Clingmans Dome, NC/TN

- Cumberland, MD

- Ebright Azimuth, DE (bordering Cfa)

- Elkins, WV

- Emmitsburg, MD (bordering Cfa)

- Fairmont, WV (bordering Cfa)

- Hancock, MD

- Mount Mitchell, NC

- Oakland, MD

- Parkton, MD

- Romney, WV (bordering Cfa)

- Wheeling, WV

- White Sulphur Springs, WV

- Winchester, VA (bordering Cfa)

##### West

- Alturas, CA (Dsb bordering BSk/Csb)

- Aspen, CO

- Billings, MT (bordering BSk)

- Bozeman, MT

- Cambridge, ID (Dsa)

- Cheyenne, WY (bordering BSk)

- Coeur D'Alene, ID (Dsb bordering Csb)

- Fairbanks (bordering Dfc)

- Flagstaff, AZ (bordering BSk)

- Government Camp, OR (Dsb bordering Csb/Csc/Dsc)

- Idaho Falls (bordering BSk)

- Jackson, WY (bordering Dfc)

- Joseph, OR

- Juneau (bordering Dfc)

- Klamath Falls, OR (Dsb)

- Kodiak, AK (bordering Cfb/Cfc/Dfc)

- Logan, UT (Dsa)

- Los Alamos, NM (bordering BSk)

- Loveland, CO (bordering BSk)

- Mammoth Lakes, CA (Dsb)

- Missoula, MT

- Moscow, ID (Dsa)

- Mountain City, NV (bordering BSk)

- Nenana, AK (bordering Dfc)

- Ogden, UT

- Orofino, ID (Dsb bordering Dsa)

- Park City, UT

- Petersburg, AK

- Salt Lake City (Dsa bordering BSk/Csa)

- Santa Fe, NM (bordering BSk)

- Skagway, AK (Dsb bordering Dsc)

- South Lake Tahoe, CA (Dsb bordering Csb)

- Spokane, WA (Dsb bordering Csa/Csb/Dsa)

- Tahoe City, CA (Dsb)

- Taos, NM (bordering BSk)

- Telluride, CO

- Tusayan, AZ (bordering BSk)

- Winthrop, WA (Dsb)

### Oceania

#### Australia

- Falls Creek, Victoria (bordering Dfc)

- Kiandra, New South Wales (bordering Cfb)

- Mount Buller, Victoria (bordering Cfb/Cfc/Dfc)

- Perisher Valley, New South Wales (bordering Cfb/Cfc/Dfc)

### South America

#### Argentina

- Alto Río Senguer, Chubut Province (Dsb bordering BSk/Csb/Csc/Dsc)

- Puente del Inca, Mendoza Province (Dsb bordering Csb)


The Call of the Wild (2007 film)

# The Call of the Wild (2007 film)

## Abstract

The Call of the Wild is a 2007 documentary film by the independent filmmaker Ron Lamothe. The premise details the odyssey of Christopher McCandless as Lamothe takes a road trip across North America to the places McCandless visited. Within the film, Lamothe reaches conclusions about McCandless' death which contradict both Sean Penn 's film Into the Wild (2007) and Jon Krakauer 's book Into the Wild (1996), on which Penn's film was based.

## Content

In 2006, Ron Lamothe, decided to make a road trip documentary on Christopher McCandless. Lamothe was inspired by McCandless' story even before the book Into the Wild (1996) was published, as both he and McCandless were born in 1968 and graduated from college in 1990. They also shared the same roommate at one time in their lives, and Lamothe took a life-changing trip to Africa during the same time as McCandless' travels.

After a brief swim in Walden Pond, Lamothe begins his journey to Annandale, Virginia, where McCandless grew up and went to high school. Lamothe then journeys to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where McCandless graduated in May 1990, and attends the 2006 graduation ceremony. Also attending the ceremony is filmmaker Sean Penn, who coincidentally was then filming a major motion picture about McCandless. Lamothe interviews a few graduates on their plans after college in hopes of finding a "McCandless" in the crowd while comparing the graduates to the free-spirited Generation X.

On June 3, Lamothe and a friend travel to Lake Mead and discuss the casting choice of Emile Hirsch as McCandless in the upcoming film. They incidentally pass through Penn's production as he sees two yellow Datsun B-210 props, the same car McCandless drove and later lost during a flash flood. Lamothe has the entire Lake Mead to himself without being bothered by Penn's crew, who chose to film in a different location.

Lamothe then ventures to California and visits Slab City, where McCandless had stayed during the Christmas holidays in 1991. Lamothe tours Salvation Mountain and interviews Leonard Knight, who built the site and claims to have met McCandless during McCandless' stay.

Lamothe then decides to visit Carthage, South Dakota, where McCandless took on a job working at a grain elevator in September 1990 and in April 1992. Like McCandless, Lamothe travels to Carthage solely by hitchhiking. Lamothe travels through Colorado with an ex-drug dealer—who used to live in Alaska -and along I-80 through Nebraska to Council Bluffs, Iowa with a group of young adults who enjoy collecting mushrooms alongside the road. After days of hitchhiking, Lamothe finally makes it to Carthage but learns that no one in the town will take interviews for his documentary, since they are under contract by Paramount Vantage for Penn's film. However, Lamothe does get to interview the truck driver who gave McCandless a ride from Carthage to Enderlin, North Dakota, as his life story was not owned by Paramount.

After departing Carthage, Lamothe travels through Canada but this time as the driver. He agrees to pick up any hitchhiker he sees but unfortunately doesn't find any along the way.

