title: Woody Allen

text: He returned to lighter fare such as the showbiz comedy involving mobsters "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994), which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, followed by a musical, "Everyone Says I Love You" (1996). The singing and dancing scenes in "Everyone Says I Love You" are similar to musicals starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The comedy "Mighty Aphrodite" (1995), in which Greek drama plays a large role, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Mira Sorvino. Allen's 1999 jazz-based comedy-drama "Sweet and Lowdown" was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Sean Penn (Best Actor) and Samantha Morton (Best Supporting Actress). In contrast to these lighter movies, Allen veered into darker satire toward the end of the decade with "Deconstructing Harry" (1997) and "Celebrity" (1998).


title: Woody Allen

text: During this decade Allen also starred in the television film "The Sunshine Boys" (1995), based on the Neil Simon play of the same name.


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen made one sitcom "appearance" via telephone on the show "Just Shoot Me!" in a 1997 episode, "My Dinner with Woody", that paid tribute to several of his films. He provided the voice of Z in DreamWorks' first animated film, "Antz" (1998), which featured many actors he had worked with; Allen's character was similar to his earlier roles.


title: Woody Allen

text: "Small Time Crooks" (2000) was Allen's first film with the DreamWorks studio and represented a change in direction: he began giving more interviews and made an attempt to return to his slapstick roots. The film is similar to the 1942 film "Larceny, Inc." (from a play by S.J. Perelman). Allen never commented on whether this was deliberate or if his film was in any way inspired by it. "Small Time Crooks" was a relative financial success, grossing over $17 million domestically, but Allen's next four films foundered at the box office, including Allen's most costly film, "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" (with a budget of $26 million). "Hollywood Ending", "Anything Else", and "Melinda and Melinda" have "rotten" ratings on film-review website Rotten Tomatoes and each earned less than $4 million domestically. Some critics claimed that Allen's early 2000s films were subpar and expressed concern that his best years were behind him. Others were less harsh; reviewing the little-liked "Melinda and Melinda", Roger Ebert wrote, "I cannot escape the suspicion that if Woody had never made a previous film, if each new one was Woody's Sundance debut, it would get a better reception. His reputation is not a dead shark but an albatross, which with admirable economy Allen has arranged for the critics to carry around their own necks."


title: Woody Allen

text: "Match Point" (2005) was one of Allen's most successful films of the decade, garnering positive reviews. Set in London, it starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson. It is markedly darker than Allen's first four films with DreamWorks SKG. In "Match Point" Allen shifts focus from the intellectual upper class of New York to the moneyed upper class of London. The film earned more than $23 million domestically (more than any of his films in nearly 20 years) and over $62 million in international box office sales. It earned Allen his first Academy Award nomination since 1998, for Best Writing – Original Screenplay, with directing and writing nominations at the Golden Globes, his first Globe nominations since 1987. In a 2006 interview with "Premiere Magazine" he said it was the best film he had ever made.


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen reached an agreement to film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" in Avilés, Barcelona, and Oviedo, Spain, where shooting started on July 9, 2007. The movie featured Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall and Penélope Cruz. The film premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival to rapturous reviews, and became a box office success. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe awards. Cruz received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.


title: Woody Allen

text: "In the United States things have changed a lot, and it's hard to make good small films now," Allen said in a 2004 interview. "The avaricious studios couldn't care less about good films—if they get a good film they're twice as happy but money-making films are their goal. They only want these $100 million pictures that make $500 million."


title: Woody Allen

text: In April 2008 he began filming "Whatever Works", a film aimed more toward older audiences, starring Larry David, Patricia Clarkson, and Evan Rachel Wood. Released in 2009 and described as a dark comedy, it follows the story of a botched suicide attempt turned messy love triangle. "Whatever Works" was written by Allen in the 1970s, and David's character was written for Zero Mostel, who died the year "Annie Hall" came out.


title: Woody Allen

text: "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", filmed in London, stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Anupam Kher, Freida Pinto and Naomi Watts. Filming started in July 2009. It was released theatrically in the US on September 23, 2010, following a Cannes debut in May 2010, and a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2010.


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen announced that his next film would be titled "Midnight in Paris" starring Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Corey Stoll, Allison Pill, Tom Hiddleston, Adrien Brody, Kathy Bates, and Carla Bruni, the First Lady of France at the time of production. The film follows a young engaged couple in Paris who see their lives transformed. It debuted at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2011. Allen said he wanted to "show the city emotionally" during the press conference. "I just wanted it to be the way I saw Paris—Paris through my eyes," he added. The film was almost universally praised, receiving a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. "Midnight in Paris" won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and became his highest-grossing film, making $151 million worldwide on a $17 million budget.


title: Woody Allen

text: In February 2012, Allen appeared on a panel at the 92nd Street Y in New York City with moderators Dick Cavett and Annette Insdorf, discussing his films and career.


title: Woody Allen

text: His next film, "To Rome with Love", was a Rome-set comedy released in 2012. The film was structured in four vignettes featuring dialogue in both Italian and English. It marked Allen's return to acting since his last role in "Scoop".


title: Woody Allen

text: "Blue Jasmine" debuted in July 2013. The film is set in San Francisco and New York, and stars Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, and Peter Sarsgaard. Opening to critical acclaim, the film earned Allen another Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and Blanchett received the Academy Award for Best Actress. Allen co-starred with John Turturro in "Fading Gigolo," written and directed by Turturro, which premiered in September 2013. In 2013 Allen shot the romantic comedy "Magic in the Moonlight" with Emma Stone, and Colin Firth in Nice, France. The film is set in the 1920s on the French Riviera. The film was a modest financial success, earning $51 million off a budget of $16 million.


title: Woody Allen

text: From July to August 2014 Allen filmed the mystery drama "Irrational Man" in Newport, Rhode Island, with Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Parker Posey and Jamie Blackley. Allen said that this film, as well as the next three he had planned, had the financing and full support of Sony Pictures Classics. His next film, "Café Society", starred an ensemble cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, and Blake Lively. Bruce Willis was set to co-star, but was replaced by Steve Carell during filming. The film is distributed by Amazon Studios, and opened the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 11, 2016, the third time Allen has opened the festival.


title: Woody Allen

text: On January 14, 2015, Amazon Studios announced a full-season order for a half-hour Amazon Prime Instant Video series that Allen would write and direct, marking the first time he has developed a television show. Allen said of the series, "I don't know how I got into this. I have no ideas and I'm not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price [the head of Amazon Studios] will regret this." At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Allen said, in reference to his upcoming Amazon show, "It was a catastrophic mistake. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm floundering. I expect this to be a cosmic embarrassment." On September 30, 2016, Amazon Video debuted Allen's first television series production, "Crisis in Six Scenes". The series is a comedy that takes place during the 1960s. It focuses on the life of a suburban family after a surprise visitor creates chaos among them. It stars Allen alongside Elaine May and Miley Cyrus, with the latter playing a radical hippie fugitive who sells marijuana.


title: Woody Allen

text: In September 2016 Allen started filming "Wonder Wheel", set in the 1950s in Coney Island, and starring Kate Winslet and Justin Timberlake. The film served as the closing night selection at the 55th New York Film Festival on October 15, 2017, and was theatrically released on December 1, 2017, as the first movie self-distributed to theaters by Amazon Studios.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 2017, Allen received a standing ovation when he made a rare public appearance at the 45th Annual Life Achievement Tribute award ceremony for Diane Keaton. Before presenting her with the award he spoke about their longtime collaboration and friendship, saying, "From the minute I met her, she was a great, great inspiration to me. Much of what I have accomplished in my life I owe for sure to her".


title: Woody Allen

text: His film "A Rainy Day in New York", starring Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Elle Fanning, Jude Law, Diego Luna, Liev Schreiber and Rebecca Hall began production in New York in September 2017. Chalamet, Gomez and Hall announced, in the light of the #MeToo movement, that they would be donating their salaries to various charities.


title: Woody Allen

text: In February 2019 it was announced that Amazon Studios had dropped "A Rainy Day in New York" and would no longer finance, produce, or distribute films with Allen. He filed a lawsuit for $68 million, alleging Amazon gave "vague reasons" to terminate the contract, dropped the film over "a 25-year old, baseless allegation" and did not make payments. The case was later settled and dismissed. It was released throughout Europe beginning in July 2019, receiving mixed reviews and grossing $20 million at the box office. After over a year of delays, the film was released in the United States on October 9, 2020, by MPI Media Group and Signature Entertainment.


title: Woody Allen

text: In May 2019, it was announced that Allen's latest film would be titled "Rifkin's Festival", and "Variety magazine" confirmed that its cast would include Christoph Waltz, Elena Anaya, Louis Garrel, Gina Gershon, Sergi López and Wallace Shawn and it would be produced by Gravier Productions. The film was produced with Mediapro, an independent Spanish TV-film company. "Rifkin's Festival" completed filming in October 2019. On September 18, 2020, it premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. It has received mixed reviews, though Jessica Kiang of "The New York Times" called it "to the ravenous captive, like finding an unexpected stash of dessert".


title: Woody Allen

text: On March 2, 2020, it was announced that Grand Central Publishing would release Allen's autobiography, "Apropos of Nothing", on April 7, 2020, This was after it was announced Allen had written a memoir and shopped it around to multiple prominent publishers who rejected it. The book was set to be released in the United States, Canada, Italy, Spain, and France, among others. According to the publisher, the book is a "comprehensive account of Allen's life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theater, television, nightclubs, and print...Allen also writes of his relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life."


