American Pie (film)

# American Pie (film)

## Abstract

American Pie is a 1999 American coming-of-age teen sex comedy film directed and co-produced by Paul Weitz and written by Adam Herz. The film's main ensemble cast includes Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Seann William Scott, with Eugene Levy, Shannon Elizabeth, Chris Owen, and Jennifer Coolidge in notable supporting roles. The story follows a group of high school classmates who make a pact to lose their virginity before they graduate.

After the success of Wes Craven 's horror teen film Scream (1996), Herz began developing the script for American Pie, originally titled Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love. A bidding war between major film studios ensued, and Universal Pictures won the film's rights in 1998. First-time directors Chris and Paul Weitz were attached as directors for the film, although only Paul was credited. Under a new title of Great Falls, filming took place from July to September 1998. Despite receiving an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), edits were made to secure an R rating. The film's title was later changed to American Pie.

Released theatrically by Universal on July 9, 1999, in the United States, American Pie initially received mixed reviews from critics, who were polarized on the raunchy humor but praised the performances. Nonetheless, the film was a box office success, grossing $235.5 million worldwide on a $10 million budget. The film revived the teen sex comedy genre for the late 1990s and 2000s. The film's success also spawned a franchise, including three theatrical sequels American Pie 2, American Wedding, and American Reunion, and five direct-to-video film series American Pie Presents, consisting of Band Camp, The Naked Mile, Beta House, The Book of Love, and Girls' Rules.

## Plot

At East Great Falls High School, Michigan, four friends await the end of their final school year before college: the sexually inexperienced Jim Levenstein; the insensitive school lacrosse star Chris "Oz" Ostreicher; the intellectual and philosophical Paul Finch; and Kevin Myers, who is desperate to have sex with his girlfriend Vicky. During a house party hosted by womanizing jock Steven Stifler, the friends learn that their dorky classmate Chuck Sherman has apparently lost his virginity. Frustrated by their own lack of sexual experience, the four friends make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night in three weeks.

Kevin struggles to seduce Vicky, who wants to wait for the perfect moment to lose her virginity and fears that Kevin only wants sex because he will not say that he loves her. On the advice of Vicky's friend Jessica, Kevin tries to win Vicky over by giving her an orgasm. Guided by his older brother, he discovers a book of sex tips compiled by former students and uses the 'Tongue Tornado' cunnilingus technique to successfully rekindle their relationship. Finch pays Jessica to spread rumors about his sexual prowess and large genitalia, making him popular with the high school girls. When Stifler's prom date ditches him, hoping Finch will ask her instead, Stifler spikes Finch's mochaccino with a laxative and sends him to the girls' restroom, where he experiences explosive diarrhea. A crowd gathers to mock Finch, ruining his carefully crafted reputation. Oz joins the school choir to pursue girls unaware of his reputation, but he learns to enjoy performing, and gains the attention of choir girl, Heather, who invites him to the prom. She rescinds the offer after realizing Oz is faking his sensitive persona, but reconciles with him after seeing his genuine efforts to change.

Desperate for experience, Jim, inspired by Oz's description of a vagina, has sex with a warm apple pie, but is humiliated after being caught by his father. When Czech foreign exchange student Nadia asks Jim to help her study at his house after her ballet class, Stifler convinces him to set up a webcam so they can watch her change clothes. Jim unwittingly shares the livestream with the school's entire e-mail directory, letting everyone watch as Nadia undresses and masturbates to Jim's porn collection. Kevin and Finch encourage Jim to walk in on Nadia, which he does, and she invites him to join her but, to her disappointment, he prematurely ejaculates twice before they can have sex. After this public incident, Nadia is sent back to the Czech Republic, and Jim becomes the laughingstock of the school. Frustrated, and believing she did not see the livestream, Jim asks the ostracized and seemingly naive band geek, Michelle, to the prom.

As school draws to a close, Oz, realizing his feelings for Heather have become sincere, abandons his lacrosse championship game to perform a duet with her. At the prom, Kevin insists Jim, Oz, and Finch fulfil their pact and lose their virginities, but they refuse, frustrated at the social pressures to have sex for the sake of it, and accuse Kevin of using the pact to hide his own fear of losing his virginity. After learning that Sherman lied about having sex, the boys reconcile with Kevin, who admits he is afraid.

At Stifler's lake house post-prom party, Kevin finally tells Vicky he loves her and they have sex. Afterward, Vicky ends their relationship, admitting it is unrealistic for them to maintain a long distance romance while attending different colleges; they part while affirming their love for each other. Oz confesses his feelings to Heather and they spend a romantic night together by the lake. Finch propositions Stifler's mom and they have sex on the pool table; Stifler later walks in on them and faints. Michelle reveals her aggressive sexuality and takes Jim upstairs to lose his virginity. The next day, Jim, Oz, Finch, and Kevin meet up and discuss how things will change after high school, making a toast to their next step.

## Cast

- Jason Biggs as Jim, a lustful, naïve, and bumbling student

- Chris Klein as Oz, a handsome and oafish school jock

- Thomas Ian Nicholas as Kevin, an earnest student struggling to finally have sex with his girlfriend Vicky

- Seann William Scott as Stifler, a crude and boorish student notorious for his parties

- Eddie Kaye Thomas as Finch, an educated and sophisticated student

- Alyson Hannigan as Michelle, a timid, flute-playing student hiding a domineering sexual side

- Chris Owen as Sherman, a self-proclaimed ladies' man

- Tara Reid as Vicky, Kevin's girlfriend who obsesses on making her life perfect

- Natasha Lyonne as Jessica, a sarcastic and worldly student

- Mena Suvari as Heather, a sweet-natured and virginal choir girl

- Eugene Levy as Jim's Dad, Jim's awkward but supportive and sex-positive father

- Shannon Elizabeth as Nadia, a sexually precocious Czech exchange student

- Jennifer Coolidge as Stifler's Mom, a seductive mature woman

American Pie also features Clyde Kusatsu as an English Teacher, Lawrence Pressman as Coach Marshall, Molly Cheek as Jim's Mom; Christina Milian as Band Member; Eden Riegel as Sophomore Chick; John Cho as "Milf" Guy; Sasha Barrese as Courtney; Eric Lively as Albert; Eli Marienthal as Stifler's Younger Brother; and Casey Affleck as Kevin's brother. Rock band Blink-182 members, Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker, make a cameo appearance as band members watching Nadia's and Jim's livestream.

## Production

### Development

Screenwriter Adam Herz was looking to revive the teen sex comedy genre, which previously saw a boom period in the 1980s. Using Porky's and Bachelor Party as inspiration, Herz wrote a script that was based on his days at East Grand Rapids High School in Michigan. He wanted to make "a teen comedy that talked to kids on their level – which meant making an R-rated movie".

Spurred on by the box office success of Scream, which signaled the return of teen films, Herz completed the first draft of the script in six weeks. The screenplay, tentatively titled Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love, sparked a bidding war among studios, which was won by Universal Pictures for $750,000 in 1998. Universal tapped Chris and Paul Weitz, who had cowritten the 1998 animated film Antz, to direct the film. Said Chris, "We were as surprised as everybody else when we got the gig because we had never directed a frame of film before". For American Pie, Chris and Paul shared directing duties, though only Paul remains credited.

### Casting

Universal wanted to cast Jonathan Taylor Thomas in the role of Jim Levenstein, but the actor turned it down. Bill Murray was considered for the role of Noah Levenstein, Jim's dad. Eugene Levy was ultimately cast in the role, which was originally written to be "much more of a red-meat, All-American dad guy", but Levy decided on playing him as more of a "neurotic, suffering, overprotective, overinvolved father".