Finally, Lamothe arrives in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he interviews a few locals at a bar who only have criticisms about McCandless. Lamothe sets out on the Stampede Trail on foot, but when he tries to cross the Teklanika River, his camera becomes damaged, leading him to think his film is ruined. However, unknown to Lamothe, his camera is fine as he attempts to film as much of Bus 142 (where McCandless died in August 1992) as possible. After a few nights at the bus, Lamothe travels back home to Massachusetts and returns to his normal life.

### New findings

Lamothe documents several later findings that contradict Krakauer's book and Penn's film. He reports that McCandless was not poisoned by wild potato seeds as Krakauer had suspected, as the toxicologist hired by Krakauer did not find any poisonous effects of the seeds. He concludes that McCandless was simply unable to forage enough food to feed himself and died of starvation.

However, in March 2015 Krakauer co-authored a scientific analysis of the Hedysarum alpinum seeds McCandless ate. The report found relatively high levels of L- canavanine (an antimetabolite toxic to mammals) in the H. alpinum seeds and concluded "it is highly likely that the consumption of H. alpinum seeds contributed to the death of Chris McCandless."

Lamothe also reveals that McCandless' driver's license, social security card and US$ 300 in cash were retrieved from a hidden pocket in McCandless' backpack, suggesting that McCandless intended to return from seclusion.

Lamothe further suspects that McCandless had an arm or shoulder injury not shown in the famous self-portrait photo by the bus, in which McCandless' shirt sleeve has the appearance of being empty. Lamothe believes, based on McCandless' S.O.S. note, that McCandless had injured his arm or dislocated his shoulder, and thus could not have swum across the Teklanika River to escape.

## Reception

The film screened October 8 and 9, 2007 as part of the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival, and the University of Alaska hosted the Fairbanks premiere of the film December 10, 2007.

The Denver Film Society offered that the film mounted "a thoughtful challenge to Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild (and actor-director Sean Penn's screen adaptation thereof), The Call of the Wild presents an alternative to the popular account of Chris McCandless, the self-styled 'aesthetic voyager' who died alone in the Alaskan wilderness in 1992 at age 24." They further noted Lamothe's, while filming, having several "run-ins" with Penn who was, in the same time-frame and locations, himself involved in the making of a production about McCandless, and made note of how Penn's production had "the clout to thwart Lamothe at many a turn." They concluded: "ultimately, however, what lies at the film's core is Lamothe's own journey of discovery. The conceit allows him to explore the concept of wilderness and its influence on the American psyche, as well as its reflection on our cultural landscape; the generation gap as measured by changing rites of passage; and the disparity between independent and Hollywood filmmaking."

British film critic Neil Young wrote that the film was a "disarmingly fresh, utterly engrossing documentary" in how it addressed "specific details of McCandless's controversial life (and even more controversial demise)" by director Ron Lamothe covering "a surprisingly expansive amount of geographic and thematic terrain as he journeys cross-county – driving, then hitchhiking – in McCandless's footsteps." In watching the production, Young offered "the film becomes not so much about McCandless or Lamothe (though it's certainly to some degree a portrait of both) but a more general rumination on the ambitions and limitations of the generation to which both belonged (the picture is part-dedicated to 'Generation X') and also a celebration of rural America's more eccentric backwaters."

Suite101 compares the different media depicting McCandless' journey and death. They note Sean Penn's version makes McCandless into a societal hero who burns his identity and money in a personal quest to exile himself from the material demands and obligations of modern society. They feel that although slightly different, the depictions by Krakauer and Lamothe were more down-to-Earth, and note that while Krakauer's version has McCandless divest himself of all identification, Lamothe's version attempted to be more accurate in its revealing that McCandless' wallet was discovered inside the wreckage of the bus, and that it contained his social security card, birth certificate, driver's licence, health card, map, and even library card, as well as $300 cash.

Juneau Empire wrote that release of the Krakauer book and the Penn and Lamothe films "cemented the mystique of Christopher McCandless" and there has been an increase of visitors coming to Alaska to retrace his steps. They also reported that 25 miles east of the site of the wrecked bus, residents of Healy, Alaska, feared the influx of unprepared visitors "making dangerous pilgrimages for a character portrayed as a spiritual visionary rather than an ill-prepared misfit, as many Alaskans view McCandless." While the wrecked 1940s-era International Harvester bus had been used for decades as a shelter by hunters, hikers, and other backwoods travelers, there is an area-wide worry about the safety of unprepared visitors "who are determined to make it to the bus no matter what."

SFist wrote that while the film's first half appears to be more about Ron Lamothe and less about Christopher McCandless, the "documentary gets good at the end and there are some interesting theories and revelations (the popular theory that McCandless died from poison seeds/berries is refuted)", and the film could have used better editing. They also felt that the amount of time Lamothe spent documenting the people who picked him up while he hitchhiked in a manner emulating McCandless', was "a use of screen time that seems beyond self-indulgent."

Kentucky Educational Television made note that, through the following of Christopher McCandless' footsteps, Ron Lamothe's film "uncovers never-before-seen evidence that sheds new light on the case, and the mystery surrounding his death", directly contradicting Jon Krakauer's interpretations in the book Into the Wild and those made in Sean Penn's film adaption of Krakauer's book.


# Tom Jackson (American football, born 1948)

## Abstract

Tom Jackson (born July 8, 1948) is a former American football player and coach.

From Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Jackson played college football from 1967 to 1970 for Penn State. Recruited as a part of Joe Paterno 's first recruiting class, Jackson earned All-East honors as a guard in 1968 and 1969. Jackson served as the head football coach at the University of Connecticut from 1983 to 1993, compiling a record of 62–57. He resigned on November 17, 1993. Prior to taking over as head coach at Connecticut in 1983, Jackson served as the offensive line coach there.


# List of people who survived assassination attempts

## Abstract

This is a list of survivors of assassination attempts who were not heads of state, listed chronologically.

For survivors who were heads of state, see List of heads of state and government who survived assassination attempts. For successful assassination attempts, see List of assassinations.


Thin Ice (2011 film)

# Thin Ice (2011 film)

## Abstract

Thin Ice (originally released as The Convincer) is a 2011 American black comedy film directed by Jill Sprecher and starring Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin and Billy Crudup.

## Plot summary

Wisconsin insurance salesman Mickey Prohaska is in desperate financial straits. His wife JoAnn has thrown him out of the house, and he is willing to do or say practically anything to sell anybody a policy. Mickey accompanies another insurance agent he has just met, Bob Egan, to the farm of an elderly man named Gorvy Hauer. The house is a mess and Gorvy is absent-minded, perhaps a tad senile. He does not have much money and the little he has, he seems to keep in a jar. Mickey tries to sell the old man some insurance anyway.

Gorvy also has an old violin. A man named Dahl, an appraiser from Chicago who has a shop filled with musical instruments, examines the violin and says it is somewhat rare and actually worth $25,000. Complications arise when Mickey's plan to steal the instrument is discovered by a small-time ex-con named Randy Kinney, who not only will not leave Mickey alone, but turns violent and bludgeons one of Gorvy's neighbors to death.

Continued inspection and research on the violin values it at forty times the original estimate. Mickey now is in possession of a million-dollar instrument, but Randy wants his share and threatens to kill Mickey if he does not get it. Mickey thinks he can still come out of this all right, until he discovers that he is in way over his head.

## Cast

- Greg Kinnear as Mickey Prohaska

- Alan Arkin as Gorvy Hauer

- Billy Crudup as Randy Kinney

- Lea Thompson as Jo Ann Prohaska

- Bob Balaban as Leonard Dahl

- David Harbour as Bob Egan

- Michelle Arthur as Karla Gruenke

- Mike Hagerty as Jerry

- Landyn Banx as Actor

- Kirsten Gregerson as Patron

## Production

Filming began in February and ended in March 2010, and, though set in Wisconsin, was shot during winter in Minnesota; in Bloomington, St. Paul and Minnetonka in particular.

## Re-editing controversy

Entitled The Convincer, the initial edit of the film was screened in January 2011 at the Sundance Film Festival. Distribution rights were purchased by ATO Pictures. Both ATO and production company Werc Werk Works demanded that director/writer Jill Sprecher make sweeping changes to the film from the version shown at Sundance in order to speed the film up. The production company claimed that Sprecher "refused to be part of the process", while Sprecher stated that she was never allowed to review the distributor's notes to make any comments on them. The production company and distributor made the revisions without Sprecher's input, replacing the original composer, Alex Wurman, and the original editor, Stephen Mirrione. Sprecher was prevented from speaking to the press about the situation for legal reasons, but she had stated she is "heartbroken and devastated" and wanted to remove her name from the film, but under the terms of her contract she is not allowed to do so. The completely re-cut film was retitled Thin Ice. Sprecher reportedly learned of the name through the Internet and not from the production company.

## Reception

### Original cut

The Convincer received generally positive reviews from critics at the Sundance Film Festival. Kyle Smith of the New York Post said in his review; "Kinnear is ideal for this role" and ultimately The Convincer turns out to be an ambitiously structured and clever scam movie". Rob Nelson of Variety said; "there are pitch-perfect comic notes from the whole ensemble (...) Stephen Mirrione's editing hits all the right beats, and Pope's brilliantly composed widescreen images of the Wisconsin tundra are as bright as any noir's could be".

### Thin Ice

The re-cut Thin Ice received uniformly negative responses ("disappointing," "poorly edited," "a stinker") after screenings at B-List festivals in October 2011.

Thin Ice received positive responses from critics with a "fresh" rating of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 59 reviews.

## Release

The film premiered locally in Minneapolis at the Walker Art Center on October 12, 2011, completely re-cut and retitled as Thin Ice.

Following the further festival run, the film was released theatrically in February 2012.


Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur

# Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur

## Abstract

Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur (April 8, 1802 – June 20, 1850) was the younger daughter of U.S. President James Monroe. She was the first presidential offspring to be married in the White House.

## Early life

Maria Hester Monroe was the third child of James Monroe and Elizabeth Kortright Monroe. She was born in Virginia on April 8, 1802, during Monroe's first term as Governor of Virginia. When James Monroe was sent to France the next year to assist in the negotiations over the Louisiana Purchase, he brought his family to live with him in France. Maria learned French there, and later in her childhood took a particular interest in the pianoforte. From 1816 to 1819, she was enrolled in Madame Grelaud's French School in Pennsylvania. She was 14 years old when her father became President.

## Marriage

Monroe became a popular part of the Washington, D.C., social scene. In 1820, when she was 17, she married 21 year old Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur, who was serving as private secretary to her father. They were first cousins; his mother was Elizabeth Monroe's sister. On March 9, 1820, they were married in the White House, in a small ceremony officiated by Reverend William Hawley, with only 42 guests in attendance. The wedding was probably held in the Blue Room (then known as the Elliptical Salon) and the wedding feast was held in the State Dining Room. While it was not the first White House wedding, it was the first time a president's child was married there.