title: Woody Allen

text: The decision to publish the book was met with backlash from Ronan Farrow, who cut ties with the publisher. Dylan Farrow also responded to the announcement of the release, saying "Hachette's publishing of Woody Allen's memoir is deeply upsetting to me personally and an utter betrayal of my brother." On March 5, 2020, 75 employees of Grand Central Publishing held a walkout to protest the release. On March 6, the publisher announced that it had canceled the book's release and returned the rights to Allen, saying, "The decision to cancel Mr. Allen's book was a difficult one. Over the past few days, HBG leadership had extensive conversations with our staff and others. After listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG."


title: Woody Allen

text: Novelist Stephen King criticized Hachette's decision to withdraw the book, saying it "makes me very uneasy. It's not him; I don't give a damn about Mr. Allen. It's who gets muzzled next that worries me." Executive director of PEN America Suzanne Nossel also criticized the decision. On March 6, 2020, Manuel Carcassonne of the Hachette's French branch, the publishing company Stock, announced it would publish the book if Allen permitted it. On March 23, 2020, Arcade published the memoir in English and La nave di Teseo published it in Italian.


title: Woody Allen

text: In June 2020, Allen appeared on Alec Baldwin's podcast "Here's the Thing" and talked about his career as a standup comedian, comedy writer, and filmmaker, as well as his life during the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Woody Allen

text: In September 2022, Allen suggested that he might retire from filmmaking after the release of his next film, "Wasp 22". In an interview with "La Vanguardia", Allen said, "My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing." Allen's publicist later said, "Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel. He said he was thinking about not making films, as making films that go straight or very quickly to streaming platforms is not so enjoyable for him, as he is a great lover of the cinema experience. Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th."


title: Woody Allen

text: While best known for his films, Allen has enjoyed a successful career in theatre, starting as early as 1960, when he wrote sketches for the revue "From A to Z". His first great success was "Don't Drink the Water", which opened in 1968, and ran for 598 performances for almost two years on Broadway. His success continued with "Play It Again, Sam", which opened in 1969, starring Allen and Diane Keaton. The show played for 453 performances and was nominated for three Tony Awards, although none of the nominations were for Allen's writing or acting.


title: Woody Allen

text: In the 1970s, Allen wrote a number of one-act plays, most notably "God" and "Death", which were published in his 1975 collection "Without Feathers". In 1981, Allen's play "The Floating Light Bulb" opened on Broadway. It was a critical success and a commercial flop. Despite two Tony Award nominations, a Tony win for the acting of Brian Backer (who won the 1981 Theater World Award and a Drama Desk Award for his work), the play only ran for 62 performances. After a long hiatus from the stage, Allen returned to the theatre in 1995 with the one-act "Central Park West", an installment in an evening of theatre, "Death Defying Acts", that also included new work by David Mamet and Elaine May.


title: Woody Allen

text: For the next few years, Allen had no direct involvement with the stage, but notable productions of his work were staged. A production of "God" was staged at The Bank of Brazil Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro, and theatrical adaptations of Allen's films "Bullets Over Broadway" and "September" were produced in Italy and France, respectively, without Allen's involvement. In 1997, rumors of Allen returning to the theatre to write a starring role for his wife Soon-Yi Previn turned out to be false. In 2003, Allen finally returned to the stage with "Writer's Block", an evening of two one-acts—"Old Saybrook" and "Riverside Drive"—that played Off-Broadway. The production marked his stage-directing debut and sold out the entire run. Also in 2003, reports of Allen writing the book for a musical based on "Bullets Over Broadway" surfaced, and it opened in New York in 2014. The musical closed on August 24, 2014, after 156 performances and 33 previews.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 2004, Allen's first full-length play since 1981, "A Second Hand Memory", was directed by Allen and enjoyed an extended run Off-Broadway. In June 2007 it was announced that Allen would make two more creative debuts in the theatre, directing a work he did not write and directing an opera—a reinterpretation of Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" for the Los Angeles Opera—which debuted at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on September 6, 2008. Of his direction of the opera, Allen said, "I have no idea what I'm doing." His production of the opera opened the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, in June 2009.


title: Woody Allen

text: In October 2011 Allen's one-act play "Honeymoon Motel" premiered as one in a series of one-act plays on Broadway titled "Relatively Speaking". Also contributing to the plays are Elaine May and Ethan Coen with John Turturro directing. It was announced in February 2012 that Allen would adapt "Bullets over Broadway" into a Broadway musical. It opened on April 10, 2014, and closed on August 24, 2014.


title: Woody Allen

text: In March 2014 Allen's musical "Bullets Over Broadway" premiered at the St. James Theatre. The cast included Zach Braff, Nick Cordero and Betsy Wolfe. The show was directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, known for directing the stage and film productions of Mel Brooks's "The Producers". The show drew mixed reviews from critics but received six Tony Award nominations, including one for Allen for Best Book of a Musical.


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen is a passionate fan of jazz, which appears often in the soundtracks to his films. He began playing clarinet as a child and took his stage name from clarinetist Woody Herman. He has performed publicly at least since the late 1960s, including with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on the soundtrack of "Sleeper".


title: Woody Allen

text: Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band have been playing each Monday evening at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan for many years specializing in New Orleans jazz from the early 20th century. He plays songs by Sidney Bechet, George Lewis, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, and Louis Armstrong. The documentary film "Wild Man Blues" (directed by Barbara Kopple) chronicles a 1996 European tour by Allen and his band, as well as his relationship with Previn. The band released the albums "The Bunk Project" (1993) and the soundtrack of "Wild Man Blues" (1997). In a 2011 review of a concert by Allen's jazz band, critic Kirk Silsbee of the "Los Angeles Times" suggested that Allen should be regarded a competent musical hobbyist with a sincere appreciation for early jazz: "Allen's clarinet won't make anyone forget Sidney Bechet, Barney Bigard or Evan Christopher. His piping tone and strings of staccato notes can't approximate melodic or lyrical phrasing. Still his earnestness and the obvious regard he has for traditional jazz counts for something."


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen and his band played at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on two consecutive nights in June 2008. For many years he wanted to make a film about the origins of jazz in New Orleans. Tentatively titled "American Blues", the film would follow the different careers of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. Allen stated that the film would cost between $80 and $100 million and is therefore unlikely to be made.


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen has said that he was enormously influenced by comedians Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Mort Sahl, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, playwright George S. Kaufman and filmmakers Ernst Lubitsch and Ingmar Bergman.


title: Woody Allen

text: Many comedians have cited Allen as an influence, including Louis C.K., Larry David, Jon Stewart, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, John Mulaney, Bill Hader, Aziz Ansari, Sarah Silverman, Conan O'Brien, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Meyers, Richard Ayoade, Bill Maher, Albert Brooks, John Cleese, Garry Shandling, Bob Odenkirk, and Rob McElhenney.


title: Woody Allen

text: Many filmmakers have also cited Allen as an influence, including Wes Anderson, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Luca Guadagnino, Nora Ephron, Whit Stillman, Mike Mills, Ira Sachs, Richard Linklater, Charlie Kaufman, Nicole Holofcener, Rebecca Miller, Tamara Jenkins, Alex Ross Perry, Greg Mottola, Lynn Shelton, Lena Dunham, Lawrence Michael Levine, Olivier Assayas, and the Safdie brothers.


title: Woody Allen

text: Directors who admire Allen's work include Quentin Tarantino, who called him "one of the greatest screenwriters of all time", as well as Martin Scorsese, who said in "Woody Allen: A Documentary", "Woody's sensibilities of New York City is one of the reasons why I love his work, but they are extremely foreign to me. It's not another world; it's another planet". Stanley Donen stated he liked Allen's films, Spike Lee has called Allen a "great, great filmmaker" and Pedro Almodóvar has said he admires Allen's work. In 2012, directors Mike Leigh, Asghar Farhadi, and Martin McDonagh respectively included "Radio Days" (1987), "Take the Money and Run" (1969), and "Manhattan" among their Top 10 films for "Sight & Sound". Other admirers of his work include Olivia Wilde and Jason Reitman, who staged live readings of "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Manhattan" respectively. Filmmaker Edgar Wright listed five of Allen's films ("Take the Money and Run, Bananas, Play It Again, Sam, Sleeper, Annie Hall") in his list of 100 Favorite Comedy films.


title: Woody Allen

text: Film critics including Roger Ebert and Barry Norman have highly praised Allen's work. In 1980, on "Sneak Previews", Siskel and Ebert called Allen and Mel Brooks "the two most successful comedy directors in the world today ... America's two funniest filmmakers." Pauline Kael wrote of Allen that "his comic character is enormously appealing to people partly because he's the smart, urban guy who at the same time is intelligent, is vulnerable, and somehow by his intelligence, he triumphs".


title: Woody Allen

text: In 2012, Allen participated in the "Sight & Sound" film polls. Held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, contemporary directors were asked to select ten films of their choice. Allen's choices, in alphabetical order, were:


title: Woody Allen

text: In his 2020 autobiography "Apropos of Nothing" Allen praised Elia Kazan's "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951):


title: Woody Allen

text: In 1987, Allen joined Ginger Rogers, Sydney Pollack, and Miloš Forman at a Senate Judiciary committee hearing in Washington, D.C., where they each gave testimony against Ted Turner's and other companies' colorizing films without the artists' consent. Only one senator, Patrick Leahy, was present for the testimony. Allen testified:


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen also spoke about his decisions to make films in black and white, such as "Manhattan", "Stardust Memories", "Broadway Danny Rose", and "Zelig". Film director John Huston appeared in a pre-taped video, and Rogers read a statement by Jimmy Stewart criticizing the colorization of his film "It's a Wonderful Life".


title: Woody Allen

text: In 1990, Allen and Martin Scorsese created The Film Foundation, a nonprofit film preservation organization that collaborates with film studios to restore prints of old or damaged films. Allen sat on the foundation's original board of directors alongside Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Sydney Pollack, Robert Redford, and Steven Spielberg.


title: Woody Allen

text: In addition to directing, writing, and acting in films, Allen has written and performed in a number of Broadway theater productions.


title: Woody Allen

text: Over his more than 50-year film career, Allen has received many award nominations. He currently holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay, with 16 nominations and three wins ("Annie Hall", "Hannah and Her Sisters", and "Midnight in Paris"). Allen has been nominated for Best Director seven times and won for "Annie Hall". Three of Allen's films have been nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture, "Annie Hall", "Hannah and Her Sisters", and "Midnight in Paris".