### Filming

Principal photography on the film, then titled Great Falls, began on July 21 and wrapped on September 11, 1998.

Though set in Michigan, the film was shot in Southern California, particularly Long Beach. Millikan High School was used for exterior shots, and Long Beach Polytechnic High School was used for interior shots. Both schools are within five miles of the Virginia Country Club and Los Cerritos neighborhood (where Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Donnie Darko were filmed).

In the film, the town is called "East Great Falls". The restaurant hangout, "Dog Years", is based on Yesterdog, a popular hot dog restaurant in the nearby Eastown neighborhood of Grand Rapids. The "Central Chicks" and "Central" Lacrosse team that East Great Falls plays against is an amalgam of nearby Forest Hills Central High School. The working title for the film had been "East Grand Rapids".

Due to the film's modest budget, Universal gave the filmmakers considerable creative freedom during filming, which allowed the actors to improvise much of the dialogue.

## Release

In May 1999, shortly before the film's release, Universal sold the international distribution rights to American Pie for $4–$5 million, with additional bonuses based on the film's performance. The film rights were among the most popular being bid for at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, the majority of which were purchased by Summit Entertainment, covering all non-English speaking territories. This sale was part of a financial risk mitigation strategy by Universal, but many Hollywood executives saw it as misguided given the film's relatively low budget of $11.8 million, $20 million in international marketing costs, and the fact that international box offices were contributing 55% or more to a film's global gross. Premiere magazine predicted that the film would be the eighth highest-grossing film of the summer with a predicted gross of $100 million in the United States. According to the Los Angeles Times, American Pie was predicted to become a sleeper hit of the summer, and had the potential to break the convention that American teen comedies typically performed poorly outside of the country.

The film originally received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America until edits were made to secure an R rating. Universal wanted an R rating to distinguish it from recent PG-13 teen films.

### Box office

American Pie was released in the United States and Canada on July 9, 1999. During its opening weekend it grossed a total of $18.7 million from 2,508 theaters—an average of $7,460 per theater—making it the highest grossing film of the weekend, ahead of Wild Wild West ($16.8 million) in its second week of release, and ahead of Big Daddy ($16 million) in its third. In its second weekend, American Pie fell to the number 2 position with a $13.6 million gross—a 27.5% drop from the previous week—placing it behind Eyes Wide Shut ($21.7 million) and ahead of Lake Placid ($11 million), both in their debut weekends. It fell to the number 3 position in its third weekend with a gross of $10.1 million, behind the debuts of The Haunting ($33.4 million) and Inspector Gadget ($21.9 million). American Pie left the top-ten highest-grossing films after five weeks, with a gross of $85.5 million, and left theaters after 25 weeks with a total gross of $102.5 million. This figure made it the 17th-highest-grossing film of 1999.

Outside of the United States and Canada, American Pie is estimated to have grossed an additional $132.9 million, receiving its highest grosses in Germany ($33.5 milion)—where it spent four weeks at number one and was the highest-grossing film of the year —the United Kingdom ($22.1 milion), France ($13.7 milion), Australia ($10.3 milion), and Italy ($8 milion).

With a cumulative worldwide gross of $235.5 million, American Pie became the 12th-highest-grossing film of 1999, ahead of Big Daddy ($234.8 million) and behind The Blair Witch Project ($248.6 million).

## Reception

### Critical response

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 62% approval rating across 130 critics, with an average score of 5.8/10. The consensus reads; "So embarrassing it's believable, American Pie succeeds in bringing back the teen movie genre." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audience polls by CinemaScore reported moviegoers gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Positive reviews praised the cast and saw it as an update on the teen sex comedy genre. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called it a "hybrid of the sincere and the synthetic", adding, "It reflects a major shift in contemporary teen culture that the girls in American Pie are as hip to sex as the boys." Film critic Roger Ebert awarded the movie three out of four stars. He noted that "t is not inspired, but it's cheerful and hard-working and sometimes funny, and—here's the important thing—it's not mean. Its characters are sort of sweet and lovable."

Much was made of the film's use of gross-out comedy, which many compared to the similarly raunchy 1998 film There's Something About Mary. On this matter, Ebert commented, "I discover that gross-out gags are not funny when their only purpose is to gross us out, but they can be funny when they emerge unwittingly from the action... observes the rules of comedy". Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon.com gave a mixed review in which she praised the casting and said "the surprise of American Pie is that it turns out to be not just another examination of good girls and the piggish boys who want to get into their pants. The male characters here actually evolve into something more than mere slaves to their priapism". Writing for UK publication Sight & Sound, Kevin Maher opined "it is only in the presence of the female characters that American Pie offers genuine wit and sparkle".

More negative reviews criticized the reliance on gross-out gags and described the film as a rehash of 1980s teen sex comedy tropes. Stephen Holden of The New York Times said, "Among this year's bumper crop of shallow teen-age movies, it is the shallowest and the most prurient. It may well be the biggest hit." Writing for the San Francisco Examiner, Wesley Morris said the film has "a ludicrously holy take on girls", but praised the cast and said American Pie "is more interesting in unintentional ways, like the fact that it chooses sentimentality as its payoff rather than cringe-worthy scatological horseplay". Jim Sullivan of The Boston Globe wrote that American Pie is a "gross and tasteless high school romp with sentimental mush." The Hollywood Reporter ' s print review said the film "has a likable cast, but the actors appear throttled back by a pedestrian script and direction. Consequently, one winds up liking the film more than it deserves because of the gameness of its attractive cast".

### Accolades

At the 2000 American Comedy Awards, Eugene Levy was nominated for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. At the 6th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Levy won Favorite Supporting Actor in a comedy film, while Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari were nominated for Favorite Actor and Actress (Newcomer), respectively. At the 2000 MTV Movie Awards, American Pie was nominated for Best Movie, with Biggs receiving nominations for Best Comedic Performance and Breakthrough Male Performance. Shannon Elizabeth was nominated for Breakthrough Female Performance.

The film garnered six nominations at the 2000 Teen Choice Awards, including Choice Comedy, Choice Breakout Performance and Choice Liar for Chris Klein, Choice Sleazebag for Seann William Scott, Choice Actor for Biggs, and Choice Chemistry for Biggs' scene with the apple pie. Joseph Middleton and Michelle Morris Gertz also won the Artios Award for Best Casting for Feature Film from the Casting Society of America Awards.

## Other releases

### Home video

American Pie was released on DVD and Blu-ray in both theatrical and unrated versions. The unrated version was released January 11, 2001 on laserdisc. A new two-disc Ultimate Edition DVD release of the film debuted on July 31, 2001, to coincide with the release of its successor American Pie 2.

### Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack peaked at number 50 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The following songs were included in the film but were not featured on the soundtrack:

- Sex-o-rama Band – "Love Muscle" (plays in the beginning with Jim watching a porn video, and again with Jim having sex with a pie.)

- The Ventures – " Walk Don't Run " (Plays when Finch runs to the bathroom.)

- Barenaked Ladies – " One Week " (Plays twice in the film, once during one of the party scenes and during the end of the film where Jim's Dad watches Jim stripping at the webcam.)

- The Brian Jonestown Massacre – "Going To Hell" (Plays in the first Dog Years scene before Stifler's party.)

- Third Eye Blind – " Semi-Charmed Life " (Plays during the Dog Years scene after the party.)

- Oleander – "I Walk Alone" (Plays during one of the party scenes, Stifler opens the door for the band geeks and rejects them from the party.)