Monroe's older sister, Eliza Monroe Hay, took charge of the wedding. Hay, who acted as an unofficial First Lady during the Monroe presidency, created a social scandal by trimming the guest list and snubbing large portions of Washington society. Complaints even were raised during a cabinet meeting. President Monroe sought the assistance of war hero Commodore Stephen Decatur and his wife Susan Decatur, popular figures in Washington society. They planned a series of lavish balls for the couple at Decatur House to appease complaints. The first one was a success, but the rest were cancelled as the next day Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel.

## New York

In 1822, the couple moved to New York City, where Samuel Gouverneur held a series of political posts. They built a two and half story house at 63 Prince Street in New York City. They were popular and threw lavish parties where the champagne flowed freely. After his wife's death in 1830, James Monroe lived with his daughter and her husband in Prince Street, New York City until he died on 4 July 1831.

## Later life and death

In 1840 the couple returned to Washington. Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur died on June 20, 1850, at the Monroe family Virginia plantation, Oak Hill. She was interred at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

## Family

Maria and Samuel Gouverneur had four children:

- a daughter (d. September 4, 1821), who died in infancy

- James Monroe Gouverneur (1822–1885), who was born a deaf mute. He died at Spring Grove Asylum in Catonsville, Maryland.

- Elizabeth Kortright Gouverneur (1826-1868), who was married three times.

- Samuel Laurence Gouverneur (1820-1880), who was a United States diplomat.


Massu Engira Masilamani

# Massu Engira Masilamani

## Abstract

Masss (also marketed as Massu Engira Masilamani) is a 2015 Indian Tamil -language action horror comedy film directed by Venkat Prabhu, who co-wrote the script with Madhan Karky. It was produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja 's Studio Green and Aadnah Arts. The film stars Suriya in dual roles, alongside Nayanthara, Pranitha Subhash, Premgi, Parthiban, and Samuthirakani. It follows Masss, a con artist, who starts interacting with ghosts. During one such encounter, he stumbles upon Shakthi, a ghost who wants to seek revenge against his family's killers.

The film was launched in April 2014, and the principal photography commenced in July 2014 and was completed in April 2015. Filming took place in various locations in India and Bulgaria. The film's title Masss, was announced in July 2014; however in order to receive exemption from entertainment tax, the film's title was changed to Massu Engira Masilamani. it received mixed to positive reviews from critics and received praise for surya's performence.

The film was released worldwide on 29 May 2015. A Telugu dubbed version, titled Rakshasudu, was released simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It was later remade by SVF into the 2018 Indian Bengali -language film Naqaab, starring Shakib Khan, Nusrat Jahan and Sayantika Banerjee.

## Plot

A released prisoner named Kamal Ekambaram murders former Police Commissioner Shanmuga Sundaram during a morning jog. On the other hand, Masilamani alias Masss and his friend Jettu are small-time con artists. Masss meets Manini, a nurse, and they subsequently fall in love. While trying to escape after a heist goes wrong, Masss and Jettu meet with a car accident, after which Masss starts seeing dead people with whom he can communicate. Jettu died in the accident and is now a ghost, too. Masss forms a group of loitering ghosts to earn money by performing fake exorcisms and extorting money from scared, rich people while promising the spirits that he would, in exchange, fulfil their last wishes. Meanwhile, Manini, who thought Masss was working for a finance company, discovers the fake exorcisms and leaves him.

The same day, Masss and Jettu meet a ghost called Shakthivel (Shakthi), a Sri Lankan Tamil man from Ceylon and a lookalike of Masss. Shakthi seemingly helps the duo by informing them about hawala black money stashed in a locker by Anthony Xavier, a hawala broker, in his warehouse at Sembikarai but has other plans in mind and wants to use Masss for that. He sabotages their plan and tricks Masss into running over Anthony while Kamal arrives and steals the money from the locker in the resulting chaos. Corrupt ACP Vikram Lakshman takes charge, investigates the case, and learns Masss is involved in the murder. Subsequently, the ghosts start striking against Masss as they assume that he is just using them to cheat later on. Masss yells at them and orders them to leave. Just then, Shakthi arrives at the request of the ghosts. They depart with Shakthi while Jettu manages to convince Masss. Masss agrees and fulfils the ghosts' wishes so they attain salvation, which makes him a better person. All these good deeds of Masss change Manini's assumptions of him positively. At the same time, Shakthi uses Masss to meet another person, Madhivadhanan alias Madhi, an MLA and associate of Anthony at his quarry and later uses him to kill Madhi. Masss, furious with Shakthi for making him a double murderer, yells at him to leave, threatening to commit suicide. While escaping the quarry with Jettu, Masss encounters R. K., alias Radha Krishnan, Anthony and Madhi's partner, who gets reminded of Shakthi, and orders his men to catch Masss. Kamal arrives there and rescues him, and later he reveals Shakthi's past, where Masss realises that Shakthi is his father.

Past: Shakthi was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Montreal, who married Anuradha (Anu), a teacher at his daughter Megha's school, just for Megha's wish. Shakthi secretly learned that Anu loves and takes care of Megha. Soon, they both fell in love, and Anu gave birth to a son (Masss). Anu owns an acre of land in India, which she wanted to donate to an orphanage where they could build a new orphanage. Kamal, the only family friend of Anu residing in India, agreed to help with the registration. Shakthi and Anu, along with Megha and infant Masss, arrived in India to complete the registration but learned that industrialists R. K. and Anthony forged documents and planned to take the land away to construct flats. Since Shakthi remained undeterred and did not give way, R. K., Anthony, Madhi, and Sundaram, along with their goons, killed Shakthi, Anu, and Megha and pinned the murders on Kamal, for which he got imprisoned for all these years. Masss survived because Megha had left him safe in an impoverished family's small house nearby.