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen shuns award ceremonies, citing their subjectivity. His first and only appearance at the Academy Awards was at the 2002 Oscars, where he received a standing ovation. As a New York icon, he had been asked by the Academy to present a film montage of clips of New York City in the movies, which was put together by Nora Ephron, to honor the city after the 9/11 attack.


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen has received numerous honors including an Honorary Golden Palm from the Cannes Film Festival in 2002 and a Career Golden Lion from the Venice International Film Festival in 1995. He also received a BAFTA Fellowship in 1997, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America and a Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2014. He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 2010.


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen has been married three times: to Harlene Rosen from 1956 to 1959, Louise Lasser from 1966 to 1970, and Soon-Yi Previn since 1997. He also had a 12-year relationship with actress Mia Farrow and relationships with Stacey Nelkin and Diane Keaton.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 1956, Allen married Harlene Rosen. He was 20 and she was 17. The marriage lasted until 1959. Rosen, whom Allen called "the Dread Mrs. Allen" in his standup act, sued him for defamation as a result of comments he made during a television appearance shortly after their divorce. In his mid-1960s album "Standup Comic", Allen said that Rosen had sued him because of a joke he made in an interview. Rosen had been sexually assaulted outside her apartment. According to Allen, the newspapers reported that she had been "violated". In the interview, Allen said, "Knowing my ex-wife, it probably wasn't a moving violation." In an interview on "The Dick Cavett Show", Allen repeated his comments and said he had been sued for "$1 million".


title: Woody Allen

text: In 1966, Allen married Louise Lasser. They divorced in 1970. Lasser provided voice dubbing in Allen's "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" and appeared in three of his other films: "Take the Money and Run", "Bananas", and "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)". She also appeared briefly in "Stardust Memories".


title: Woody Allen

text: According to the "Los Angeles Times", "Manhattan" was based on Allen's romantic relationship with actress Stacey Nelkin. Her bit part in "Annie Hall" ended up on the cutting room floor, and their relationship, never publicly acknowledged by Allen, reportedly began when she was 17 and a student at Stuyvesant High School in New York. In December 2018 "The Hollywood Reporter" interviewed Babi Christina Engelhardt, who said she had an eight-year affair with Allen that began in 1976 when she was 17 years old (they met when she was 16), and that she believes the character of Tracy in "Manhattan" is a composite of any number of Allen's presumed other real-life young paramours from that period, not necessarily Nelkin or Engelhardt. When asked, Allen declined to comment.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 1968, Allen cast Diane Keaton in his Broadway show "Play It Again, Sam." During the run she and Allen became romantically involved. Although they broke up after a year, she continued to star in his films, including "Sleeper" as a futuristic poet and "Love and Death" as a composite character based on the novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. "Annie Hall" was very important in Allen's and Keaton's careers. It is said that the role was written for her, as Keaton's birth name was Diane Hall. She then starred in "Interiors" as a poet, followed by "Manhattan". In 1987, she had a cameo as a nightclub singer in "Radio Days", and she was chosen to replace Mia Farrow in "Manhattan Murder Mystery" after Allen and Farrow began having problems with their relationship. In total Keaton has starred in eight of Allen's films. As of 2018 Keaton and Allen remain close friends. In a rare public appearance, Allen presented Keaton with the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2017.


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen and Mia Farrow met in 1979 and began a relationship in 1980; Farrow starred in 13 of Allen's films from 1982 to 1992. Throughout the relationship they lived in separate apartments on opposite sides of Central Park in Manhattan. Farrow had seven children when they met: three biological sons from her marriage to composer André Previn, three adopted girls (two Vietnamese and one South Korean, Soon-Yi Previn), and an adopted South Korean boy, Moses Farrow.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 1984, she and Allen tried to conceive a child together; Allen agreed to this on the understanding that he need not be involved in the child's care. When the effort to get pregnant failed, Farrow adopted a baby girl, Dylan Farrow, in July 1985. Allen was not involved in the adoption, but when Dylan arrived he assumed a parental role toward her and began spending more time in Farrow's home. On December 19, 1987, Farrow gave birth to their son Satchel Farrow (later known as Ronan Farrow). According to Allen, his intimate relationship with Mia Farrow ceased completely after Satchel's birth and he was asked to return her apartment key; they maintained a working relationship when they filmed a movie, and he regularly visited Moses, Dylan and Satchel, but he and Mia were only "social companions on those occasions where there'd be a dinner, an event, but after the event she'd go home and I'd go home." In 1991, Farrow wanted to adopt another child. According to a 1993 custody hearing, Allen told her he would not object to another adoption so long as she would agree to his adoption of Dylan and Moses; that adoption was finalized in December 1991. Eric Lax, Allen's biographer, wrote in "The New York Times" that Allen was "there before they [the children] wake up in the morning, he sees them during the day and he helps put them to bed at night".


title: Woody Allen

text: In 1977, Mia Farrow and André Previn adopted Soon-Yi Previn from Seoul, South Korea. She had been abandoned. The Seoul Family Court established a Family Census Register (legal birth document) on her behalf on December 28, 1976, with a presumptive birth date of October 8, 1970; according to Maureen Orth, a bone scan in the U.S. estimated that she was between five and seven years old. According to Previn, her first friendly interaction with Allen took place when she was injured playing soccer during 11th grade and Allen offered to transport her to school. After her injury, she began attending New York Knicks basketball games with Allen in 1990. They attended more games and by 1991 had become closer. In September 1991, she began studies at Drew University in New Jersey.


title: Woody Allen

text: In January 1992, Farrow found nude photographs of Previn in Allen's home. Allen, then 56, told Farrow that he had taken the photos the day before, approximately two weeks after he first had sex with Previn. Both Farrow and Allen contacted lawyers shortly after the photographs were discovered. Previn was asked to leave summer camp because she was spending too much time taking calls from a "Mr. Simon", who turned out to be Allen.


title: Woody Allen

text: In an August 1992 interview with "Time Magazine" Allen said, "I am not Soon-Yi's father or stepfather", adding, "I've never even lived with Mia. I've never in my entire life slept at Mia's apartment, and I never even used to go over there until my children came along seven years ago. I never had any family dinners over there. I was not a father to her adopted kids in any sense of the word." Adding that Soon-Yi never treated him as a father figure and that he rarely spoke to her before their romantic relationship, Allen seemed to see few or no problems with their relationship.


title: Woody Allen

text: On August 17, 1992, Allen issued a statement saying that he was in love with Previn. Their relationship became public and "erupted into tabloid headlines and late-night monologues in August 1992."


title: Woody Allen

text: Allen and Previn were married in Venice, Italy, on December 23, 1997. They have adopted two children, and live in the Carnegie Hill section of Manhattan's Upper East Side.


title: Woody Allen

text: According to court testimony, on August 4, 1992, Allen visited the children at Mia Farrow's home in Bridgewater, Connecticut, while she was shopping with a friend. The next day, that friend's babysitter told her employer that she had seen that "Dylan was sitting on the sofa, and Woody was kneeling on the floor, facing her, with his head in her lap". When Farrow asked Dylan about it, Dylan allegedly said that Allen had touched Dylan's "private part" while they were alone together in the attic. Allen strongly denied the allegation, calling it "an unconscionable and gruesomely damaging manipulation of innocent children for vindictive and self-serving motives". He then began proceedings in New York Supreme Court for sole custody of his and Farrow's son Satchel, as well as Dylan and Moses, their two adopted children. In March 1993, a six-month investigation by the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of Yale-New Haven Hospital concluded that Dylan had not been sexually abused.


title: Woody Allen

text: In June 1993, Judge Elliott Wilk rejected Allen's bid for custody and rejected the allegation of sexual abuse. Wilk said he was less certain than the Yale-New Haven team that there was conclusive evidence that there was no sexual abuse and called Allen's conduct with Dylan "grossly inappropriate", although not sexual. In September 1993, the state prosecutor announced that despite having "probable cause”, he would not pursue charges in order "to avoid the unjustifiable risk of exposing a child to the rigors and uncertainties of a questionable prosecution". In October 1993 the New York Child Welfare Agency of the State Department of Social Services closed a 14-month investigation and concluded there was not credible evidence of abuse or maltreatment, and the allegation was unfounded.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 2014, when Allen received a Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement, the issue returned to the forefront of media attention, with Mia Farrow and Ronan Farrow making disparaging remarks about Allen on Twitter. On February 1, 2014, "New York Times" journalist Nicholas Kristof, with Dylan's permission, published a column that included excerpts from a letter Dylan had written to Kristof restating the allegation against Allen, and called out fellow actors who have continued to work in his films. Allen responded to the allegation in an open letter, also in "The New York Times," strongly denying it. "Of course, I did not molest Dylan...No one wants to discourage abuse victims from speaking out, but one must bear in mind that sometimes there are people who are falsely accused and that is also a terribly destructive thing", he wrote.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 2018, Moses Farrow (Mia Farrow's and Allen's adopted son who was present at her Bridgewater house during Allen's visit) published a blog post called "A Son Speaks Out." In the post, Moses recounted a series of instances of alleged physical abuse at the hands of Mia Farrow. He wrote, "It pains me to recall instances in which I witnessed siblings, some blind or physically disabled, dragged down a flight of stairs to be thrown into a bedroom or a closet, then having the door locked from the outside. [Mia] even shut my brother Thaddeus, paraplegic from polio, in an outdoor shed overnight as punishment for a minor transgression".