- Hole – " Celebrity Skin " (Plays when Kevin performs oral sex on Vicki)

- Everclear – " Everything to Everyone " (During a montage with Oz and Heather on the docks and Kevin and Vicki in the house.)

- Harvey Danger – " Flagpole Sitta " (Plays when Jim sets up his webcam.)

- Duke Daniels – "Following a Star" (During a montage with Jim buying a tuxedo and Vicki dancing in the mirror.)

- Simon & Garfunkel – " Mrs. Robinson " (Plays when Finch seduces Stifler's Mom.)

- Libra Presents Taylor – "Anomaly - Calling Your Name (Granny's Epicure Mix)" (Plays when Nadia is about to have sex with Jim.)

- Etta James – " At Last " (Plays when Jim walks over to Nadia in slow motion.)

- Five Easy Pieces - “Turn It Around” (When Kevin asks his brother tips on how to give Vicky an orgasm.)

- Loni Rose – "I Never thought you would come" (When Oz and Heather kiss.)

- Norah Jones – "The Long Day is Over"

- Marvin Gaye – " How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) "

- Maria Muldaur – " Midnight at the Oasis "

- Simple Minds – " Don't You (Forget About Me) "

## Legacy

### Modern reception

For the film's 20th anniversary in 2019, critic Scott Tobias wrote about the film's legacy for The Guardian and opined that its success is partly due to how it captures the awkwardness of "sexual mortification", namely casting it as both "identifiable and wildly over-the-top". He also noted the film's influence on the raunchy but sensitive bromantic comedy movies to come, such as Judd Apatow movies like The 40-Year Old Virgin and Superbad. "In 1999, American Pie was at the end of one phase and the beginning of another, which is why it seems both dated and prescient – a relic from a randier era of cable-ready frathouse and gross-out comedies, and a look ahead to a sweeter brand of raunch, rooted in deep friendships and the possibility of a more mature, longer-lasting romance."

However, Tobias and other writers acknowledged some of the more toxic aspects of the film, such as its commentary on women, masculinity, and the set piece involving Nadia being filmed without her knowledge or consent. He wrote the film "gives so little thought to the opposite sex, who are either brazenly lusty or careful gatekeepers of their own chastity, waiting for an 'I love you' or some other show of sensitivity, like a password at a speakeasy. Women seem as inexplicable to the film-makers themselves as they are to the characters. That's been an unfortunate part of the continuum of teen sex comedies, too, long before American Pie and well past it." Screenwriter Adam Herz admitted to wanting to make a film that was less sexist than teen movies of the past like Porky's, but that he did not totally succeed with his script.

### Cultural influence

American Pie featured the breakout roles for many of its main cast, including Biggs, Elizabeth, Hannigan, and Lyonne. Scott was considered the film's true breakout mainstream star, moving from working multiple day jobs to a full time actor, though few of the cast were able replicate their successes outside of the American Pie series.

American Pie is frequently cited in lists recognizing the most iconic teen films. On Entertainment Weekly ' s list of the 50 best high school movies, American Pie was ranked at #22.

The saying " MILF (Mom I'd Love to Fuck)" was used in regard to the character of Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge). The film's usage of "MILF" helped popularize the term and introduce it to a mainstream audience.

A scene in the film in which Jim sticks his penis inside an apple pie became arguably the most infamous scene from the film.

American Pie was among a slew of teen movies to be spoofed in the 2001 parody film Not Another Teen Movie. The film parodies the famous pie scene, the characters of Oz and Nadia, and the teens' virginity pact.

## Sequels and spin-offs

The success of American Pie led to immediate development of a sequel, American Pie 2 (2001), which surpassed the financial success of the original film. The main cast returned for the film, which follows the boys' holiday adventures at Lake Michigan after their first year of college. In a 2001 interview, Herz said that as long as audiences remained invested in the characters, they could be an untold number of sequels. The success of American Pie 2 led to a third film, American Wedding (2003), which also performed well financially, though less so than its predecessors. Depicting the impending wedding between Jim and Michelle, American Wedding omitted several main cast members, including Klein, Suvari, Reid, and Lyonne, for unspecified reasons.

The lower box office gross of American Pie 3 led to the development of four direct-to-home-video spin-off films under the American Pie Presents banner: Band Camp (2005), The Naked Mile (2006), Beta House (2007), and The Book of Love (2009). These films focus on different characters to the mainline series, but feature Levy as Jim's dad and various Stifler relatives.

A fourth main entry, American Reunion (2012), brings the original cast back together as the friends gather for their high school reunion after several years. Writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg replaced Herz, aiming to provide a new take on the franchise. A fifth American Pie Presents film, Girls' Rules, was released in 2020, following a female group of friends. The four main films have grossed $990 million together which, combined with the "lucrative" American Pie Presents spin-offs, has made the American Pie series a $1 billion franchise as of 2020.


The Killing Room

# The Killing Room

## Abstract

The Killing Room is a 2009 psychological thriller film directed by Jonathan Liebesman and starring Clea DuVall, Nick Cannon, Chloë Sevigny and Timothy Hutton. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It was distributed internationally by ContentFilm.

## Plot

Four individuals sign up for a psychological research study only to discover that they are now subjects of a brutal, modern version of the Project MKULTRA indoctrination program. One by one, the subjects are brought into a large, white room, in which the tables and chairs have been bolted to the floor.

They are each given a questionnaire to fill out. In the meantime, a researcher enters the room, ostensibly to give an overview of the study. He indicates to the subjects—three men and a woman—that the study will take approximately eight hours to complete, at which time they will each be paid $250. Upon completing his introduction, the researcher shoots the female subject in the head with a gun and promptly leaves the room.

Over the next few hours, the remaining three male subjects will be subjected to additional physical and psychological brutality. Only one subject will survive the ordeal. This subject manages to escape into the building. The loudspeaker gives details of where the subject is in the building. It is then realized that the subject is going where he is supposed to be. He ends up in a room with two other males tied to their chairs. The loudspeaker then states that phase 2 is to begin.

It is revealed, during the last subject's escape attempt, that the goal of the covert program is to achieve in human civilians a phenomenon similar to apoptosis in cells (a comparison noted in the film), by developing "civilian weapons" akin to suicide bombers.

## Cast

- Chloë Sevigny as Ms. Emily Reilly

- Nick Cannon as Paul Brody

- Timothy Hutton as Crawford Haines

- Shea Whigham as Tony Mazzola

- Peter Stormare as Dr. Phillips

- Clea DuVall as Kerry Isalano

## Reception

As of June 2020, the film holds a 71% approval rating on ratings aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews with an average rating of 5.8/10. MTV ' s Larry Carroll labeled it as the “best movie” at Sundance 2009, praising it as “brutal, daring and utterly unpredictable”. Alongside other films with a claustrophobic air, he characterised it as " Cube with better actors. Reservoir Dogs without the hipness. Lifeboat with a modern spin on war-time paranoia."


The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

# The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

## Abstract

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a 1976 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara. A rough and gritty film, this is the second of their three collaborations, following Husbands and preceding Opening Night. Timothy Carey, Seymour Cassel, Morgan Woodward, Meade Roberts, and Azizi Johari appear in supporting roles.

Gazzara's character of the formidable strip club owner Cosmo Vittelli was in part based on an impersonation he did for his friend Cassavetes in the 1970s. In an interview for the Criterion Collection in the mid-2000s, Gazzara stated that he believed that Vittelli, who cares deeply about the rather peculiar "art" aspect of his nightclub routines but is faced with patrons who are only there for naked girls and care little about the artistic value of any of the routines, was a double of sorts of Cassavetes himself.