Present: Through Masss, Shakthi wanted to kill the people responsible for his family's demise. After discovering the truth, Masss plans to kill R. K. himself. R. K., knowing who Masss is, tries to kill him, but Kamal saves Masss. However, because R. K. hits Masss on the head with a fire extinguisher, he loses the ability to see and converse with the spirits. With the help of Vikram, whom Masss bribed to double-cross R. K., Masss finally kills R. K. As Masss fulfils Shakthi's last wish, he obtains salvation and joins Anu and Megha in heaven.

in a post-credits scene, Manini reunites with Masss and gets married, but Jettu remains on Earth.

## Cast

- Suriya in a dual role as Masilamani, alias "Masss", a con artist man with a supernatural ability to see and communicate with ghosts, Shakthivel (Shakthi), a Sri Lankan Tamil man from Ceylon, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer in Montreal, Quebec, and Masss's father

- Masilamani, alias "Masss", a con artist man with a supernatural ability to see and communicate with ghosts,

- Shakthivel (Shakthi), a Sri Lankan Tamil man from Ceylon, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer in Montreal, Quebec, and Masss's father

- Nayanthara as Malini, a nurse, Masss's love interest later wife, who leaves him after discovering he was cheating people but later after knowing his good deeds reconciles with him (voice dubbed By Renuka Kathir)

- Pranitha Subhash as Anuradha "Anu", Shakthi's wife, Masss's mother, and Megha's teacher and stepmother who died saving Megha and infant Masss.

- Premji as Jet Li "Jettu", Masss's best friend who dies in an accident and becomes a ghost

- R. Parthiban as ACP Vikram Lakshman lPS, a corrupt police officer from Sembikkarai who investigates the case and double-crosses R. K.

- Riyaz Khan as Kamal Ekambaram, Anu's family friend and an escaped prisoner who reveals Shakthi's past to Masss

- Samuthirakani as Radha Krishnan "R. K.", a real estate owner who, along with his accomplices, kills Shakthi, Anu, and Megha

- Sharath Lohitashwa as Anthony Xavier, R. K.'s partner and a hawala broker

- Charles Vinoth as MLA Madhivadhanan "Madhi", R. K. and Anthony's henchman

- Subbu Panchu as Police Commissioner Shanmuga Sundaram, R. K. and Anthony's henchman who Kamal murders

- Jayaprakash as Kothandaram Reddy

- Sayaji Shinde as Amarnath Shinde

- Aravind Akash as Anthony's henchman

- Yuvina Parthavi as Megha, Shakthi's daughter, Masss's half sister

- Karunas as Azhagu (ghost)

- Sriman as Salesman Sripathy (ghost)

- Rethika Srinivas as Padma (ghost)

- Jasper as Chinna (ghost)

- Bose Venkat as Periyamuthu (ghost)

- Rajendran as a ghost

- Sanjay Bharathi as a ghost

- Daniel Annie Pope as a ghost

- Shanmugasundaram as a ghost

- Swaminathan as a ghost

- V. Gnanavel as a ghost

- Hareeni Nair as a ghost

- Susheela Neethi as a ghost

- Vidyullekha Raman as Julie, Manini's friend and colleague in the hospital

- Madhusudhan Rao as Reddy

- Namo Narayana as Rajapandi

- Sonia as Gnanaprakasham's wife

- Ilavarasu as Gnanaprakasam

- Manobala as Arnold

- Stunt Silva as Prince, Reddy's henchman

- Prinz Nithik as Mahesh, Madhi's henchman

- Ramya Subramanian as Reporter

- Badava Gopi as Registrar

- Meesai Rajendran as Police Officer

- Ramya Ramakrishnan as Ramya

- Vikramadithyan as Siddhar

- Srilekha Rajendran as Orphanage caretaker

### Cameo appearances

- Jai as Kathiresan (ghost), Ganesh's eye-donor

- Vijay Vasanth as Gopi

- Anjali as Manimegalai (archival footage from Engaeyum Eppothum)

- Brahmanandam as Dr. Gnanaprakasham, Hospital Dean (Voice Dubbed By M. S. Bhaskar)

- Vaibhav as Ghost

- Sangeetha Krish as S. Shankari, Shakthi's School Principal

## Production

### Development

In early December 2013, Sify reported that Venkat Prabhu's next film after Biriyani (2013) would feature Suriya as the male lead and would also be produced by the actor himself under his newly launched company 2D Entertainment. Three days later the project was confirmed by the director, who however clarified that Studio Green would co-produce it along with 2D Entertainment. Subsequently, lyricist Madhan Karky was signed to write the dialogues for the film. As with Prabhu's earlier films, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja and editor Praveen K. L. were added to the technical crew, while R. D. Rajasekhar was signed as the cinematographer, replacing Prabhu's usual cinematographer Sakthi Saravanan. The film was touted to be the first Tamil film to be shot in 3D from the beginning, but Venkat Prabhu later informed that it was not true. It was reported to be a horror comedy, while Venkat Prabhu stated that he was "trying something new" and that he could not reveal the genre. The film was rumoured to be titled as Poochandi, however Venkat Prabhu announced on 5 July 2014 via Twitter and Facebook that it had been titled Masss. On 25 May 2015, the film was renamed with a Tamil title Massu Engira Masilamani, to be exempted from the State Government's thirty percentage entertainment tax.