title: Woody Allen

text: From 1976 to 1984 Stuart Hample wrote and drew "Inside Woody Allen", a comic strip based on Allen's film persona.


title: Woody Allen

text: The 1997 documentary "Wild Man Blues", directed by Barbara Kopple, focuses on Allen, and other documentaries featuring Allen include the 2002 cable television documentary "Woody Allen: A Life in Film", directed by "Time" film critic Richard Schickel, which interlaces interviews of Allen with clips of his films, and the 1986 short film "Meetin' WA", in which Allen is interviewed by French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 2003, a life-size bronze statue of Allen was installed in Oviedo, Spain. He had visited the city the previous year to accept a Prince of Asturias Award.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 2011 the PBS series "American Masters" co-produced the documentary "", directed by Robert B. Weide. New interviews provide insight and backstory with Diane Keaton, Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Dianne Wiest, Larry David, Chris Rock, Martin Scorsese, Dick Cavett, and Leonard Maltin, among others.


title: Woody Allen

text: In 2015 David Evanier published "Woody: The Biography", which was billed as the first new biography of Allen in over a decade.


title: Woody Allen

text: In early March 2020, Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced that it would be publishing Allen's memoir, "Apropos of Nothing", on April 7, 2020. Days later, after employee walkouts, parent company Hachette announced that the title was canceled and rights had reverted to Allen. On March 23, 2020, Skyhorse Publishing announced that it had acquired and released "Apropos of Nothing" through its Arcade imprint.


title: Woody Allen

text: In February 2021, HBO released Kirby Dick's and Amy Ziering's four-part documentary "Allen v. Farrow", which explores the sexual abuse allegations against Allen. The series drew largely positive reviews from critics. Lorraine Ali of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that it "makes a compelling argument that Allen got away with the unthinkable thanks to his fame, money, and revered standing in the world of film—and that a little girl never received justice." Rachel Brodsky wrote in "The Independent" that the "documentary will sound the death knell for Woody Allen’s career." Hadley Freeman in "The Guardian" wrote that the series "sets itself up as an investigation but much more resembles PR, as biased and partial as a political candidate’s advert vilifying an opponent in election season." A statement on behalf of Allen and Previn denounced the documentary as "a hatchet job riddled with falsehoods" and said that they were approached two months before it was aired on HBO and "given only a matter of days 'to respond.' Of course, they declined to do so." The filmmakers said they gave Allen and Previn two weeks to comment, which is "more than ample time by journalistic standards."


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (RAI), the contest was held at the , and consisted of two semi-finals on 10 and 12 May, and a final on 14 May 2022. The three live shows were presented by Italian television presenter Alessandro Cattelan, Italian singer Laura Pausini and Lebanese-born British singer Mika.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Forty countries participated in the contest, with and returning after their absence from the previous edition. had originally planned to participate, but was excluded due to its invasion of Ukraine.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The winner was with the song "Stefania", performed by Kalush Orchestra and written by the group's members Ihor Didenchuk, Oleh Psiuk, Tymofii Muzychuk and Vitalii Duzhyk, along with Ivan Klymenko. Ukraine's 439 points received from the televote in the final are the most televoting points received in the contest's history to date, making "Stefania" the first song sung entirely in Ukrainian and the first song with hip-hop elements to win the contest. The , , and rounded out the top five, with the United Kingdom and Spain achieving their best results since and respectively, and Serbia achieving its best result since . This was also a record-extending sixteenth time that the United Kingdom finished in second place. finished in sixth place, thereby achieving the best result for a host country since .


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The EBU reported that the contest had a television audience of 161 million viewers in 34 European markets, a decrease of 22 million viewers from the previous edition, however, it is noted that this is due to the exclusion of Russia and the lack of audience figures from Ukraine, with the overall figures up by 7 million viewers in a comparable market from 2021. An increase of three percent in the 15–24 year old age range was also reported. A total of 18 million viewers watched the contest online on YouTube and TikTok.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The 2022 contest took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the 2021 edition with the song "", performed by Måneskin. It was the third time that Italy had hosted the contest, having previously done so for the and contests, held in Naples and Rome respectively. The selected venue was the 13,300-seat , a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Santa Rita district, which serves as a venue for events including concerts, exhibitions, trade fairs, conferences, and sports (mainly those requiring an ice rink, such as ice hockey and curling). had previously hosted the ice hockey events at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and the opening ceremonies of the 2007 Winter Universiade and will host the same event in 2025.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The venue returned to its full capacity for the contest, after the previous edition in Rotterdam saw a limited audience of 3,500 people as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the audience was required to wear masks at all times inside the venue, unlike in Rotterdam where mask-wearing was not enforced whenever the audience was seated. Nearly all COVID-19 prevention measures for the contest were dropped by 11 May 2022, with testing only required whenever symptoms were exhibited.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: In addition to the main venue, the host city also organised side events in tandem with the contest. The Eurovision Village was the official Eurovision Song Contest fan and sponsors area during the event weeks, where it was possible to watch performances by contest participants and local artists, as well as the live shows broadcast from the main venue. It was located at and open from 7 to 14 May 2022. The EuroClub, which took place across ten different locations in Turin, hosted the official after-parties and private performances by contest participants. Unlike in previous years, access to the EuroClub was not restricted to accredited fans, delegates and press. The "Turquoise Carpet" and Opening Ceremony events, where the contestants and their delegations were presented before the accredited press and fans, took place at the Palace of Venaria on 8 May 2022.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Between 23 and 28 May 2021, many cities across Italy expressed interest in hosting the contest. Representatives from the cities of Bologna, Milan, Pesaro, Naples and Turin voiced their interest, as well as the Mayor of Reggio Emilia, Luca Vecchi, who hoped to host the contest in the new RCF Arena, the largest open-air arena in Europe with a capacity of 100,000 spectators. The mayors of Rome, Rimini and Florence soon after also expressed interest in hosting the contest and were joined by Sanremo, Verona and Bari. , member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, also suggested that if Rimini were to host the contest, it should be a co-production with San Marino RTV.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Host broadcaster RAI launched the bidding process on 7 July 2021. In the first phase of this process, any interested cities were to present their bid through certified email by 12 July, after which RAI and the EBU would proceed to send all of them a bid book with more detailed requirements for the cities to submit their plans for review.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: On 9 July 2021, the city of Turin officially announced its bid. On the same day, the city of Pesaro did the same, proposing the Vitrifrigo Arena as a possible venue to host the event. They were followed by Bologna and Jesolo on 12 July, and Rimini and Bertinoro (jointly with Forlì and Cesena) on 13 July. On 13 July, RAI announced that 17 cities had submitted their bid for hosting the contest and would be provided the following day with the bid books. They had until 4 August to draft and submit their detailed plans, which 11 cities did. On 24 August, it was reported that Bologna, Milan, Pesaro, Rimini and Turin would be the cities left in the running to host the contest.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The choice among them was meant to be announced by the end of August; however, this did not happen, and in mid-September , director of Rai 1, stated that the selection was behind time to ensure "transparency and precision". On 8 October 2021, the EBU and RAI announced Turin as the host city, with the as the chosen venue for the contest.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was produced by the Italian public broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI). and Simona Martorelli served as executive producers, and served as directors of the three live shows, Claudio Santucci served as head of show, and Emanuele Cristofoli served as artistic director for the opening and interval acts. Background music for the shows was composed by .


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The Italian government allocated around as part of the budget needed to host the event, while the municipality of Turin and the regional government of Piedmont contributed around in total. The total budget for the shows was .


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The theme art and slogan for the contest, "The Sound of Beauty", was unveiled on 21 January 2022. Designed by Rome-based studio Flopicco, the artwork was built around the symmetrical structure and patterns of cymatics to convey the visual properties of sound, which also reflects Italian garden design, while the typography was inspired by early-20th century Italian poster art; the colours were drawn from those of the Italian flag.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Television presenter Alessandro Cattelan and singers Laura Pausini and Mika were the presenters of the 2022 contest. They had already been named as likely hosts by Italian news agency Adnkronos and TV magazine "TV Sorrisi e Canzoni"; and were officially confirmed during the second night of the Sanremo Music Festival 2022 on 2 February, after appearing on that show as special guests.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The "Turquoise Carpet" and Opening Ceremony events were hosted by , Carolina Di Domenico, and . Acampa, Carusino and Di Domenico also moderated the contest's press conferences.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The stage design for the 2022 contest was revealed on 18 February 2022. Designed by Rome-based stage designer and dubbed "The Sun Within", the stage design was based around the movements and light of a kinetic sun, with the intended ability to showcase theatrical motion. The design also featured a working water cascade and a green room modelled after an Italian garden. Montinaro had previous experience in stage design, having done so for the Sanremo Music Festival in 2013 and 2019. This marked the first time since that German stage designer did not design the Eurovision stage.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The first semi-final was opened by a performance showcasing Italian ingenuity and creativity, accompanied by the official anthem of the contest, "The Sound of Beauty", performed by Sherol Dos Santos, while the interval featured a medley of "Horizon in Your Eyes", "Satisfaction" and "" performed by Dardust, Benny Benassi and Sophie and the Giants with conductor Sylvia Catasta, a brief homage to Raffaella Carrà performed by the contest presenters, and Diodato performing "".


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The second semi-final was opened by "The Italian Way", an act built around Italian improvisation performed by co-presenter Alessandro Cattelan, while the interval featured a medley of "Fragile" and "People Have the Power" performed by co-presenters Laura Pausini and Mika, and Il Volo performing a new version of "".