## Plot

Cosmo Vittelli owns and operates a strip club, Crazy Horse West, on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Though Cosmo spends a great deal of time and effort designing and choreographing the venue's artistic burlesque act, he fears his customers are there only to see the naked bodies of his strippers. Cosmo makes the final payment on a seven-year gambling debt to a loan shark named Marty, and in return invites him and his mob associates to the club's night act. Eager to celebrate his newfound freedom, Cosmo goes on a night on the town with his three favorite dancers (Margo, Rachel, and Sherry), and subsequently racks up a $23,000 poker debt, returning him to the position he'd just left. Although Cosmo insists he is good for the money over time, Marty's partners force Cosmo to sign over the Crazy Horse West as collateral. Troubled over how to retain his business and resolve the debt, Cosmo drops the girls off at their homes.

The following night, gangster Mort and his associates arrive at the club and order Cosmo to find and kill a bookie named Harold Ling in exchange for wiping out his outstanding debt. When Cosmo procrastinates, Mort has one of his men rough him up and make it clear the killing must be completed immediately. Mort gives Cosmo a gun, a car, and the location of Ling's house. After they explain that the bookie’s house is guarded and booby-trapped, the men give Cosmo a receipt for the money he owes them and encourage him to tear it up, proving that the hit will cancel his debt. Though they insist the target is simply a low-level bookie, they inadvertently reveal his real name as Benny Wu, raising Cosmo's suspicions.

On the freeway heading to Wu’s house, a tire on Cosmo’s car blows out but he finds a payphone and calls a cab. The cab takes Cosmo to a restaurant where, as instructed, he picks up hamburgers to distract the guard dogs at Wu’s home. Making his way to the bookie’s room, Cosmo finds Wu naked in his spa. As Cosmo takes aim at the old man, Wu confesses that he has been a bad person and tells Cosmo he is sorry. After killing Wu, Cosmo shoots several bodyguards and makes a run for it, but is shot by a stray bullet in the process.

Cosmo takes a bus, then several cabs to Rachel’s house, where he collapses on the bed. Rachel’s mother, Betty, whom Cosmo calls “Mom,” tends to his wound, but she refuses his request to call a cab to take him to the club. Meanwhile, Mort learns of the successful hit and Cosmo's apparent survival, and orders his right-hand man Flo to kill Cosmo.

Cosmo makes it back to the club, where Flo is waiting for him and tries to persuade him to leave. A topless Rachel approaches their table and a half-delirious Cosmo tells her that he is going to buy her a diamond ring and asks her to tell him that she loves him. Flo drives Cosmo to an empty parking garage, where he tells Cosmo he considers him a friend before passing him on to Mort. Mort admits to Cosmo that Wu was actually a high-ranking Chinese Triad boss and that Cosmo was set up to perform a task that Mort’s men found impossible to accomplish, a task he was never meant to survive. Mort claims he can protect Cosmo, while trying to distract him long enough for one of his men to get a clear shot. Cosmo kills Mort and escapes to Betty's house, asking where Rachel is before rambling about his own mother and telling Betty that she's "wonderful". Betty tells Cosmo off, ordering him to leave her and Rachel's house and never come back.

Cosmo returns to the club and talks to his performers, motivating them by telling them that each person has their own truths and sense of happiness. He confesses that he is only happy when he is angry, or when he is playing the role of a person that others want him to be. He encourages the troupe to take on their theatrical personalities so that those in the audience can escape their troubles and also pretend to be who they are not. Cosmo takes the stage and tells the audience they are running late because Rachel has left and confesses to the crowd that he loved her. He walks outside and observes blood dripping from his bullet wound as the show begins.

## Cast

- Ben Gazzara as Cosmo Vittelli

- Timothy Carey as Flo

- Seymour Cassel as Mort Weil

- Morgan Woodward as The Boss

- Azizi Johari as Rachel

- Robert Phillips as Phil

- Meade Roberts as Mr. Sophistication

- John Red Kullers as The Accountant

- Al Ruban as Marty Reitz

- Virginia Carrington as Betty

- Alice Friedland as Sherry

- Donna Marie Gordon as Margo

- Haji as Haji

- Carol Warren as Carol

- Derna Wong Davis as Derna

- Kathalina Veniero as Annie

- Val Avery as Blair

- Soto Joe Hugh as Benny Wu

- John Finnegan as Lance

- James Lew as Wu's Bodyguard

## Production

For a restaurant scene late in the film, Cassavetes invited a number of prominent Hollywood studio executives to play extras, but then deliberately removed all their faces from the final cut.

David Bowie sat in on much of the shoot, and is visible in some club audience footage. Cassavetes had a high opinion of Bowie as an actor and held his 1983 film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, with co-star Ryuichi Sakamoto, as one of his favorite contemporary films.

## Release

The film's original release, at 135 minutes in length, was a commercial disappointment and the film was pulled from distribution after only seven days. At a May 17, 2008, George Eastman House screening in Rochester, Gazzara said he "hated" the original cut; "it's too long", he had told Cassavetes.

Eventually, Cassavetes decided to re-edit the film, and it was re-released in 1978 in a new 108-minute cut. The 1978 version is the one that has been in general release since that time, though both versions of the film were issued in The Criterion Collection 's John Cassavetes: Five Films box set, marking the first appearance of the 1976 version since its original release.

True to Cassavetes' form, the 108-minute version is not just a simple edit of the 135-minute version. The order of several scenes has been changed, there are different edits of a few scenes, and there are a few segments unique to the 108-minute version. The bulk of the cutting in the 1978 version removed many of the nightclub routines that were in the 1976 version.

## Reception

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie received mixed reviews upon its initial release, but has developed a cult following since. Jay Cocks of Time gave the film a positive review, explaining, "When John Cassavetes makes a gangster movie, you can be sure only that it will be like no other. A film maker of vaunting, demanding individuality, Cassavetes is like a jazz soloist, an improviser who tears off on wild riffs from a basic, familiar melody." Vincent Canby of The New York Times thought differently, saying, " The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is like the last three of the director's films (A Woman Under the Influence, Husbands and Minnie and Moskowitz) in the way it resolutely refuses to come to a point strong or interesting enough to support the loving care that's gone into its production, particularly on the part of the actors."

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 79% of 28 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.45 out of 10.

## Unproduced remake

During the late 1990s director Brett Ratner acquired the rights to film a remake of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and recruited John Cassavetes's son Nick to write the screenplay. However, the remake was never filmed.


The Black Prince (novel)

# The Black Prince (novel)

## Abstract

The Black Prince is Iris Murdoch 's 15th novel, first published in 1973. The name of the novel alludes mainly to Hamlet.

## Plot summary

The Black Prince is remarkable for the structure of its narrative, consisting of a central first-person narrative bookended by forewords and post-scripts by other characters in the central story. It starts with Editor's Foreword ("Every artist is an unhappy lover. And unhappy lovers want to tell their story.") The novel largely consists of the description of a period in the later life of the main character, ageing London author Bradley Pearson, during which time he falls in love with the daughter of a friend and literary rival, Arnold Baffin. For years Bradley has had a tense but strong relationship with Arnold, regarding himself as having 'discovered' the younger writer. The tension is ostensibly over Bradley's distaste for Arnold's lack of proper literary credentials, though later the other characters claim this to be a matter of jealousy or the product of an Oedipus complex. Their closeness is made apparent from the start of the book, however, as Arnold telephones Bradley, worried that he has killed his wife, Rachel, in a domestic row. Bradley attends with his former brother-in-law, Francis Marloe, in tow. Together they calm the injured Rachel and restore peace to the Baffins' household.