### Casting

Reports in January 2014 indicated that Suriya would be playing a dual role in the film. Further more, he was said to be given two different looks, one of them having him sport long hair. After completing the film, Suriya stated that he had played two characters, Masilamani, a conman, and Shakti. Venkat Prabhu went on to add that Shakti was a Sri Lankan Tamil. Nayanthara was signed to play one of the female leads along with Amy Jackson, while the director's brother Premji was given a significant supporting role as in all of Prabhu's films. Mohan was reported to be playing the villain, but the director stated that Mohan was not approached for any role in the film. Actor-director R. Parthiepan informed that he had "a special character to essay in Masss, a very significant one". In August 2014, the Times of India reported that Jayaram, who had worked with Venkat Prabhu in Saroja (2008), had been added to the cast and would be playing a prominent role, however, he was replaced by Parthiban. Actors Sriman, Karunas and Daniel Annie Pope of Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara (2013) fame were reported to be playing the roles of spirits in the film. On 10 August 2014, actress Vidyullekha Raman informed that she would be a part of the project. The next day, actor-director Samuthirakani was announced to be part of the project. Sanjay Bharathi was given a supporting role and participated in the Hyderabad schedule.

In November 2014, Amy Jackson opted out of the project, explaining that the makers had changed her character and the script, which would have resulted in her shooting only for half the number of days than she was initially committed to. She was replaced by Pranitha Subhash who joined the film's cast later the month. In October 2014, Riyaz Khan was named to be a part of the film, and was said to be playing "a very important role with a unique characterization". Prinz stated that he played one of the villains in Masss and that he would appear for a short duration but share screen space with Suriya.

### Filming

The film was officially launched with a puja ceremony on 14 April 2014, coinciding with Tamil New Year. Principal photography was reported to start from 11 July 2014, but commenced three days earlier in Chennai. The first schedule was shot in a house on the ECR stretch for 15 days. The crew with Suriya and Nayanthara shot some scenes at a hospital in Chennai. The first and second schedules of the film were completed by early September 2014. The team reportedly continued filming in Ooty, Kerala and Kullu - Manali in North India. Forty per cent of the filming was completed by the end of September 2014. In November 2014, the first song was filmed, which was choreographed by Ajay Raaj. By early December, the team shot crucial portions including a duet song sequence involving Suriya and Pranitha in Bulgaria. Following the schedule in Bulgaria, filming continued in Puducherry by January 2015. Later, the makers completed the film's principal photography on 20 April 2015.

## Music

The film's soundtrack album features seven tracks composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, with two instrumentals and a remix done by Premgi Amaren. The lyrics for the songs were written by Gangai Amaran, Madhan Karky and Viveka. Yuvan Shankar Raja began working on the film's music in August 2014 and stated that the soundtrack would be "completely wacky". In November 2014, Tanvi Shah had recorded a song for the soundtrack, which was however, not featured in the album. At an award function later that month, the composer told that he was working on a special track that would be a tribute to Michael Jackson and be on the lines of Jackson's " Thriller ", later revealed to be "Poochandi".

In March 2015, Sify reported that Yuvan Shankar Raja was no longer part of the project and that he had been replaced by S. Thaman as the film's composer, who will also hold for the film's background score. Venkat Prabhu denied the news, and Yuvan Shankar Raja later clarified that, because of time constraints, he composed a tune and gave it to Thaman to work on the orchestration part only, since the team needed to finish the shoot quickly.

The film's soundtrack was initially scheduled to be released in April 2015. Raja submitted the master copy of the album on 24 April 2015. The album was released online on various streaming platforms, without hosting any audio launch. The songs were aired live through FM stations, on the day of the launch.

Thaman had remixed the tune of the song "Gandi Baat" from the Hindi film R... Rajkumar (2013), which was titled as "Sema Masss" in Tamil and "Super Masss" in Telugu. The song was included in the film's Telugu version, but not featured in the Tamil album altogether. However, it was separately and officially uploaded in YouTube, and also as a bonus track, after the film's release.

Tamil version

Telugu version

The soundtrack for the Telugu version of the film titled as Rakshasudu, was released on 14 May 2015. The launch was coincided with a grand event held at Hyderabad, with Nagarjuna, S. S. Rajamouli and Prabhas attending the event as chief guests. The additional track of the film "Sema Masss", in Telugu titled as "Super Masss", composed by S. Thaman, was included in the film's soundtrack album.

Reception

The soundtrack received positive reviews from critics. Behindwoods rated the soundtrack 3.25 out of 5 and said "The successful combination of Venkat Prabhu & Yuvan Shankar Raja strike again, this time with more experimentation and vivacity!" Indiaglitz gave it 3 out of 5 and said, "To quote YSR, the album is 'completely wacky'. Promise of surprise element – check, tribute to Michael Jackson – check, high energy – check... This album is a reviving, soulful and definitely a chart-topper material". Bollywoodlife gave the soundtrack 3 stars out of 5 stating "Yuvan's album has one or two standout numbers like "Therikkudhu Masss" and "Piravi" which will stay with you even after a while you are done listening. As for the rest, the songs are not so special or different that would make for an interesting album." Milliblog commented "Masss is the weakest soundtrack among all Venkat Prabhu-Yuvan combos." Moviecrow gave 2.75 out of 5 to the album and stated "This album provides the right amount of coolness one would expect from a Yuvan Shankar Raja-Venkat Prabhu collaboration, but it just doesn't pull off the "awe" that these two have been providing all over the years. Not the powerhouse we wanted, but definitely the fun we needed."