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The final was opened by the traditional flag parade, introducing all twenty-five finalists, accompanied by the Rockin' 1000 performing “Give Peace a Chance” and co-presenter Laura Pausini performing a medley of "", "", "", "" and "". The interval acts included Måneskin performing their new single "Supermodel" and “If I Can Dream”, Gigliola Cinquetti performing her winning song "", and co-presenter Mika performing a medley of "Love Today", "Grace Kelly", his new single "Yo Yo" and "Happy Ending". Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti also appeared in a pre-recorded message from the International Space Station.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: For the second year in a row, delegations had the option to use pre-recorded backing vocals, though each delegation could still use backing singerswhether on or off stageor a combination of live and recorded backing vocals. However, all lead vocals performing the melody of the song must still be live. The EBU also required all national broadcasters to create a 'live-on-tape' backup recording prior to the contest which could be used if a participant was unable to travel to Turin, or subjected to quarantine on arrival. The 2022 contest also saw a tightening of the rules around song eligibility. Previously, the rules stated that the competing songs must not have been commercially released prior to 1 September of the previous year, now, a song may be ineligible to compete if it has been released to the public in any way, including live performances, before 1 September of the previous year. Enforcement of the rule was subject to the responsibility of the participating broadcasters.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: With all participating artists having performed live in Turin, the majority of the 'live-on-tape' performances were released on the contest's official YouTube channel over a period of ten days, from 14 to 23 June 2022. , , , , , , , , , and opted not to release their performances, while was exempted from the obligation to record theirs, and and removed theirs after release for unknown reasons. Despite not releasing their performance to the contest's official channel, it was nonetheless made available on the channel of the country's representative Vladana.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The draw to determine the participating countries' semi-finals took place on 25 January 2022 at 12:00 CET, at . The thirty-six semi-finalists were divided over six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest's official televoting partner Digame. The purpose of drawing from different pots was to reduce the chance of "bloc voting" and to increase suspense in the semi-finals. The draw also determined which semi-final each of the five automatic qualifiers"Big Five" countries , , , and the would broadcast and vote in. The ceremony was hosted by Carolina Di Domenico and Mario Acampa, with Acampa replacing Gabriele Corsi who tested positive for COVID-19. It included the passing of the host city insignia from Ahmed Aboutaleb, the mayor of previous host city Rotterdam, to Stefano Lo Russo, the mayor of Turin.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The "postcards" were 40-second video introductions shown on television whilst the stage is being prepared for the next contestant to perform their entry. Filmed between February and April, and directed by Matteo Lanzi, the 2022 postcards were based on the "Sound of Beauty" theme of the contest. Guided by a drone named "Leo", each postcard showcased a different locale in Italy adorned by pictures and various artistic elements related to the acts, while the participating artists themselves appeared via footage superimposed through chroma keying. The following locations were used for each participating country:


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The EBU initially announced on 20 October 2021 that 41 countries would participate in the 2022 contest. The list included all countries that participated in the 2021 contest, along with and , both of which had last taken part in (Armenia was also set to compete in the cancelled edition). On 25 February 2022, the EBU announced that was excluded from the contest due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, thereby reducing the number of participating countries to 40.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The contest featured five representatives who also previously performed as lead artists for the same country. Nika Kocharov, the guitarist of Circus Mircus, had previously represented Georgia in alongside Young Georgian Lolitaz; , a member of Intelligent Music Project, had represented Bulgaria in and alongside Elitsa Todorova; Zdob și Zdub had represented Moldova in and ; Mahmood had represented Italy in ; and Ihor Didenchuk, a member of Kalush Orchestra, had previously represented Ukraine in as a member of Go_A. In addition, Ihan Haydar, who had previously represented Denmark in as a member of Soluna Samay's backup band, returned as a member of Reddi.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The first semi-final took place on 10 May 2022 at 21:00 (CEST). Seventeen countries participated in the first semi-final. Those countries plus and voted in this semi-final. was originally allocated to participate in the second half of the first semi-final, but was excluded from the contest due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The second semi-final took place on 12 May 2022 at 21:00 (CEST). Eighteen countries participated in the second semi-final. Those countries plus , and the voted in this semi-final. The highlighted countries qualified for the final.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The final took place on 14 May 2022 at 21:00 (CEST). Twenty-five countries participated in the final, with all forty participating countries eligible to vote.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country's professional jury and televote in the final. Countries in bold gave the maximum 24 points (12 points apiece from professional jury and televoting) to the specified entrant.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The spokespersons announced the 12-point score from their respective country's national jury in the following order:


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Eligibility for potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest via the Eurovision network. The EBU issued an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members. Associate member did not need an invitation for the 2022 contest, as it had previously been granted permission to participate at least until 2023.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: All participating broadcasters may choose to have on-site or remote commentators providing an insight about the show and voting information to their local audience. While they must broadcast at least the semi-final they are voting in and the final, most broadcasters air all three shows with different programming plans. Similarly, some non-participating broadcasters may still want to air the contest.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The European Broadcasting Union provided international live streams of both semi-finals and the final through their official YouTube channel with no commentary, and through their official TikTok channel with an additional backstage feed. The YouTube live streams were geo-blocked to viewers in the Czech Republic, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. After the live broadcasts, all three shows were made available for every country listed above except the United States.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: For the first time in the contest's history, RAI trialled the broadcasts of the event in 4K UHD. The contest was aired on as an upscaled version of the HD feed, as RAI had yet to be fully equipped for broadcast of native 4K content.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: According to the EBU, in total 161 million people watched at least a minute of the television broadcasts, and 18 million people watched the online broadcasts.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Following the controversy surrounding the Ukrainian national selection in 2019, which led to the country withdrawing from the contest that year, a new rule was introduced starting from 2020 which bars artists who have performed in Russia since 2014 or have entered Crimea "in violation of the legislation of Ukraine" from entering the selection. The 2022 Ukrainian national selection was won by Alina Pash with the song "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors". On 14 February 2022, two days after the selection, activist and video blogger Serhii Sternenko alleged that Pash had entered Crimea from Russian territory in 2015, and counterfeited her travel documentation with her team in order to take part in the selection. The Ukrainian broadcaster subsequently stated that they would request the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service to verify if the documentation is forged, and that Pash would not officially be the Ukrainian representative at the contest "until the verification and clarification of the facts is completed". After it was discovered that a representative of Pash's team had handed in falsified documentation to UA:PBC, on 16 February, Pash announced that she would withdraw her candidacy as the Ukrainian representative at the contest. Runner-up of the selection, Kalush Orchestra with the song "Stefania", were given an offer to represent Ukraine in Pash's place on 17 February. On 22 February, UA:PBC confirmed that Kalush Orchestra had accepted the offer.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: In the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February, UA:PBC appealed to suspend Russian EBU member broadcasters VGTRK and Channel One from the union, and to exclude Russia from competing in the contest. The appeal alleged that since the beginning of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine in 2014, VGTRK and Channel One have been a mouthpiece for the Russian government and a key tool of political propaganda financed from the Russian state budget. The EBU initially stated that Russia as well as Ukraine would still be allowed to participate in the contest, citing the non-political nature of the event.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Several broadcasters expressed their concern at the decision and issued statements calling for the removal of Russia from the contest. In addition to Ukraine's UA:PBC, nine other countries' broadcasters requested the EBU to change the decision: Denmark's DR, Estonia's ERR, Finland's Yle, Iceland's RÚV, Lithuania's LRT, the Netherlands' AVROTROS, Norway's NRK, Poland's TVP and Sweden's SVT. Yle also stated that they would withdraw their participation if Russia were not excluded from the contest. This was followed by a similar announcement from ERR. Latvian representatives Citi Zēni also urged the EBU to reconsider Russian participation. On 25 February 2022, the EBU announced that Russia would not compete at the contest, stating that "in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year's Contest would bring the competition into disrepute." The following day, all EBU members from Russia, including VGTRK and Channel One, announced their withdrawal from the union, according to a statement released by Russian state media. Russia had not publicly announced an artist or song before being excluded.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, UA:PBC and Kalush Orchestra had yet to formally comment on whether their participation in the contest would continue. On 14 March 2022, Claudio Fasulo and Simona Martorelli, executive producers of the 2022 contest, confirmed that Ukraine would still be competing; this was later reaffirmed by UA:PBC on 19 March via a post on its social media pages. They added that work would commence on the Ukrainian 'live-on-tape' backup performance, which was planned to be recorded in Lviv and used in the event that the delegation cannot travel to Turin, however, the delegation was later exempted from the requirement to do so. On 2 April, UA:PBC confirmed that Kalush Orchestra and the rest of the delegation was given permission to travel to Turin for the contest, adding that the group would also take part in promotional events across Europe to raise donations for war relief efforts.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: On 11 May 2022, pro-Russia hacker group Killnet carried out an attack on numerous Italian institutional websites, including those of the Ministry of Defense, the Senate, the National Health Institute and the Automobile Club d'Italia. The official website of the Eurovision Song Contest was later revealed to be among those that were targeted, in addition to the platform on which the contest's voting system is based. Additional attacks were reported to have taken place during the first semi-final and the final. The attacks were ultimately unsuccessful, and there were no disruptions to either the website or the voting platform.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: During the broadcast of the final, after Kalush Orchestra had finished their performance, the group's frontman Oleh Psiuk shouted onstage: "I ask all of you, please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal, right now!" The contest's rules precludes promoting political statements and messages, and several commentators noted that Psiuk's statement could be in breach of the rules. However, the EBU deemed the statement to be "humanitarian rather than political in nature”. The German and Icelandic representatives, Malik Harris and Systur respectively, also showed support for Ukraine onstage after finishing their performances.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: During the first day of rehearsals in Turin on 30 April 2022, Italian newspapers and reported technical difficulties with the 'kinetic sun' component of the stage, with its arches not being able to move as freely as expected. The papers also reported that the malfunction could not be completely fixed in time for the live shows. Several delegations, among them those from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Lithuania, were forced to revise their staging plans, having been informed of the malfunction a few days prior. later reported the following day that a compromise was reached, in which the arches would stay static for the competing entries' performances, while for the opening and interval acts, the arches would be permitted to move dynamically. This was later confirmed by the EBU in a statement issued to Danish broadcaster DR on 2 May.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: During the "Turquoise Carpet" event on 8 May 2022, the Macedonian representative Andrea was seen lightly tossing the Macedonian flag on the ground before posing for the press. The Macedonian broadcaster MRT later published a statement condemning her action, describing it as "desecration of a national symbol, which is punishable by Macedonian law". In the same statement, the broadcaster stated that it was considering withdrawing Andrea from the contest, and that people in the delegation that are deemed responsible for the incident would be sanctioned. Andrea herself issued an apology later that day. MRT later stated on 11 May that it would take all disciplinary measures after the delegation returns from Turin, while also raising the possibility that it would not return for the , because of the negative publicity caused by the incident. MRT eventually confirmed its non-participation in the 2023 contest, citing financial difficulties, instead.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: In a statement released during the broadcast of the final, the EBU revealed that during the jury show of the second semi-final on 11 May 2022, six national juries, namely those of , , , , and , were found to have had irregular voting patterns. As a result, these six countries were given substitute aggregated jury results for the second semi-final and the final based on countries with similar voting patterns, as determined by the pots that the countries were put into for the semi-final allocation draw in January. The Flemish broadcaster VRT later reported that the juries of the countries involved had made agreements to vote for each other.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: During the announcement of the jury votes in the final, Azerbaijan, Romania and Georgia had their votes announced by Martin Österdahl, the contest's executive supervisor. This was stated to have been due to technical difficulties in establishing connection with those countries' designated spokespersons. The spokespersons who would have announced them were Narmin Salmanova, Eda Marcus and Helen Kalandadze respectively. A press release from the Romanian broadcaster TVR on 20 May revealed that the reason for Österdahl's intervention on behalf of the Romanian spokesperson was due to TVR's refusal to accept the aggregate scores calculated by the EBU.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The day after the final, TVR accused the EBU of "changing the rules" and requested further clarification of the incident. In their original decision, the Romanian jury awarded 12 points to Moldova. The Georgian broadcaster GPB and the Azerbaijani broadcaster İTV also requested a more detailed statement on the jury vote issues, disclosing that their juries' 12 points were originally awarded to Ukraine. The Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG and the Polish broadcaster TVP also requested more clarification on the issue. In addition, TVR and İTV claimed that no technical difficulties had occurred during the jury voting segment of the final.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: On 19 May 2022, the EBU released the full breakdown of the nullified jury votes from the second semi-final. RTCG, TVR and the Sammarinese broadcaster SMRTV denied any wrongdoing on their part, with the former two claiming that other irregular voting patterns existed but were not detected. TVR also threatened to withdraw from the contest for 2023 and future editions, while also planning to take legal action against the EBU in response. However, it was reported by Romanian news outlet "Impact.ro" on 29 July that TVR had dropped all of its objections, and on 26 August, TVR confirmed its participation in the 2023 contest.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: In addition to the main winner's trophy, the Marcel Bezençon Awards and the You're A Vision Award were contested during the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. The OGAE, "General Organisation of Eurovision Fans" voting poll also took place before the contest.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The Marcel Bezençon Awards, organised since 2002 by Sweden's then-Head of Delegation and 1992 representative Christer Björkman, and winner of the 1984 contest Richard Herrey, honours songs in the contest's final. The awards are divided into three categories: the Artistic Award, the Composers Award, and the Press Award. The winners were revealed shortly before the Eurovision final on 14 May.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: OGAE, an organisation of over forty Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, conducts an annual voting poll first held in 2002 as the Marcel Bezençon Fan Award. After all votes were cast, the top-ranked entry in the 2022 poll was Sweden's "Hold Me Closer" performed by Cornelia Jakobs; the top five results are shown below.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: 2022 saw the first edition of the You're A Vision Award (a word play of "Eurovision"), ran by the fansite "Songfestival.be". Following the cancellation of the Barbara Dex Award due to its associated negative connotations, the You're A Vision Award was established with the aim to "celebrate the creativity and diversity that embody the Eurovision spirit", with the winner being the one with the most notable outfit. Australia's Sheldon Riley won the award, with Spain's Chanel, Norway's Subwoolfer, and San Marino's Achille Lauro completing the top four.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: The second edition of the Eurovision Awards will see the competing acts of 2022 celebrated across ten categories. Shortlists were determined by major Eurovision fansites and podcasts, with editors and presenters nominating their favourites in each category; the final result will be determined by followers of the official Eurovision Instagram channel who cast votes for their favourite act.