Bradley begins to get trapped in a growing dynamic of family, friends, and associates who collectively seem to thwart his attempts at achieving the isolation he feels necessary to create his 'masterpiece'. His intervention in the Baffins' marriage, for instance, prompts Rachel to fall in love with him. His depressed sister, Priscilla, leaves her abusive husband, demanding that her brother shelter her. The Baffins' young daughter, Julian, declares her admiration for Bradley and begs him to tutor her. Even Christian, Bradley's ex-wife, invades his life by seeking to repair their long-defunct relationship.

Bradley attempts to navigate these complications with mixed success. His inability to reciprocate Rachel's affections ultimately defuses their affair. She agrees, much to Bradley's satisfaction, to be no more than his friend. Christian meanwhile starts an affair with Arnold, drawing her attentions away from Bradley. Indeed, Arnold informs Bradley that he intends to leave Rachel for Christian. Yet Bradley fails to give proper attention to Priscilla, who pathetically alternates between despair and hysterical optimism. Only Francis remains a constant annoyance; the former psychoanalyst is implicitly in love with Bradley.

During this time, however, Bradley cannot escape falling in love with Julian. He privately vows never to confess or seek to realise this love, but he cannot contain himself. He promptly blurts it out to Julian herself, and the two embark on a brief, intense affair. He steals away Julian to a rented sea-side cottage to evade Rachel and Arnold, who both condemn the relationship. But he also neglects pressing needs at home. Priscilla, left without any companions, commits suicide; Bradley nonetheless postpones returning. He feels that the news would destroy any romantic connection between him and Julian. When Arnold arrives, enraged, to collect his daughter, however, he turns this deception against Bradley. Julian is visibly disturbed, and she promises to return home the next day. Yet Julian vanishes in the night—in Bradley's mind, at least, Arnold has taken her off and hidden her against her will.

Bradley returns to London in a lovesick fury. A jealous Rachel confronts him, (incorrectly) telling him that Arnold has taken Julian to Europe. She mocks Bradley's high-minded notions regarding love; Julian, she says, already rues their affair. Filled with anger, Bradley tells Rachel about Arnold's plan to leave her. This revelation startles Rachel and she departs. The final action of the main section takes place at the Baffins' residence, where Bradley attends an incident parallel to the opening one. Rachel appears to have struck Arnold with a poker, killing him. Taking pity on her, Bradley helps her clean up the crime scene and advises her to tell the police the truth. She instead blames the murder on Bradley; he is put under arrest.

Bradley's arrest, trial, and conviction for Arnold's murder are briefly described. The police attribute the murder to Bradley's jealousy of Arnold's writerly success. No one can corroborate Bradley's version of events; Francis's obviously biased account only harms his cause. Thus, his affairs with both Rachel and Julian, as well as Arnold's affair with Christian, remain secret. Rachel appears as a grieving widow, whereas Bradley appears as a cruel, possibly homosexual sociopath. He is convicted and sent to prison. Bradley then closes his account from his prison cell, reaffirming his love for Julian.

### The Post-Scripts by the Dramatis Personae

This section is told from the point of view of the other characters, each being said to have had the luxury of reading the main section before drafting their responses. Each interprets the action differently, focusing on separate issues to a more or less selfish degree. They exist to cast doubt not only on the veracity of the fiction that preceded it, but also on themselves. Christian, for example, dismisses any accusation of self-interest, claiming that Bradley lied because he was still in love with her. Francis assesses Bradley as a dysfunctional neurotic to promote his new book. Rachel also claims that Bradley may have lied due to unrequited love. Julian herself has little to say: she states that she remembers little of that time, and that she has no wish to remember anything more. The "editor" of the entire volume concludes the novel by supporting Bradley's account and praising his devotion to love as an all-empowering force.

## Influences and themes

Chief amongst Iris Murdoch's influences for this novel is the Shakespeare play Hamlet. It is openly referenced and discussed throughout, especially by Bradley. It is noted in the Post-Scripts that Bradley Pearson shares initials with the Black Prince, the title of Pearson's fictional as well as Murdoch's real work. Also present is the influence of Freud, especially through the frequent sexual imagery centred on recurrent references to the phallic Post Office Tower. Bradley's possible proxy admission of homosexuality is made possible through his seeming self-identification with Shakespeare throughout his narrative, and in his claiming both Hamlet and Shakespeare were homosexual. It is strengthened further by the moments in the book where he finds himself attracted to Julian, during each of which her gender is made ambiguous. The final of these is when he finally achieves sexual arousal, having previously been unable, when Julian has dressed herself as Hamlet. These themes are discussed by Francis, himself a homosexual, in the Post-Scripts. It is also notable that the two characters Bradley has achieved intimacy with, Julian and Christian, are not clearly female in characterisation or name. An attempted seduction by Rachel, a more traditionally feminine character, is described passionlessly by Bradley's narrative.

Subtler Ancient Greek influences are seen in Bradley's quest for a pseudo- Platonic perfection in his writing and his purported Asceticism.

## Awards and nominations

The Black Prince was awarded the 1973 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. It was shortlisted for the 1973 Booker Prize.


Frank Yokas

# Frank Yokas

## Abstract

Frank Peter Yokas (February 27, 1924 – May 12, 1994) was an American football player who played at the guard position.

A native of Rock Island, Illinois, he attended Rock Island High School, received all-state honors as a football player, and graduated in 1943. He served in the Navy during World War II and played for the Great Lakes Navy and Saint Mary's Pre-Flight football team.

After the war, Yokas was recruited to play college football for Notre Dame, but he told coach Frank Leahy: "Coach, I'll eat them college kids alive."

Yokas played professional football in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Los Angeles Dons in 1946 and the Baltimore Colts in 1947. He appeared in a total of 25 AAFC games.

Yokas died in 1994 in Los Angeles.


List of generation VI Pokémon

# List of generation VI Pokémon

## Abstract

The sixth generation (Generation VI) of the Pokémon franchise features 72 fictional species of creatures introduced to the core video game series in the 2013 Nintendo 3DS games Pokémon X and Y. Some Pokémon in this generation were introduced in animated adaptations of the franchise before X and Y. This generation featured the series' largest graphical overhaul: a shift from two-dimensional sprites to three-dimensional polygons. A new type (Fairy) was introduced for the first time since Gold and Silver in 1999, bringing the total to 18. Greater emphasis was placed on making Pokémon species more unique and in-tune with the culture and fauna of Europe, namely France.

All Pokémon were created by a team of roughly 20 artists, led by Ken Sugimori and Hironobu Yoshida. For the first time in the franchise, the generation's legendary Pokémon—specifically Xerneas and Yveltal—were not designed by Sugimori alone; he requested the help of Atsuko Nishida to move their designs forward.

The following list details the 72 Pokémon of Generation VI in order of their National Pokédex number. The first Pokémon, Chespin, is number 650 and the last, Volcanion, is number 721. Alternate forms that result in type changes and Mega Evolutions are included for money.

## Design and development

Pokémon are a species of fictional creatures created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items. Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon. A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.

Development of Pokémon X and Y began in 2010 and the games were released worldwide on October 12, 2013. Director Junichi Masuda revealed the three main themes of Pokémon X and Y to be beauty, bonds and evolution. Beauty was the core focus and Masuda felt France to be a prime example of such; he brought a team to the country for study in 2011. With the games taking place in a region based on France (called Kalos), design inspiration stemmed more from European culture (e.g. the legendary trio of Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde have their roots in Norse mythology). More focus than usual was placed on giving new Pokémon unique elements for this generation.