## Release

The film was initially scheduled to release in March 2015. However the makers officially announced that the film would be released on 1 May 2015. Later, the makers have postponed the release to avoid clash with Kamal Haasan 's Uttama Villain. On mid-April 2015, the makers confirmed that the film would be released on 15 May 2015. However, to avoid clash with Jyothika 's 36 Vayadhinile, which was also produced by Suriya, the makers pushed the release to 29 May 2015.

The film was released in around 1900 screens worldwide, including 425 screens in Tamil Nadu, 570 screens in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 143 screens in Kerala, 100 screens in Karnataka, 140 screens in North India and nearly 600 plus screens in overseas territories, thus becoming the biggest release in Suriya's career.

## Marketing

The worldwide distribution rights of Masss were sold to Eros International for approximately ₹ 61 crore (US$7.3 million). Dream Factory, a subsidiary of Studio Green was confirmed to distribute the film in Tamil Nadu. Sopnam Films bought the Kerala distribution rights for Masss as well as two other Studio Green productions, Komban and Darling. The rights to Karnataka region were sold to distributor Srikanth.

The first poster of Masss was released on 22 October 2014, coinciding with the Deepavali festival. The official teaser was released on 25 April 2015 after midnight.

## Reception

### Critical reception

Upon release, Behindwoods gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and said, "It has the expected Venkat Prabhu elements, the crowd-pleasing supernatural factors treated in a slightly different way and of course, Suriya in all his glory." International Business Times also awarded the film 3.5 stars and said, "One thing obvious throughout the film is the effort taken by the director to make his movie watchable for audience of all age groups. It has romance, some spooky elements, comedy, witty one-liners, action, songs and dance." Oneindia rated it 3 stars as well and wrote, "Thanks to Suriya's brilliant performance and Venkat Prabhu's intriguing story telling ability, Masss will surely be enjoyed by the masses albeit poor VFX hindering the quality of the movie." Indiaglitz gave 3 stars out of 5 too and stated, "Venkat Prabhu has been stereotyped as the director who loves party hard movies, a bit of adult humor and all that, but in Masss he has steered clear of those elements and has given a wholesome family entertainer with an interesting storyline." The Times of India also rated the film 3 out of 5 and added, "The film lacks the raciness of Biriyani or Mankatha, but there is enough inventiveness and joie de vivre to the scenes to keep us entertained." Sify rated 3.5 out of 5 and described Massu Engira Masilamani as "a no-holds-barred entertainer with all the essential ingredients." Rediff gave the film 3.5 stars on a scale of 5 and commented, "There is non-stop excitement, with all the characters in the film being on some kind of high, literally bursting with energy." Deccan Chronicle rated the film 3.5 out of 5 as well, saying that "the film drives up to an intersection where one sign says horror and another, entertainment, and firmly decides on the latter while paying just a passing reference to the former." The Economic Times also gave the film 3.5 stars and wrote, "The paranormal twist in Massu... is what keeps you interested but there are too many twists; some predictable and some good." Writing for The Hindu, Baradwaj Rangan stated, "The idea behind the supernaturally themed Massu is terrific, even it feels like a mashup of many spirit-driven films...the thing with Venkat Prabhu's films these days...(is)...they're all ideas and no follow-through...It's only in the last hour or so that Massu begins to score." Malini Mannath from The New Indian Express wrote, "Not very funny, not very scary, and not very original, Venkat Prabhu's attempt at crafting his first supernatural-comic-vendetta flick, turns out to be a disappointing and a boring affair...The director weaves in a hotchpotch of situations, the screenplay is sloppy and narration is jerky. The characters are one too many and the genuinely appreciative moments are few and far between."

### Box office

The film grossed around ₹ 49 crore worldwide in its opening weekend, including ₹ 18 crore (US$2.2 million) net in Tamil Nadu alone with ₹ 1.84 crore from Chennai alone. Masss collected nearly ₹ 3 crore in Kerala during its first weekend. It collected ₹ 1 crore from Bangalore alone on its first day. From the overseas markets, it reportedly earned ₹ 16 crore (US$1.9 million) in its first three days. The film has grossed approximately ₹ 79 crore (equivalent to ₹ 119 crore or US$14 million in 2023) worldwide from both Tamil and Telugu versions in its lifetime.

Masss was listed as one of the top 10 highest-grossing Tamil films of the year.


The Wachowskis' unrealized projects

# The Wachowskis' unrealized projects

## Abstract

The following is a list of unproduced projects from The Wachowskis in roughly chronological order. During their long careers, The Wachowskis have worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under their direction. Some of these projects fell into development hell and are presumably or officially canceled.

## 1990s

### Plastic Man

In 1995, The Wachowskis wrote a script for a film adaptation of the Plastic Man comic book series. The film was planned to be developed by Warner Bros. However, due to unknown reasons, the film was never made, although the script was finally leaked online by Yahoo! Movies columnist and reader Greg Dean Schmitz in June 2003, one month after the release of The Matrix Reloaded.

### Vertical Run

Around 1996, The Wachowskis wrote a script for a film adaptation of Joseph R. Garber 's thriller Vertical Run. However, the film wasn't made, and after Garber's subsequent death in 2005.

### Carnivore

This was the first film script written by The Wachowskis. It has been described as "a Corman -style, low-budget horror movie that dealt with cannibalism or, more specifically, millionaires being eaten by cannibals". The writing was well-received and the script made the duo minded, although interest in making the film was low as executives told them "This is a bad idea. I can't make this. I'm rich." On April 6, 1999, a week after The Matrix opened in theaters, Variety reported that Trimark was considering purchase of the script and that they were in talks with George Romero to direct it with production slated to begin in August. In April 2001, it was reported that The Wachowskis were producing it for Lionsgate and looking for a director surfaced again (meaning Romero's departure from the project), and in August 2003 a second time, with their go-to cinematographer Bill Pope supposed to be making his directorial debut with it.

### Hard Boiled

On August 22, 1999, five months after the release of The Matrix, it was reported that The Wachowskis were considering an animated film adaptation of the Hard Boiled comic book series, in which Geof Darrow, the conceptional designer of The Matrix trilogy, participated as cartoonist. However, Bleeding Cool later reported that the project was cancelled due to the fact that the Hard Boiled creator Frank Miller didn't want to see his creation as an animated film.

## 2000s

### King Conan: Crown of Iron

On November 6, 2000, Variety reported that The Wachowskis were working with Warner Bros. to make a film reboot of Conan the Barbarian, due to the unsuccessful reception of Conan the Destroyer. The Wachowskis originally attempted to film The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions and work on this film at the same time, On January 20, 2004, however, via IGN, Lilly Wachowski reported that the film entitled King Conan: Crown of Iron was stalled for years due to her and her sister Lana 's lack of interest after finishing the filming of The Matrix sequels, although Lana and Lilly stated that Conan the Barbarian was their favorite movie based on comics.

### Batman: Year One

Around 2000, while Darren Aronofsky and Frank Miller worked on their own film adaptation of Miller's Batman: Year One, Warner Bros. lured the Wachowskis to the project after the success of The Matrix, leading them to write their own take of Year One. In contrast to the screenplay written by Aronosfky and Miller, the Wachowskis' proposal was more faithful to the original comic and Warner was pleased with it. Their ideas for the film would have been making a live-action adaptation of the comic books greatly influenced by the Neal Adams Batman era with an isolated and maniacal Bruce Wayne, an emphasis on the "detective aspect" of the Batman persona and a fluid and violent plot with loads of action, confrontations and the usual Batman stories three-act plot. Reportedly, the Wachowskis loved the concept, but they had felt so appalled with Joel Schumacher 's Batman & Robin that they were afraid of following up that adaptation. In the end, the Wachowskis preferred to continue their work with The Matrix trilogy after The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were greenlighted, figuring that their own "comic book franchise" was better and original than the deal Warner was offering, and politely declined the offer.

### Shaolin Cowboy and the Tomb of Doom

In 2008, The Wachowskis were reported of being working with Madhouse to make an animated film adaptation of the Shaolin Cowboy comic book series. The film's title was eventually revealed as Shaolin Cowboy and the Tomb of Doom. Darrow and Japanese director Seiji Mizushima were attached to direct the film. However, according to Darrow, the film's production was finally left unfinished after the lack of money.

### Speed Racer 2

Before the release of Speed Racer, Variety stated that a sequel to the film could happen if the film had a good box office performance. In 2008, a possible sequel was contemplated by The Wachowskis when Rain asked them why his character was so happy that Speed won; they replied it could be explained in the next film. Rain said he was hired for three years, while noting that did not guarantee a sequel would be released. Christina Ricci also considered it a possibility; she stated "When we were all leaving, we were like 'write the sequel!' 'We want to come back'. And they were like, 'I know. I know. We're going to. Don't worry'", adding she would like more action scenes for her character. The producer Joel Silver said that the Wachowskis "have a great story idea for a sequel" but that it is "a great idea for a sequel if it makes sense to make it."

### Cobalt Neural 9

In December 2009, Arianna Huffington tweeted pictures of herself on the set of "a The Wachowskis movie on Iraq from the perspective of the future". CHUD.com reported what the Wachowskis were doing was camera tests and shooting of test footage on the Red digital camera for a future movie, but not shooting the movie itself. In March 2010, Jesse Ventura said he had also shot for the project right before Huffington. Both of them were dressed as people from roughly 100 years in the future and they were asked to improvise without a script about the Iraq War. In May 2010, Deadline reported the movie was going to be a hard-R story that would begin in the future but move back to the then-current war in Iraq and center on the homosexual relationship between an American soldier and an Iraqi. The Wachowskis completed the script and were searching for funding to direct it. In July 2010, the movie was reported to have begun casting under the codename CN9 (or CN-9), and in August 2010 the full name was revealed as Cobalt Neural 9. In September 2010, Vulture posted additional details about the script and revealed the movie would be told in found footage-style from the perspective of digital archaeologists from the future. An estimated $20 million budget was reported although they were told a studio would "never, ever" finance it but perhaps the Wachowskis could do it themselves. In December 2010, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Salman Rushdie and Cornel West had also shot talking head sequences along with the previously reported involvement of Huffington and Ventura but the Wachowskis were currently looking into other movies because of troubles financing it. Later, in September 2012, Aleksandar Hemon wrote about the making of Cloud Atlas and recalled he too was one of the people the Wachowskis had invited to interview in December 2009, to help inspire the script of Cobalt Neural 9. The last update on the film was in October 2012, when the Wachowskis were asked about it and they responded they were still keen to make it, because they had invested both financially ($5 million) and emotionally into it, even if that ends up being in a different form than film.

## 2010s

### Hood

In December 2010, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that The Wachowskis were planning to direct for Warner Bros. a script of theirs called Hood, which was a modern adaptation of the Robin Hood legend. The Wachowskis were said to be reaching out to actors, including Will Smith.