title: Eurovision Song Contest 2022

text: Eurovision Song Contest: Turin 2022 is the official compilation album of the contest, put together by the European Broadcasting Union and was released by Universal Music Group digitally on 8 April 2022, in CD format on 22 April 2022, and in cassette and vinyl formats on 6 May 2022. The album features all 40 entries including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify for the final.


title: Travis Scott

text: Jacques Bermon Webster II (born April 30, 1991), better known by his stage name Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is the namesake of a favorite uncle combined with the first name of one of his inspirations, Kid Cudi (whose real name is Scott Mescudi).


title: Travis Scott

text: In 2012, Scott signed his first major-label contract with Epic Records and a publishing deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music. In April 2013, he signed a joint-recording contract with Epic and T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint. Scott's first full-length project, the mixtape "Owl Pharaoh", was self-released in 2013. It was followed with a second mixtape, "Days Before Rodeo", in 2014. His debut studio album, "Rodeo" (2015), was led by the hit single "Antidote". His second album, "Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight" (2016), became his first number one album on the "Billboard" 200. The following year, Scott released a collaborative album with Quavo titled "Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho" under the group name Huncho Jack.


title: Travis Scott

text: In 2018, his third studio album, "Astroworld", was released to critical acclaim and produced his first "Billboard" Hot 100 number one single, "Sicko Mode" (featuring Drake). In late 2019, Scott's record label Cactus Jack Records released the compilation album "JackBoys", which topped the "Billboard" 200. After the release of his single "Franchise" (featuring Young Thug and M.I.A.) in 2020, Scott became the first artist on the Hot 100 to have three songs debut at number one in less than a year.


title: Travis Scott

text: Over the course of his career, Scott has become a globally recognized artist and pop culture figure. Along with his highly publicized relationship with American media personality Kylie Jenner, Scott has collaborated with organizations including Nike, Dior, and McDonald's. In 2017, he founded the record label Cactus Jack Records. Throughout his career, Scott has achieved four number-one hits on the "Billboard" Hot 100, along with 80 total charted songs. Additionally, he has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards and won a "Billboard" Music Award, Latin Grammy Award, MTV Video Music Award, and multiple BET Hip Hop Awards.


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott has also gained notoriety for controversies and legal issues regarding safety at his concerts. In November 2021, a mass-casualty crowd crush occurred during Scott's performance at the Astroworld Festival in his hometown of Houston, Texas, resulting in widespread condemnation of the artist.


title: Travis Scott

text: Jacques Bermon Webster II was born on April 30, 1991, in Houston, Texas. From ages one through six, Webster lived with his grandmother in South Park, Houston. Located in south-central Houston, the neighborhood was notorious for crime and had an impact on a young Webster, "Growing up, my grandmother stayed in the 'hood so I seen random crazy shit. [I saw] mad bums and crazy spazzed out motherfuckers, I saw people looking weird, hungry, and grimey. I was always like, 'I gotta get the fuck out this shit.' It gave me my edge—[it made me] who I am right now." Webster moved to Missouri City, a middle-class suburban area bordering southwest Houston, to live with his parents. His mother worked for Apple and his father ran his own business. Webster's father is also a soul musician and his grandfather was a jazz composer. Webster attended Elkins High School and graduated at seventeen. During high school, he participated in musical theater. Webster then attended the University of Texas at San Antonio, before dropping out his second year to fully pursue his music career.


title: Travis Scott

text: Webster formed a duo with his longtime friend Chris Holloway known as The Graduates. In 2008, the duo released their untitled first EP on social networking website Myspace.


title: Travis Scott

text: The following year, Scott and OG Chess, one of Scott's schoolmates, formed the group The Classmates. The Classmates released two projects, with "Buddy Rich" in 2009 and "Cruis'n USA" in 2010. Scott mainly handled production work on both projects. The duo remained together until late 2012, when personal conflicts and financial disputes led to the disbandment of the group.


title: Travis Scott

text: After leaving college, Scott moved from Houston to Washington Heights in New York City where Scott began working with friend Mike Waxx, who owned the music website Illroots. After moving to New York, Scott slept on the floor at his friend's house and spent most of his time at Just Blaze's studio. Eventually frustrated in New York and the lack of progression, Scott moved to Los Angeles, California, after only four months in the state.


title: Travis Scott

text: In Los Angeles, Webster was abandoned by his friend who had promised to help him by providing housing. His parents cut him off financially and he eventually was forced to relocate back to Houston, where his parents kicked him out of their home. Webster moved back to Los Angeles once again and began to sleep on the couch of a friend who studied at University of Southern California. Atlanta-based rapper and owner of Grand Hustle Records, T.I. would later hear one of Webster's productions, titled "Lights (Love Sick)". While in Los Angeles, T.I.'s representative contacted Webster, asking him to attend a studio for a meeting. During the meeting, T.I. freestyled over "Animal", one of Webster's productions.


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott's First solo full-length project is a mixtape Titled "Owl Pharaoh", which was set to be released as a free download in 2012. However, the project was delayed, and was announced to be slated for a later release. The project was later re-created by Kanye West and Mike Dean, and was then again delayed for sample clearance issues. In promotion Scott would release the track, "Blocka La Flame", a remix of fellow GOOD Music label-mate Pusha T's single "Blocka" (which features production and vocals from Scott). The song was produced by Young Chop, with additional production by Scott himself, alongside Mike Dean. On March 22, 2013, Scott released the music video for a song titled "Quintana", set to appear on "Owl Pharaoh". The mixtape's version of the song features guest vocals from fellow American rapper Wale, while the production was handled by Scott himself, alongside Sak Pase and Mike Dean. On March 27, "XXL" revealed that Scott was a member of their Freshman Class of 2013. On March 29, 2013, following his interview with British disc jockey, DJ Semtex, Scott premiered a snippet of his commercial debut single, titled "Upper Echelon", featuring 2 Chainz and T.I. On April 2, 2013, Scott stated "Owl Pharaoh" was his official debut mixtape and would be released on the iTunes Store on May 21, 2013. On April 23, 2013, "Upper Echelon" was sent to urban contemporary radio. The EP was released for free download.


title: Travis Scott

text: On March 13, 2014, Scott performed a new song, tentatively titled "1975" featuring Big Sean, from his upcoming project at the time, at the Texan music festival South by Southwest (SXSW). Scott later confirmed via his Twitter account that the song is not called "1975", and would be included on his second mixtape, titled "Days Before Rodeo". He would later take to his Twitter account to announce "Rodeo", as the official title for his major-label debut studio album. On May 5, 2014, Scott released the full version of the song, with its new title "Don't Play", featuring a sample of the song "M.O.N.E.Y" by the English rock band the 1975. On July 11, 2014, "Don't Play" was officially released as the lead single from "Days Before Rodeo", via digital distribution.


title: Travis Scott

text: Following the success of "Days Before Rodeo", Scott announced that he would headline a concert tour, called The Rodeo Tour, with rapper Young Thug and producer Metro Boomin. The tour started on March 1, 2015, in Santa Ana, California, and ended on April 1, 2015, in Portland, Oregon. The tour ran through major cities such as Denver, Colorado, Houston, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan, New York City, Atlanta, Georgia, Philadelphia, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington. Second shows were added to some cities such as Los Angeles and New York City, after his first shows sold out. Artists such as Kanye West, Chris Brown, Wale and Birdman made special guest appearances in certain cities.


title: Travis Scott

text: "Rodeo" was released on September 4, 2015, by Grand Hustle and Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from Quavo, Juicy J, Kanye West, The Weeknd, Swae Lee, Chief Keef, Justin Bieber, Young Thug and Toro y Moi, and includes production from Mike Dean, Kanye West, WondaGurl, Suber, DJ Dahi, Metro Boomin, 1500 or Nothin', Sonny Digital, Southside, Terrace Martin, Zaytoven, Pharrell Williams and Scott himself, among others. The album was supported by two singles: "3500" featuring Future and 2 Chainz, and "Antidote". The latter became his highest-charting single on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 16. "Rodeo" received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number three on the US "Billboard" 200 chart. It also debuted at number one on the "Billboard" Rap Albums chart.


title: Travis Scott

text: On January 4, 2016, Scott would announce that he has a new studio album on the way. On February 8, 2016, it was announced that iLoveMakonnen, Vic Mensa and Scott would be a part of the "WANGSQUAD", an Alexander Wang campaign. On March 29, 2016, 300 Entertainment executive Lyor Cohen, revealed that Scott and Young Thug were releasing a single together and called Scott's upcoming album a "classic". On April 7, 2016, Scott previewed a single with Young Thug at one of his shows. On May 17, 2016, Scott announced that the title of his second album would be "Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight", while also confirming the title for his third album to be "Astroworld". On June 3, 2016, the collaborative single between Thug and Scott was released, titled "Pick Up the Phone". The single, which also features vocals from Quavo of Atlanta-based rap trio Migos, reached number 43 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).


title: Travis Scott

text: On August 31, 2016, Scott announced that "Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight" was finally finished in a post on Instagram. Scott premiered the album on his third episode of .wav radio on September 2, 2016, and was later released on iTunes and Apple Music. On September 11, 2016, the album became Scott's first number one album on the US "Billboard" 200. On September 12, 2016, Universal Music Publishing Group's CEO, Jody Gerson announced that the label signed a worldwide deal with Scott.


title: Travis Scott

text: In the same episode Scott premiered "Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight", he also announced that he would be executive producing on Kanye West's "Cruel Winter", a follow up to his G.O.O.D. Music label's debut compilation "Cruel Summer". In the episode he described the upcoming album as, "very youthful, straight to the point, like the illest ever, man, like the illest album".


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott performed at All-Star Weekend on February 16, 2017, in New Orleans, Louisiana at Champion Square. He also performed at New Orleans BUKU Music + Art Project festival on March 10, 2017. On March 5, Scott announced a concert tour called "Birds Eye View". The next day, the dates and cities for the tour were unveiled, with it beginning on March 10, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and coming to an end on June 2, in Eugene, Oregon. In the same month, Scott was also featured alongside American rapper Quavo from the hip-hop group Migos on Canadian rapper Drake's single "Portland", from Drake's commercial mixtape, "More Life". The song peaked at number nine on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming his first top ten song as a featured artist. In March 2017, Scott announced he would be launching his own imprint, under the name of Cactus Jack Records. During an interview, Scott said, "I'm not doing it to have financial control over my music. I want first and foremost to help other artists, launch new names, to provide opportunities. I want to do for them what happened to me, but better. By better I mean no bullshit. No lying to the artists about album release dates or the budgets of videos and albums." On June 15, 2017, Scott announced he would be doing a European leg of the "Birds Eye View Tour". The European leg started on the June 23 in Paris, and concluded on July 9 in Turku, Finland. This leg was mainly festival sets or in smaller club settings.


title: Travis Scott

text: On April 3, 2017, it was reported Scott had been working on a collaborative studio album with Quavo, potentially to be released later in 2017. Speaking to "GQ", he confirmed: 'The Quavo album is coming soon. I'm dropping new music soon. You know how I do it though: I like surprises. In addition to the collaborative album, Scott announced his third studio album "Astroworld", named after the defunct Houston theme park of the same name, was nearing completion and would most likely be released in 2017.


title: Travis Scott

text: On May 16, 2017, Scott released three new tracks on SoundCloud, after teasing on social media for some time. The tracks were named "A Man", "Green & Purple (featuring Playboi Carti)", and "Butterfly Effect". The latter was also released on every other streaming service, as the only track. The music video for "Butterfly Effect" was released on July 14, 2017. On August 10, 2017, Scott tweeted "ALBUM MODE" as he had just finished the "DAMN. Tour" as a supporting act for Kendrick Lamar, the night before. This tweet signified that he was now working on his album "AstroWorld" full-time. On August 27, 2017, Scott performed with Thirty Seconds to Mars at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards on their single "Walk On Water".


title: Travis Scott

text: On September 18, 2017, Quavo and Migos did an interview, in which Quavo stated that his album with Scott was coming "real soon". He also stated that he and Scott had over 20 records ready. In October 2017, Scott was featured in a special piece titled "Deserve", by Chinese born Canadian rapper Kris Wu. On December 7, 2017, a clip of Quavo being interviewed by Zane Lowe was posted on the official Twitter account for Beats 1. When asked about the title of their upcoming project, he confirmed it would be "Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho."


title: Travis Scott

text: On December 6, 2017, Scott was featured on fellow American rapper and singer Trippie Redd's single "Dark Knight Dummo", the lead single from the latter's debut studio album, "Life's a Trip". The song peaked at 72 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. On December 21, 2017, Scott and Quavo released their collaborative studio album, "Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho", under the name "Huncho Jack", a name which comes from Quavo's nickname "Huncho" and a play on Scott's first name "Jack". The album debuted at number 3 on the "Billboard" 200 and had seven tracks chart on the "Billboard" Hot 100. After the release of Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, Webster was spotted in the studio a lot more frequently and "Billboard" slated an expected first quarter release for "AstroWorld".


title: Travis Scott

text: On May 4, 2018, four days after his 27th birthday, Scott released a single titled "Watch" featuring American rappers Lil Uzi Vert and Kanye West. The single was released as promotional material for his third studio album "Astroworld". "Astroworld" was released on August 3, 2018, to critical acclaim, and debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200. "Sicko Mode", the album's second single, peaked at number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming Scott's highest charting solo single. On the same month of the album's launch, Scott announced that he was going to launch Astroworld Festival, a music festival with the same name as the album. The festival took place on November 17. On November 2, 2018, Scott was featured on five tracks of Metro Boomin's debut studio album, "Not All Heroes Wear Capes": "Overdue", "Dreamcatcher" (alongside Swae Lee), "Up to Something" (alongside Young Thug), "Only 1 (Interlude)", and "No More" (alongside Kodak Black and 21 Savage). In December, "Billboard" reported that Scott was to make a guest appearance at the Super Bowl LIII halftime show during Maroon 5's set. This performance was met with major backlash.


title: Travis Scott

text: On April 18, 2019, Scott released a single with SZA and The Weeknd for the popular HBO series "Game of Thrones". It is titled "Power is Power" and is a reference to a scene that took place in the first episode of the show's second season The track is the second song on the "Game of Thrones" soundtrack album entitled "". On May 23, 2019, Scott was featured alongside J. Cole on Young Thug's single, "The London", which later appeared as the lead single on Thug's debut studio album, "So Much Fun". On August 28, 2019, Scott's documentary film, "Look Mom I Can Fly", was released on Netflix. On October 4, 2019, Scott released a single, "Highest in the Room", which debuted and peaked at number one on the Hot 100, being his first song to debut at the top and his second number one following "Sicko Mode" in 2018. The same month, Scott was also featured on the remix of Young Thug's single, "Hot" with Gunna, who was featured on the original song as well. The song was later added to the deluxe edition of "So Much Fun" in December of that year. Scott also was featured on the track "Hop Off a Jet" from the deluxe edition.


title: Travis Scott

text: On December 2, 2019, Scott announced a compilation album with his Cactus Jack label members, consisting of Don Toliver, Sheck Wes and producer Chase B, titled "JackBoys". On December 24, Scott revealed the album's release date via Instagram. The album was released on December 27, 2019, and featured a remix of "Highest in the Room" featuring Spanish singer Rosalía and American rapper Lil Baby, the latter's verse being leaked months prior. On the same day, Scott released the music video for "Gang Gang" performed by Wes, with uncredited vocals and cameo appearances from Scott, Toliver, and rapper Luxury Tax 50. On December 30, 2019, Scott released the music video for "Gatti", performed with the now-late Pop Smoke. The lyrics of "Gatti" references Scott's breakup with his ex-girlfriend Kylie Jenner. On March 20, 2020, Scott released the music video for "Out West", performed featuring Young Thug.


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott performed five virtual live shows in the video game "Fortnite Battle Royale" from April 23 to 25, 2020 with visuals based on his "Astroworld" tour. It received more than 27 million viewers and boosted the sales of Fortnite-branded Cactus Jack products such as action figures. The performance also included the premiere of his new song with Kid Cudi, who released the song, "The Scotts", as a duo under the same name. Tying with the performance, numerous cosmetic items for player avatars based on Scott and the concert were available to purchase by players of "Fortnite Battle Royale". The song debuted at number-one on the "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming Scott's third US number-one. In May he collaborated for a second time with Rosalía on her track "TKN", where he raps in Spanish for the first time. Scott was on the cover of "GQ"s September 2020 issue, and revealed he will be releasing a collaborative album with Kid Cudi. This follows their number-one single, "The Scotts", released earlier in May.


title: Travis Scott

text: On the second anniversary of his third studio album "Astroworld", Scott teased he was working on a new project. On August 22, 2020, Scott released the single "The Plan", the theme song to Christopher Nolan's film "Tenet". He released the single "Franchise" featuring rappers Young Thug and M.I.A. on September 25, 2020. The song was previously previewed on Scott and Chase B's WAV radio, titled "White Tee". It debuted at number one on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100, and Scott became the first artist in "Billboard" chart history to have three songs debut at number one in less than a year. A remix with an additional feature from American rapper Future, was released on October 7, 2020.


title: Travis Scott

text: From mid to late-2020, Scott began teasing his fourth studio album "Utopia". On January 15, 2021, Scott released a remix of "Goosebumps" with producer HVME. After canceling the third annual Astroworld Fest due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott announced the return of the festival in 2021 and expanded it to a multi day format. On April 30, Scott was featured on "Durag Activity" by Baby Keem. In June, Scott announced a collaboration between Dior and Cactus Jack for the 2022 Summer Men's collection. On August 28, Scott was featured on Kanye West's tenth studio album "Donda" on the song "Praise God" also with Baby Keem, whom Scott had previously collaborated with. On September 3, Scott appeared on Drake's "Certified Lover Boy", on the song "Fair Trade", which peaked in the top 10 of the Hot 100 at number three. On October 8, Don Toliver released an album "Life of a Don", which featured Scott on songs titled "Flocky Flocky" and "You".


title: Travis Scott

text: On October 30, 2021, Travis Scott closed out day 3 of Rolling Loud NYC. During the set he performed the unreleased song "Escape Plan" and a preview of another unreleased track off "Utopia". In November 2021, he announced new music to be released on November 5, 2021; he was believed to release a project reportedly titled "Dystopia", but instead he released a two-song single "ESCAPE PLAN / MAFIA".


title: Travis Scott

text: On April 22, 2022, Scott was featured on his first song since the Astroworld Festival crowd crush, "Hold That Heat" alongside Future and producer Southside. On April 27, 2022, the Primavera Sound festival announced that Scott is scheduled to perform at their festivals held in Buenos Aires, Santiago, and São Paulo respectively. On May 15, 2022, he performed at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. This performance was his first since the Astroworld Festival tragedy in 2021. On August 6, 2022, Scott performed his first solo show since the Astroworld Festival tragedy at The O2 Arena in London. That month, it was also announced that Scott would begin a Las Vegas nightclub residency titled "Road to Utopia" in September.


title: Travis Scott

text: Cactus Jack Records is an American record label founded by Scott in 2017. It is distributed by Epic Records. The label also has its own publishing division "Cactus Jack Publishing".


title: Travis Scott

text: Following the release of "Astroworld", Scott announced the Astroworld Festival, an annual festive concert that would take place across the street from the former site of Six Flags AstroWorld. The 2018 Astroworld Festival contained appearances from Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Rae Sremmurd, Gunna, Houston All Stars, Sheck Wes, Metro Boomin, Trippie Redd, Smokepurpp, Virgil Abloh, and Tommy Genesis.


title: Travis Scott

text: The 2019 festival contained appearances from Gucci Mane, Migos, Rosalía, Tay Keith, Pop Smoke, Young Thug, Young Dolph, Key Glock, Pharrell Williams, Sheck Wes, Marilyn Manson, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Don Toliver, Playboi Carti, and Houston All Stars.


title: Travis Scott

text: On November 5, the first night of the 2021 Astroworld Festival, a fatal crowd crush occurred. Ten people died from compressive asphyxiation, twenty-five people were hospitalised, and more than 300 people were treated for injuries.


title: Travis Scott

text: On April 30, 2019, Scott announced a collaboration with Nike to release his Cactus Jack Air Jordan 1's in May that year.


title: Travis Scott

text: On June 24, 2021, Scott announced a collaboration with Dior for a menswear collection that is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2021. A live stream showcasing the collection was released on June 25. The live stream also showcased snippets of songs from his upcoming fourth studio album "Utopia" featuring a song with Westside Gunn and instrumentals from the album.


title: Travis Scott

text: In September 2020, Scott collaborated with McDonald's to launch a limited edition meal that was introduced in participating McDonald's restaurants in North America, named "The Travis Scott" and a variation on their Quarter Pounder with Cheese. The partnership marked the first nationally distributed celebrity-endorsed McDonald's meal in the chain’s history, and the first celebrity meal since 1992, when McDonald's launched a “McJordan” burger with Michael Jordan in the Chicago metropolitan area. Due to high demand, some McDonald's branches ran out of ingredients tied to the promotion, causing a break in the supply chain. Scott and McDonald's also launched a line of McDonald's and Cactus Jack–branded merchandise, including a number of clothing items, a rug, and a McNugget-shaped body pillow. This popularized the celebrity meal craze, which would later be done similarly by BTS and Saweetie. The idea was exported to Europe in the fall of 2021, with Spanish singer Aitana serving as the first European act to have its own McDonald's meal.


title: Travis Scott

text: In October 2020, Scott announced he was joining the PlayStation team as a Strategic Creative Partner to promote the PlayStation 5 console. Together, they released special merchandise, which includes a previously unseen version of Nike Dunk Lows. They also uploaded a special unboxing video of the PlayStation 5 console to YouTube. The video features footage of Scott playing the console alongside fans, a piano performance by James Blake, and a tribute to Pop Smoke.


title: Travis Scott

text: Aside from his solo musical career, Scott is also one-half of the alternative hip hop super-duo the Scotts, alongside his mentor and frequent collaborator, American musician Kid Cudi. They have currently been working on their debut collaborative effort since 2020, when the duo released the "Billboard" Hot 100 number one single, "The Scotts".


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott made his theatrical debut in the 2021 film "Gully" as a movie store owner. He also contributed to the film's soundtrack but his song "Knife" was cut due to sampling issues, but was still featured briefly in the film. On August 2, 2021, Scott signed a movie production deal with A24. The same day he announced the completion of a draft for a film based on his upcoming fourth studio album "Utopia".


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott established the Cactus Jack Foundation in November 2020, to assist Houston youth with education expenses and creative endeavors. In December 2021, the foundation gave out thousands of toys to the children of Houston. On May 17, 2022, Scott announced that he would give away $1 million in scholarships to 100 HBCU college students from the graduating class of 2022 through the Cactus Jack Foundation.


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott has stated that Björk is "one of my biggest inspirations for why I do what I do". He is also influenced by Bon Iver, Kid Cudi, M.I.A., Kanye West, Toro y Moi, Tame Impala, T.I., and Thom Yorke. "Spin" magazine compared his 2013 mixtape "Owl Pharaoh" to Kid Cudi's "".


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott makes heavy use of audio manipulation effects such as Auto-Tune, phasing, delays, and stereo-sculpted chorusing and harmony structures, predominantly influenced by producers Mike Dean and Alex Tumay. Scott's musical style has been characterized as "ambient"; Scott himself has said "I'm not hip-hop". "Vulture" described Scott's sound as "unremittingly dark, syncretic, hi-res, and above all unnatural".


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott has said that he is a fan of Broadway theatre and would like to do an album of show tune covers. He has said that he would like to write his own musical in the future.


title: Travis Scott

text: Scott began dating media personality and businesswoman Kylie Jenner in April 2017. In February 2018, Jenner gave birth to their daughter. Jenner appeared in the music video for "Stop Trying to Be God", from Scott's third studio album "Astroworld". They broke up in September 2019, but quarantined together during the COVID-19 pandemic for the sake of their daughter and ended up rekindling their relationship. On September 7, 2021, after weeks of speculation, Jenner revealed that she and Scott were expecting their second child. Jenner gave birth to their son in February 2022.