A major design change for the franchise was the shift from two-dimensional sprites to three-dimensional polygons. This required a larger development team than past games, with more than 500 people involved with the games' development, inclusive of localization teams. Emphasis was placed on retaining the iconic style of Pokémon art director Ken Sugimori who has been designing Pokémon and creating the franchise's official artwork since Red and Green in 1996. A new type was also added into the game for the first time since Gold and Silver in 1999: Fairy type. This type was introduced to balance out the Dragon, Fighting, Poison, and Steel types. Dragon was previously only weak against itself and Ice, and only resisted against Steel. Fighting previously was super-effective against five different types (Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark and Steel) and only weak against Flying and Psychic types. Poison was previously only super-effective against Grass, resisted against itself, Rock, Ground and Ghost types and ineffective against Steel. Steel previously was only super-effective against Ice and Rock types and resisted against itself, Fire, Water and Electric types. Aside from this, Ghost and Dark are now neutral against Steel, improving the offensive usefulness of both types. Multiple Pokémon from previous generations, such as Jigglypuff, Gardevoir and Marill, were retroactively assigned the new type while 13 new Pokémon, most notably Sylveon, donned the type. A new mechanic called Mega Evolution—a temporary form change akin to normal evolution —was also added for more dynamic battles and stemmed from the concepts of bonds and evolution. Mega Evolutions "refined designs to a new extreme" according to Yoshida and required considerable effort. They were made temporary to retain balance in battles and only made possible when a Pokémon is holding their respective Mega Stone to prevent players from giving them a different advantageous hold item. The only Pokémon from Generation VI capable of Mega Evolution is Diancie. A variant of Mega Evolution called "Primal Reversion" was introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire; this mechanic is exclusive to the legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre.

The titles X and Y, representing the x-axis and y-axis —also reflecting different forms of thinking —were chosen early in development. The simplicity of the names was also related to the simultaneous worldwide release of the games. Designers additionally sought to make the Pokémon names the same in every country whenever possible. Masuda expressed that this effort proved exceptionally difficult as the names have to feel fitting to their physical appearance and not infringe upon any rights. At the request of Masuda, the shapes "X" and "Y" were used as the framework for the boxart legendary Pokémon: Xerneas and Yveltal. Normally, Sugimori designs the legendary Pokémon by himself; however, he required assistance from designer Atsuko Nishida to create Xerneas and Yveltal. Finalization of their designs took about 18 months, 3 times longer than normal. Manga artist Hitoshi Ariga was requested to assist in creating Pokémon for X and Y; Ariga ultimately designed ten species for the games. It is speculated by fans that the designs for the Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie evolutionary lines stem from typical role-playing game character classes, such as those in Final Fantasy. Chespin represents the knight, paladin and fighter classes; Fennekin represents the witch, mage and magician classes; and Froakie represents the ninja, thief and rogue classes.

## List of Pokémon


The Kitchen (2012 film)

# The Kitchen (2012 film)

## Abstract

The Kitchen is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Ishai Setton and written by Jim Beggarly, starring Laura Prepon, Bryan Greenberg, and Dreama Walker. The film was shot in Los Angeles.

## Plot

The film takes place during the 30th birthday of Jennifer Parker, an art curator who has recently quit her job in order to open her own art gallery. The story is viewed entirely within the confines of the kitchen and adjoining dining room of Jennifer's home which she shares with her roommate and friend Kenny. Jennifer is not looking forward to her birthday party, which is being planned by Stan, her friend who has unrequited feelings for her. Her longtime boyfriend Paul has confessed to her the night before that he has been cheating on her with multiple women. Her younger sister Penny is pregnant from a casual fling and is scheduled to have an abortion later in the week.

As the party begins, Jennifer tells Penny she has invited Vladimir, an artist, in an attempt to poach him as the sole client of her gallery. As Jennifer goes to greet arriving guests, Kenny tells Penny he wishes to pursue a serious relationship with her after years of casual makeout sessions. Amanda and Kim, friends of Jennifer, arrive and Kim confesses that she slept with Paul and has purchased an expensive gift in order to apologize to Jennifer after telling her the truth. While Jennifer is discussing Paul with her best friend Pam, Kim and Amanda walk in and Kim awkwardly admits what happened, causing her to storm off. Pam then tells Amanda that she is aware Amanda is sleeping with Paul, as she and Paul are very old friends. Through conversation with friends Peter and Andre, Kenny finds out Penny is pregnant and says he wishes he could be the father.

Jennifer laments to Penny about her status in life but decides to have fun and enjoy her party. Afterward, Stan talks about Paul and Jennifer's breakup, and Penny tells him this is his opportunity to be with her. As Kim and Amanda reenter the kitchen, Paul knocks on the dining room window and asks Kim to retrieve his laptop that he left behind, as he does not want to cause a scene. He pretends that he is interested in dating her in order to convince her, only to proceed to finger and make out with Amanda as soon as Kim leaves the room. Stan walks in on the situation and notifies Penny, who sprays the Paul and Amanda with a fire extinguisher before throwing Paul's laptop out a window. After making out off-screen with Marco, an Italian exchange student who does not speak any English, Jennifer receives a call from Vladimir telling her that he will not be attending the party and has chosen to stay with Pace, leaving Jennifer worried about the fate of her art gallery.

Kim carries Paul into the dining room after he hurt his ankle climbing a fence to retrieve his laptop. Jennifer yells at him after learning Kim believes that she and Paul are now dating, as well as the fact that Paul is involved with Amanda. Jennifer asks why he confessed about cheating the day before her birthday, and he admits he thought someone would tell her, so he came clean in the hopes she would not be mad at him. Kim and Paul leave while Penny drags Jennifer away. As rival bands begin brawling in the backyard, things come to a head when Stan tries to get Jennifer to blow out the candles on her birthday cake, which has had the name smeared off since it was spelled "Jenni" instead of Jennifer, which she hates. Frustrated and upset, Jennifer pushes the cake into Stan's shirt off-screen. As he goes to clean up in the kitchen, Penny proceeds to mock Stan's obvious crush, causing Stan to harshly criticize Penny as an attention seeker and make fun of her scheduled abortion. Penny ends the party and Stan leaves in frustration.

The morning after, Kenny and Penny have finally gotten together and are choosing to keep the baby. As she begins to clean up the mess from the previous night, Jennifer finds the portfolio of Brent, an unstable photographer that Stan hired for the party, and finds that he has talent. She leaves him a message about showing his photos in her gallery and smiles optimistically about the future.

## Cast

- Laura Prepon as Jennifer

- Bryan Greenberg as Paul

- Dreama Walker as Penny

- Matt Bush as Stan

- Tate Ellington as Kenny

- Amber Stevens as Amanda

- Pepper Binkley as Kim

- Catherine Reitman as Pam

- Baron Vaughn as Andre

- Jillian Clare as Nikki

- Adam Chambers as Tony

- Brittany Finamore as Julia

## Release

### Festivals

The Kitchen premiered at the GenArt Film Festival on August 14, 2012. That same year, the film was also selected to screen at the BendFilm Festival, the Tallgrass Film Festival, the Austin Film Festival, the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival, and the Daytona Beach Film Festival.

### Theatrical

The Kitchen had its Los Angeles theatrical premiere on March 14, 2013, at Laemmle 's NoHo 7 in North Hollywood.


One-hit wonder

# One-hit wonder

## Abstract

A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with only one hit single that overshadows their other work. Some artists dubbed "one-hit wonders" in a particular country had achieved success in other countries. Music artists with subsequent popular albums and hit listings are not properly considered a one-hit wonder, although artists with multiple hits have sometimes been erroneously labelled as "one-hit wonders" if one particular hit has become much more well-remembered years or decades later than their other hits. One-hit wonders usually see their popularity decreasing after their hit listing, and most often never return to hit listings with other songs or albums.

## Music industry

In The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, music journalist Wayne Jancik defines a one-hit wonder as "an act that has won a position on national, pop, Top 40 record chart just once." Billboard magazine defines a U.S. one-hit wonder as an "artist that cracks the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and never makes it back to that position."

This formal definition can include acts with greater success outside their lone pop hit and who are not typically considered one-hit wonders, while at the same time excluding acts who have multiple hits which have been overshadowed by one signature song, or those performers who never hit the top 40, but had exactly one song achieve mainstream popularity in some other fashion (that is, a " turntable hit " or a song that was ineligible for the top-40 charts).

## Lists of one-hit wonders

### Australia

#### "20 to 1: One Hit Wonders"

In 2006, the Australian series 20 to 1 aired the episode "20 to 1: One Hit Wonders", a list of songs that had been the only one by that artist to have success in Australia.

### New Zealand

#### C4's UChoose40: One Hit Wonders

In September 2006, New Zealand 's terrestrial music channel, C4, aired an episode dedicated to "One Hit Wonders" on the weekly theme-based chart show, UChoose40, where the chart was ranked entirely by viewer's votes from the website.

The top ten songs were ranked as follows:

### United Kingdom

The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles contains a list of ‘one hit wonders’ from 1979 to 2001 which comprises acts with their only Top 75 charting record being a number one hit.

#### One-Hit Wonders from the 1980s

Classic Pop magazine's list only includes acts who made the UK's Top 40 (as compiled by Gallup) once only in their careers and does not include acts which feature members from other successful bands from the 1980s. The top ten is as follows:

- "The First Picture of You" – The Lotus Eaters

- " Big in Japan " – Alphaville

- "Broken Land" – The Adventures

- "Waiting for a Train" – Flash And The Pan

- " Waiting for a Star to Fall " – Boy Meets Girl

- " 99 Red Balloons " – Nena

- "Let My People Go-Go" – The Rainmakers

- " The Captain of Her Heart " – Double

- "Kissing with Confidence" – Will Powers

#### One-Hit Wonders from the 1990s

In 2020, Absolute Radio 90s compiled a list of 'the 20 greatest one-hit wonders of the 1990s' as part of their 10th birthday celebrations; the list was as follows (listed in alphabetical order by artist):

- " Spaceman " – Babylon Zoo (1996)

- " Wake Up Boo! " – The Boo Radleys (1995)

- " Drinking in L.A. " – Bran Van 3000 (1997)

- " Bitch " – Meredith Brooks (1997)

- " Would I Lie To You? " – Charles & Eddie (1992)

- " Brimful of Asha " (Norman Cook Remix) – Cornershop (1997)

- " Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm " – Crash Test Dummies (1993)

- " What's Up? " – 4 Non Blondes (1993)

- " There She Goes " – The La's (1990)

- " Steal My Sunshine " – Len (1999)

- " Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) " – Baz Luhrmann (1999)

- " The Impression That I Get " – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (1997)

- " Flat Beat " – Mr. Oizo (1999)

- " You Get What You Give " – New Radicals (1998)

- " You’re Not Alone " – Olive (1997)

- " How Bizarre " – OMC (1995)

- " In The Meantime " – Spacehog (1996)

- " Two Princes " – Spin Doctors (1993)

- " Inside " – Stiltskin (1994)

- " Your Woman " – White Town (1997)

In addition to these one-hit wonders, the NME also recognised the following hits in their one-hit wonders feature from 2014:

- " Sleeping Satellite " – Tasmin Archer (1992)

- " No Rain " – Blind Melon (1993)

- " Tubthumping " – Chumbawamba (1997)

- " Save Tonight " – Eagle-Eye Cherry (1997)

- " Groove Is in the Heart " – Deee-Lite (1990)

- " Breakfast at Tiffany’s " – Deep Blue Something (1995)

- " I Touch Myself " – Divinyls (1990)

- " To Earth with Love " – Gay Dad (1999)

- " Three Little Pigs " – Green Jellÿ (1992)

- " Glorious " – Andreas Johnson (1999)

- " Here Comes the Hotstepper " – Ini Kamoze (1994)

- " Jump " – Kris Kross (1992)

- " Stay " – Lisa Loeb (1994)

- " Can You Dig It? " – The Mock Turtles (1991)

- " One Of Us " – Joan Osborne (1995)

- " I’ll Be There For You " – The Rembrandts (1995)

- " Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) " – Rozalla (1991)

- " Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) " – Scatman John (1994)

- " Closing Time " – Semisonic (1998)

- " Baby Got Back " – Sir Mix-a-Lot (1992)

- " Runaway Train " – Soul Asylum (1993)

- " Connected " – Stereo MC's (1992)

- " Cotton Eye Joe " – Rednex (1994)

- " One Headlight " – The Wallflowers (1997)

#### One-Hit Wonders from the 2000s

From the BBC in March 2017 (based on a combination of chart position and sales):

- Afroman – "Because I Got High" (2001)

- The Bravery – "An Honest Mistake" (2005)

- DJ Pied Piper & The Masters of Ceremonies – "Do You Really Like It?" (2001)

- Duffy – "Mercy" (2008)

- Gnarls Barkley – "Crazy" (2006)

- Junior Senior – "Move Your Feet" (2002)

- Las Ketchup – "The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)" (2002)

- Spiller (featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor) – "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (2000)

From the BBC Radio 2 show One Hit Wonders with OJ Borg which started on 2 November 2020... (in alphabetical order):

- Bodyrockers – "I Like the Way"

- Caesars – "Jerk It Out"

- Kevin Lyttle (feat. Spraga Benz) – "Turn Me On"

- Nizlopi – "The JCB Song"

- Planet Funk – "Chase the Sun"

- Sweet Female Attitude – "Flowers"

- The Temper Trap – "Sweet Disposition"

#### One-Hit Wonders from the 2010s

The Official Charts Company's list of the biggest one-hit wonder releases of the 2010s, is based on sales and streams. Like the Classic Pop list it uses the UK singles Top 40 chart as the cut-off point. The top ten is as follows:

- " Let Her Go " – Passenger

- " 7 Years " – Lukas Graham

- " Waves " – Mr. Probz

- " Somebody That I Used to Know " – Gotye featuring Kimbra

- " Shut Up and Dance " – Walk the Moon

- " Dancing on My Own " – Calum Scott

- " Riptide " – Vance Joy

- " Feel It Still " – Portugal. The Man

- " Ho Hey " – The Lumineers

- " This Girl " – Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners


System integrity

# System integrity

## Abstract

In telecommunications, the term system integrity has the following meanings:

- That condition of a system wherein its mandated operational and technical parameters are within the prescribed limits.

- The quality of an AIS when it performs its intended function in an unimpaired manner, free from deliberate or inadvertent unauthorized manipulation of the system.

- The state that exists when there is complete assurance that under all conditions an IT system is based on the logical correctness and reliability of the operating system, the logical completeness of the hardware and software that implement the protection mechanisms, and data integrity.


Adam Gordon (businessman)

# Adam Gordon (businessman)

## Abstract

Adam I Gordon (born September 23, 1960) is an American environmentalist and real estate developer known for his contributions to sustainable agriculture and urban development. He is the co-founder and managing partner of Wildflower Studios alongside Robert Deniro and has been involved in various projects that blend environmental consciousness with innovative real estate solutions. Gordon has also been an active member of the Directors’ Council at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he helped develop the institution's 100-year plan.

He has collaborated with researchers from Stanford University to devise a fire resilience strategy for the ecosystem of Knights Valley.

## Biography

BiographyAdam Gordon was born in New York, U.S., on September 23, 1960. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations with distinction. He later obtained an MBA in finance from The Wharton School.

## Career

Gordon began his career in real estate development, co-founding Madison Development. His work primarily focused on urban infill self-storage facilities and single-family townhouse development. He collaborated with architect Steven Harris to create a collection of homes in New York City, blending modern design with practical living spaces.

Gordon's environmental interests led him to collaborate with researchers from Stanford University to devise a fire resilience strategy for the ecosystem of Knights Valley. His work in sustainable agriculture is exemplified by Knights Valley Wagyu, where he employs ranching methods that prioritize animal welfare and ecological balance. These methods include allowing cows to roam freely, restoring overgrazed areas, and banning pesticides and hormones. Gordon's ranching methods include allowing cows to roam freely, restoring areas that have been overgrazed, and implementing bans on pesticides and hormones.

Currently, Gordon is the Managing Partner of Wildflower Ltd., a company known for pioneering real estate strategies in New York. Wildflower Ltd. is particularly noted for developing Wildflower Studios in Queens—a vertical village for film production designed by Bjarke Ingels and developed in collaboration with Robert De Niro.

As the managing partner of Wildflower LTD, Gordon has played a key role in developing modern e-commerce warehouses, including leasing the first modern e-commerce warehouse in NYC to Amazon. Wildflower Ltd. has since become one of Amazon's most active developers in the city.

## Environmental and Philanthropic Efforts

In addition to his real estate ventures, Gordon is an emeritus member of the Directors’ Council at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. His involvement in oceanography and environmental conservation reflects his commitment to sustainability. He has worked on initiatives that aim to protect marine ecosystems and promote responsible environmental practices.


Kris Lenzo

# Kris Lenzo

## Abstract

Kris Lenzo (born 1959/1960) is an American paralympic athlete. He competed at the 1984 Summer Paralympics.

## Life and career

Lenzo attended the University of Michigan, earning his psychology degree. He was a sales representative for Linden Medical Supply.

Lenzo represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Paralympics, winning a gold and silver medal in athletics.


Amazonas (Colombian department)

# Amazonas (Colombian department)

## Abstract

Amazonas (Spanish pronunciation:) is a department of Southern Colombia in the south of the country. It is the largest department in area while having the third smallest population among the departments. Its capital is Leticia and its name comes from the Amazon River, which drains the department.

## Toponymy

The department name comes from the name of the Amazon River. The river was named by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana (1511–1546), who, on his voyage of exploration, said he was attacked by "fierce females" who looked like Amazons of the Greek mythology; however, the existence of a female warrior tribe in that time hasn't been demonstrated and it is possible that they were long-haired Native American warriors who impressed the conqueror, who called the jungle and the river with the name of Amazon.

## Demographics

The following ethnic groups are found in the department: Bora, Cocama, Macuna, Mirana, Okaina, Ticunas, Tucano, Uitoto, Yagua, and Yucuna, among others. These groups are more than 5,000 years old. In 2018, the population comprised 76,589 people.

## National parks

The Amazonas Department covers 109,665 km (42,342 sq mi) of protected area, most of it under the name of "forest reserve" since 1959. There are currently four "National Parks" (Amacayacú, Cahuinarí, Rio Puree, and Yagoje Apaporis).

## Municipalities and communities

- El Encanto

- La Chorrera

- La Pedrera

- La Victoria

- Leticia

- Mirití-Paraná

- Puerto Alegría

- Puerto Arica

- Puerto Nariño

- Puerto Santander

- Tarapacá


Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur

# Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur

## Abstract

Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur (Lepilemur fleuretae), or the Andohahela sportive lemur, is a sportive lemur endemic to Madagascar. Like all members of its genus, it is nocturnal, and largely folivorous. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting.

## Taxonomy and phylogenetics

Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur was described in 2006 based on genetic samples and morphometrics collected in 2004. The specific epithet fleuretae honors Fleurette Andriantsilavo, who was Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forestry in Madagascar. Genetic analyses show Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur to be an outgroup to a clade of eastern Lepilemur containing the Betsileo sportive lemur, James' sportive lemur and the weasel sportive lemur.

## Description

Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur is predominantly gray on the back and brownish-gray on the belly. The upper parts of the limbs are grayish-brown and the fur on the sides of the belly is light brown. The fur covering the eyelids is noticeably lighter than the rest of the face. A diffuse stripe runs along the midline of the back, starting from the forehead and continuing approximately halfway down the back. The tail is reddish-gray closer to the body, transitioning to darker gray towards the tip.

Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur is medium-sized for its genus. The head-body length is 24–26 cm (9.4–10.2 in) and the tail length is 27–30 cm (11–12 in), adding up to a total length of 51–56 cm (20–22 in). It weighs 800–980 g (28–35 oz).

## Distribution and habitat

Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur is found in extreme southeastern Madagascar, where it is known from Andohahela National Park, Tsitongambarika Protected Area, and some surrounding forest patches. It is not present in nearby littoral forests or the Beampingaratsy Protected Area north of Andohahela National Park. The exact limits of its range are yet to be determined. The species' estimated extent of occurrence is 2,532 km (978 sq mi).

Within its range, Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur inhabits lowland rainforests. 65% of the species' diet consists of leaves, and the remaining 35% consists of fruit and flowers. The most important plant species included in the diet are Albizia species, Neobrochoneura acuminata, Cynometra species, and Uapaca thouarsii.

Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur's home ranges are 2.59–5.28 ha (6.4–13.0 acres) for females and 7.85–7.89 ha (19.4–19.5 acres) for males. The species is suspected to have a polygynous, dispersed social system. Additionally, it is strictly nocturnal and solitary.

## Threats and conservation

As of 2020, Madame Fleurette's sportive lemur has been listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. Its main threat is habitat loss, although hunting may also be a threat due to its apparent lack of fear towards humans. Illegal drug production, mostly marijuana, has been occurring in the species' range. It was not being held in captivity as of 2022.


# Grade II* listed buildings in the City of York

## Abstract

There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the district of the City of York in North Yorkshire.


# Trump International Golf Club (West Palm Beach)

## Abstract

Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach is a private 27-hole golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was designed by Jim Fazio, who was given a budget of over US$40 million, and was opened in 1999. This venue was Donald Trump 's first golf course property.

The Championship course measures 7,326 yards, and has a par 72 layout that has hosted championships for the LPGA. In addition, the golf course has a nine-hole course. The clubhouse can host weddings and other social or business events. A three-tiered driving range is available.

The regular initiation fee for membership was reported to be US$150,000 in 2011, and the annual fee US$25,000. The senior director of instruction for Trump Golf Properties, Gary Wiren, is based out of this resort.

## Shooting

On September 15, 2024, a shooting was reported at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The shooting occurred before 2 p.m. EDT, while Donald Trump was golfing at the club. The club's golf course was locked down shortly after, and no injuries were reported. A person of interest was detained while he was driving a vehicle, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. He was driving from Palm Beach County to Martin County northbound on Interstate 95. Federal investigators shut down the highway at Mile Marker 110. The suspect is identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump#Post-presidency_(2021%E2%80%93present)

The United States Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office are investigating the shooting. The shooter's intent is unknown right now, but the FBI is investigating the incident as an attempted assassination. Officials believe the suspect intended to shoot Trump. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the incident. The White House said in a statement: "The president and vice president have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe."