title: Korn

text: Korn rented a studio from Jeff Creath called Underground Chicken Sound, in Huntington Beach, California. While they were recording at Underground Chicken Sound, a crowd had been loitering outside the studio. The band began playing a prelude to a later song "Clown", resulting in a larger crowd gathering. Arvizu said the crowd gathered because it sounded so "different." Korn started performing at gigs in the summer of 1993, with members saying that touring was a "pain-in-the-ass." While in Huntington Beach, the band was spotted by Immortal Records A&R employee Paul Pontius. Pontius would describe Korn's sound as "the new genre of rock." In 1993, Korn released their first demo album, "Neidermayer's Mind". The album had very limited printing and was not well received by critics or the public. It was released to record companies and to people who filled out a flyer given out at gigs they played for free with Biohazard and House of Pain. With this demo, Korn pioneered the nu metal sound, riffs, and rhythm.


title: Korn

text: By May 1994, Korn began recording their debut album with Ross Robinson. It was finished recording by the end of June 1994. On October 11, 1994, Korn released a self–titled album through Immortal Records (an Epic imprint label) which peaked at number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart and would eventually reach number 72 on the "Billboard" 200 in February 1996. The album received positive reviews by critics, and it is said to have established the new wave of metal. As well as sparking the nu metal genre, the album also started record producer Ross Robinson's music career. It also influenced other bands, such as Slipknot, Coal Chamber, and Limp Bizkit.


title: Korn

text: After Korn finished recording the album, they began touring with Biohazard and House of Pain. Their record company gave them enough money for their own tour bus. Korn's first gig was in Atlanta. About halfway through the tour, the tour bus that their record company gave them stopped working and Korn had to find a new one. Their first tour was not very successful in promoting the album.


title: Korn

text: The band went on tour with Sick of It All in January 1995. The band embarked on their first European tour, including at LA2 in London and L'Arapaho in Paris. Later that year, Korn was chosen alongside Deftones as direct support for Ozzy Osbourne. The self-titled album went gold in the midst of the tour and was eventually certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Aside from touring, Korn released four singles. "Blind" was released on August 1, 1994, and "Shoots and Ladders" was released on October 31, 1995. The latter received a Grammy nomination in 1997 for Best Metal Performance. "Need To" was also released in 1995, on April 8. The fourth and final single, "Clown", was released on February 2, 1996. "Blind" was the only single to chart, peaking at number 15 on the Canadian "RPM" Alternative 30.


title: Korn

text: After the success of their debut, Korn decided to enter the studio again for a second album. By then, the band had created a large fan base and the expectations for their follow-up album were high. They went back into the studio in early April 1996 at Indigo Ranch Studios, Malibu, California.


title: Korn

text: The album was released October 15, 1996 and despite minimal radio airplay and television attention, "Life Is Peachy" debuted at number three on the "Billboard" 200, and peaked at number one in New Zealand. The album sold 106,000 copies in its first week. Jon Pareles from "The New York Times" said that the band was "mad at everybody, including themselves." The album was certified double platinum in the United States, platinum in Australia, and gold in Canada.


title: Korn

text: The first single, "No Place to Hide", spawned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. "A.D.I.D.A.S." was released as the second single on March 4, 1997. It became the band's first charting single on "Billboard", peaking at number 13 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. The third single, "Good God", was released on July 14, 1997. A promotional disc was released in 1997 to promote both the band and the Life Is Peachy Tour featuring Incubus and the Urge and included three live tracks.


title: Korn

text: Korn gained more popularity after co-headlining the Lollapalooza summer tour festival in 1997 with Tool. However, Korn was forced to stop touring after Shaffer was diagnosed with viral meningitis. The band remained relatively quiet during the end of the year, resting and setting new goals. The band then founded their own label, Elementree Records, to sign and introduce new bands to their fans. The label was run by Davis who first signed Orgy. Silveria influenced Davis to sign them.


title: Korn

text: Prior to the release of 1998's "Follow the Leader", Gretchen Plewes, a Zeeland, Michigan high school assistant principal, said in an interview for a Michigan newspaper that Korn's music is "indecent, vulgar, obscene and intends to be insulting" after giving a student named Eric VanHoven a one-day suspension for wearing a shirt with the Korn logo on it. WKLQ was filmed giving away hundreds of free Korn T-shirts, which were donated by the band outside the school. Ottawa County policemen also helped hand out shirts. Korn filed a cease and desist order against Plewes and the school district for their comments. They also threatened a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, but both actions were dropped due to the band members' personal lives. The period from 1993 to 1997 was embodied by wearing apparel that contained Adidas clothing brand.


title: Korn

text: In 1998, Korn signed a publishing contract with Warner Chappell Music. While Korn was waiting for a full partnership with Adidas (which had previously sponsored Run-DMC), the brand refused to sign a contract with Korn. In a contradictory argument, Adidas told them: "We do sports, not music". In 1998, Puma seized the opportunity and offered a $500,000 deal to Korn, including their music featured in Kevin Kerslake-directed advertisements. Korn accepted the contract; Davis said, "That's more than Adidas ever did for us! It wasn't a sell-out thing. It was about respect."


title: Korn

text: Prior to the release of the band's third album, Korn produced a weekly online TV show called KornTV, which documented the making of the record and featured special guests such as porn star Ron Jeremy, Limp Bizkit, and 311. The project also gave fans (nicknamed "nibletz") the chance to call in and ask the band questions, an approach that represented one of the first times a band utilized the Internet in such a way. Korn released their third album "Follow the Leader" on August 18, 1998, which featured a number of guest vocalists such as Ice Cube; Pharcyde member Tre Hardson; Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit; and actor Cheech Marin on the hidden track "Earache My Eye" (written by Marin himself).


title: Korn

text: Korn launched a political campaign-styled tour to promote "Follow the Leader"’s release, which took the group on a chartered jet all over North America. They talked to fans and answered questions during special "fan conferences" organized at every stop along the tour route and signed autographs. Jim Rose of the Jim Rose Circus hosted the entire "Kampaign" tour.


title: Korn

text: The album was considered a complete success by the band, debuting at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with at least 268,000 copies sold in its first week of release and, among other singles, spawning two of their biggest singles: "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash". They both exposed Korn to a wider mainstream audience, with the music videos being mainstays on MTV's "Total Request Live". "Got the Life" was the show's very first "retired" video, with "Freak on a Leash" also reaching retirement several months later. In September 1998, Korn signed with a second music publisher, Zomba Music Group, through negotiations of the band's then-manager Jeff Kwatinetz (the former CEO of The Firm), along with co-founders Peter Katsis and Michael Green.


title: Korn

text: "Freak on a Leash" won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form, and received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The video also earned nine MTV Video Music Awards nominations for Video of the Year; Best Rock Video; Breakthrough Video; Best Direction; Best Special Effects; Best Art Direction; Best Cinematography; Best Editing; and Viewer's Choice. It eventually won two awards for Best Rock Video and for Best Editing. "Freak on a Leash" failed to enter the "Billboard" Hot 100, although it did manage to peak at number six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. "Follow the Leader" is considered by members of Korn to be the band's most commercially–successful album, being certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA and having sold almost 10 million copies worldwide.


title: Korn

text: The band's fourth album, "Issues", produced by Brendan O'Brien, was released on November 16, 1999, featuring cover art designed by Alfredo Carlos, who won an MTV contest held for the fans. "Issues" was released during a week of many highly anticipated records. It debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with at least 573,000 copies sold, keeping Dr. Dre's second album "2001" and "All the Way... A Decade of Song" by Céline Dion from hitting number one.


title: Korn

text: To celebrate the album's release, the band performed the record in its entirety in front of a live audience at New York's historic Apollo Theater and broadcast the concert simultaneously across many radio stations. This performance marked the first performance by a rock band since Buddy Holly in the late 1950s. This special event featured the New York Police Department marching drum and bagpipe band conducted by Richard Gibbs, as well as a group of backup singers to enhance the more melodic choruses Davis used on the album. A snippet of "Falling Away from Me" was featured on RealVideo with a brief interpretive dance by bassist Reginald Arvizu, and also featured on their official website as an MP3 file, although its release was against the advice of its attorneys and the corporate establishment. The album was also promoted by the band's highly successful Sick and Twisted Tour.


title: Korn

text: A little before Korn's album "Issues" was released, the band appeared on an episode of "South Park" titled "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery", in which the first single from "Issues", "Falling Away from Me", was premiered. The single became Korn's first entry on the "Billboard" Hot 100, reaching number 99. "Make Me Bad" was released as the album's second single in February 2000, peaking at number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. A third single, "Somebody Someone", followed with more moderate success.


title: Korn

text: Music videos were filmed for all three singles, with long-time friend Fred Durst directing "Falling Away from Me" and Martin Weisz directing a concept video for "Make Me Bad", as well as a performance-based video for "Somebody Someone", which featured CGI effects. Every video was a staple on "Total Request Live", two of which made it to retirement. "Issues" was described by Stephen Thomas Erlewine to be less hip hop-oriented than "Follow the Leader". It was certified three-times Platinum, following up the success of "Follow the Leader". In 2001, the brand PONY reappeared in the clothing industry and initiated a partnership with Korn.


title: Korn

text: On June 11, 2002, Korn re-emerged into the media with their fifth album "Untouchables". It debuted at number two on the "Billboard" 200 with 434,000 in sales. The band has blamed music piracy for the drop in sales, as an unmastered version of the album had leaked three months prior to its official release date. On April 2, 2002, the Opie and Anthony Show began airing songs from "Untouchables". After playing a few songs, the broadcasters received a cease-and-desist letter from Sony Music Entertainment. Opie and Anthony said "The reason for the premature premiere was to infuriate a rival New York station, which disallows their in-studio guests to appear on 'The Opie and Anthony Show.'" The release of this album was preceded by a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York a day prior to the album's release broadcast digitally throughout movie theatres in the United States.


title: Korn

text: The album contained experiments and styles never previously attempted by Korn. AllMusic related: "The band is far more experimental this time out, delivering Helmet-like ringing guitars that melt and morph into each other, a mix of Metallica-esque blastbeats and tight funk drumming from the constantly improving David Silveria, and memorable riffs that take the shape of dark sound structures and offer more than just a collection of chords." The first two music videos from "Untouchables", "Here to Stay" and "Thoughtless", were directed by the Hughes Brothers. "Here to Stay" earned Korn a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. "Here to Stay" peaked at number 72 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. During an interview with Wall of Sound, Munky revealed the album was the band's most expensive to make, but it produced several of his favourite songs, including "Thoughtless" and "Here To Stay".


title: Korn

text: Due to the album "Untouchables" leaking onto the Internet, "Take a Look in the Mirror" was released on Friday November 21, 2003– four days earlier than its original release date. The album therefore received a weekend's worth of sales, which resulted in a poor showing on the "Billboard" 200. During its first full week, "Take a Look in the Mirror" soared ten places from number 19 to number 9, increasing the album's total sales to 179,000.


title: Korn

text: It is the first album self-produced by Korn. The band explained that they wanted fans to hear the music as it should be. The album presented different styles and themes compared to previous albums. Lead vocalist Jonathan Davis related: "The whole album is about love, hate and my hate of people and just losing my mind. The previous albums I did, I think the last three, I was coming from a place of hurt. And I just finally got to the point where I'm done hurting and I'm just pissed off about it now. It's turned back to just sheer hate and anger. And it definitely comes across on the album." MTV News said that Davis convinced his fans that they "will be shocked, particularly with the album's second track, 'Break Some Off,' which he called 'brutal'."


title: Korn

text: Korn released the single "Did My Time" on July 22, 2003, which was used to promote the film "" but did not appear on its soundtrack due to unspecified legal issues. The single debuted and peaked at number 38 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming Korn's first and only top 40 hit in the United States. "Did My Time" gave Korn another Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category.


title: Korn

text: Korn released their greatest hits album, "Greatest Hits Vol. 1", on October 5, 2004. The album debuted at number four on "Billboard", selling more than 129,000 copies. This album assembles choice tracks from six Korn studio albums released between 1994 and 2003. The first single was a cover of the song "Word Up!" originally composed by Cameo. The single peaked at number 23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. Special editions of "Greatest Hits Vol. 1" included a DVD titled "Korn: Live at CBGB," featuring seven select songs from their show of November 24, 2003 at CBGB.


title: Korn

text: In early 2005, Brian Welch announced that he would be quitting the band. In front of a crowd of 10,000 in three services at Valley Bible Fellowship in Bakersfield, California, Welch said "I was addicted to methamphetamines and tried everything ... rehab, stuff on the Internet, but nothing helped me kick it. I was trying on my own to quit and couldn't do it. I wanted to die. No one knew what I was going through. I could not quit. Church was my last shot. I would sit in church high [on drugs]. I would wonder why people would go up to the front after the service. But one day it was for me. I said [to God], 'Show me how to quit.'"


title: Korn

text: In a 2013 interview with "Rolling Stone", Head described his final moments in the band as very tense: "the last year I was in the band, we were gonna kick out the bass player, Fieldy, and this guy's girlfriend couldn't be on this side of the stage because there were fights with another wife in the band. And obviously the drugs – it's no secret I was into the drugs, so crazy stuff, like having to finish our blow right before we got to the border because they were gonna come check to see if we had anything." Following his departure from Korn, Welch released two autobiographies, a solo album, and formed a band named Love and Death, which released a debut album in 2013.


title: Korn

text: Upon completing their record deal with Sony, Korn partnered with EMI and signed to Virgin Records. As part of this innovative arrangement, Virgin paid Korn $25 million upfront in exchange for a share in the profits of their next two studio albums, including tours and merchandising. Virgin also received a 30 percent stake in the band's licensing, ticket sales, and other revenue sources.


title: Korn

text: The band's first album for Virgin Records, "See You on the Other Side", was released on December 6, 2005, and debuted at number three on the "Billboard" 200, scanning close to 221,000 copies. The album managed to stay in the top half of the "Billboard" 200 for 34 consecutive weeks. The first single from the album, "Twisted Transistor", was accompanied by a music video directed by Dave Meyers in which hip hop artists Xzibit, Lil Jon, Snoop Dogg, and David Banner portray Korn. "Twisted Transistor" peaked at number 64 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The second single, "Coming Undone", was released in February 2006, peaking at number 79 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The music video was directed by Little X. "See You on the Other Side" was certified Platinum in the United States, and by mid-2007, the album had sold over 2.2 million copies worldwide.


title: Korn

text: Korn held a press conference at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on January 13, 2006, announcing the "See You on the Other Side" Tour. 10 Years and Mudvayne were selected to open all dates of the tour, which kicked off in their hometown of Bakersfield on what Mayor Harvey Hall officially declared as "Korn Day", February 24. The resurrection of their Family Values Tour was announced on April 18, 2006, which featured co-headliners Deftones, Stone Sour, Flyleaf, and the Japanese metal group Dir En Grey on the main stage. Korn and Evanescence co-headlined the 2007 edition, with Atreyu, Flyleaf, Hellyeah, and Trivium rounding out the main stage.


title: Korn

text: While promoting "See You on the Other Side" in Europe, Jonathan Davis was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a blood platelet disorder that hospitalized him for the weekend and prevented him from performing at the renowned Download Festival. Despite the illness, the band still performed with guest singers, including Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour fame; Trivium's Matt Heafy; Skindred's Benji Webbe; and Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows. This led to Korn canceling the rest of their European bill for 2006, including the Hellfest Summer Open Air. It was originally unknown to the public what his ailment was, but the singer revealed in a letter to fans that he was "dangerously low on blood platelets and at a high risk of death from a hemorrhage if the problem was not treated".


title: Korn

text: In early December 2006 it was announced that founding drummer David Silveria would be taking an indefinite "temporary hiatus" from the band. Korn then performed at the MTV studios in Times Square on December 9, 2006, for the "MTV Unplugged" series, which was broadcast on February 23, 2007, through MTV.com and on March 2, 2007, across North American, South American, European, and Asian MTV stations. Korn played a 14-song acoustic set, complete with guest appearances by the Cure and Amy Lee of Evanescence. The performance was eventually cut down to 11 songs for the album, two of which did not air on MTV. Sales of nearly 51,000 brought "" to number nine in its first week out.


title: Korn

text: Korn's untitled album was released on July 31, 2007, debuting at number two on the "Billboard" 200 with 123,000 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified gold by the RIAA. It concluded Korn's deal with Virgin Records and features touring keyboardist Zac Baird. Drumming duties were left up to Terry Bozzio and Bad Religion's Brooks Wackerman, as David Silveria went on a hiatus. Joey Jordison from Slipknot played drums during Korn's live shows until the permanent addition of Ray Luzier (Army of Anyone, David Lee Roth). This confirmed David's departure.


title: Korn

text: "Evolution" and "Hold On" were released as singles to promote the untitled album. The former peaked at number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. A third single, "Kiss", had a limited release in April 2008. Korn covered the song "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" in 2008, which was originally performed by Paul Reubens, Catherine O'Hara, and Danny Elfman and was released on the compilation album "Nightmare Revisited".


title: Korn

text: Ubisoft reported in October 2008 that Korn had "written and recorded an original song inspired by Ubisoft's "Haze" video game, simply entitled "Haze", which was released on April 22, 2008. Korn also released a live DVD, "Live at Montreux 2004", one of their performances with former guitarist Brian Welch on May 12, 2008.


title: Korn

text: In a YouTube video, bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu affirmed that a charity song titled "A Song for Chi" would be released, featuring Slipknot guitarist Jim Root; Clint Lowery of Sevendust; drummer Dave McClain of Machine Head; and former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, among many other musicians. The song was intended to raise money for Deftones bassist Chi Cheng, who fell into a comatose state following a car accident in November 2008.


title: Korn

text: Along with the announcement of the Ballroom Blitz Tour in March 2010, the title for the new album was revealed as "". Later that month, Munky announced that Korn has officially signed to Roadrunner Records. Jonathan Davis later confirmed the record deal: "We're going to go to Roadrunner. [It is] real exciting for us, too, because they're one of the last record companies to let you do what you want to do." Davis continued, "All the great bands around are on that label and everything seems to just work out right and it seems like a good home for us right now."


title: Korn

text: The lead single, "Oildale", was made available for streaming in May 2010. "Oildale (Leave Me Alone)" was simultaneously released to radio stations and became a top-10 hit on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock airplay chart. A music video directed by Phil Mucci received an exclusive premiere on MTV2.


title: Korn

text: "Korn III: Remember Who You Are" was released on July 13, 2010. It debuted and peaked at number two on the "Billboard" 200 with 63,000 purchases reported. A second single, "Let the Guilt Go", was released that same month, reaching number 23 on Mainstream Rock. "Pop a Pill" was scheduled to be the third single from "Korn III: Remember Who You Are", but plans were scrapped by Roadrunner Records due to unsatisfactory results with previous singles. Korn co-headlined the Music as a Weapon V tour with Disturbed in late 2010 and early 2011. The tour also featured supporting acts Sevendust and In This Moment.


title: Korn

text: Korn's tenth studio album, "The Path of Totality", was released on December 6, 2011. It was the second and final studio album for Roadrunner Records. The album features contributions from Skrillex; 12th Planet; Excision; Downlink; Kill the Noise; Noisia; and various other EDM artists.


title: Korn

text: "The Path of Totality" debuted and peaked at number ten on the "Billboard" 200 with 55,000 copies scanned. "Get Up!" was premiered as the lead single via "Spin" in April 2011. The single managed to peak at number eight on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. It eventually became their first single to be certified gold in the United States. The second single, "Narcissistic Cannibal", was released in October 2011, with its music video being directed and produced by Alexander Bulkley of ShadowMachine Films.


title: Korn

text: After a stint of festival appearances, Korn promoted "The Path of Totality" during a headlining tour of the same name. Korn split their show into three sections. The band kicked off by playing tracks from their first two albums, including the B-side "Proud", which was originally included on the soundtrack to the 1997 film "I Know What You Did Last Summer". They followed with a different stage set up, playing several of their new songs. The set list ended with hit singles and an encore. Other appearances came from Datsik, Downlink, and Dope D.O.D. A special album release performance filmed and recorded at the Hollywood Palladium was issued in various formats through Shout! Factory in September 2012. "The Path of Totality" won Album of the Year at the 2012 Revolver Golden Gods Awards. This was Korn's first victory at the Golden Gods Awards, a ceremony that celebrates the best in hard rock and heavy metal music. Korn was also inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame during the 2011 Kerrang! Awards.


title: Korn

text: On May 5, 2012, guitarist Brian "Head" Welch joined Korn on stage at the Carolina Rebellion festival to play "Blind" for the first time since his departure.


title: Korn

text: As recalled in the documentary DVD "Reconciliation", Welch's appearance was a spur-of-the-moment decision: Welch initially visited the festival because of his daughter, who was a fan of bands performing. Welch joined Red on stage for a song, and would eventually be persuaded to join his old bandmates in Korn for a meet and greet. Upon Korn preparing for the show, the guitar tech prepared an extra guitar and amplifier for Welch, "just in case".


title: Korn

text: On July 18, 2012, Jonathan Davis told Billboard.com that Korn was getting ready to start recording their eleventh studio album that would be released independently. It was also announced that their next album would not contain any dubstep influences like "The Path of Totality". Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer stated in an interview with the "Phoenix New Times" that the new album would be heavier, with more aggressive "in-your-face" guitars and vocals. He went on to say that he would be using new recording techniques in the studio to give his riffs a fresh approach.


title: Korn

text: In November 2012, Mudvayne bassist Ryan Martinie toured Korn as a temporary replacement for Reginald Arvizu, who stayed at home during his wife's pregnancy. That month also saw the confirmation of Welch's return to the band. His comeback was initially thought to be temporary as he was only scheduled for two shows in June 2013 at Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, but Ray Luzier announced at the January 25 Sabian show during NAMM that Welch would be working the whole tour.


title: Korn

text: In January 2013, techno artist Beta Traxx acknowledged he was working on a new Korn song for their upcoming album, which he commented would sound "like the past and the future at the same time." Luzier affirmed that the album would be produced by Don Gilmore. The BK Entertainment Group updated their clients list on February 12 and attested that Korn had signed to their management's independent label - Prospect Park Productions.


title: Korn

text: On June 1, Caroline Records added Korn to their roster confirming that the band have been signed on to a contract with the label; they are partnered with Korn's management Prospect Park. On February 18, 2013, Korn posted a photo showing Head as part of the line up, which escalated rumors that he was in the process to rejoin Korn permanently. This was confirmed by Head himself in May, when it was also confirmed that he had been recording as part of the band for their upcoming album.


title: Korn

text: Fieldy has said of the album "Right now, I will tell you this ... we've done something we've never done before. Normally if we do a new Korn record, we'll normally put 12 or 13 songs and that's how many we make. This time we've made 20-plus songs, and we'll put the best of what we have on there, whatever the numbers end up being. We have so many to choose from, I think it's going to be a little extra special this time." Munky later confirmed this by saying that the band completed 25 songs and 15 of them would be put on the album. Head later elaborated that musically this was Korn's best album.


title: Korn

text: Korn's eleventh studio album, "The Paradigm Shift", was released on October 8, 2013. Their first single, "Never Never" was set to be released August 12, 2013. The band recorded an episode of Guitar Center Sessions for DirecTV on September 11, 2013, which is scheduled to premiere November 1, 2013 on DirecTV Audience Channel. Korn will also be the latest act to be inducted into the world-famous Hollywood Rockwalk on October 8, 2013.


title: Korn

text: The band brought back their Family Values Tour as a one-day festival, on October 5, 2013. The venue and line up were revealed on September 3, 2013. The music video for "Spike in My Veins" was released on February 6, 2014. The band performed the entirety of their self-titled debut album on several occasions during 2015.


title: Korn

text: Korn soon began the process of writing new songs for a twelfth studio album. Guitarist Head described the music on the new album as "heavier than anyone's heard us in a long time." Their twelfth studio album "The Serenity of Suffering" was released on October 21, 2016. On July 14, 2016, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer revealed to "Metal Hammer" that Corey Taylor of Slipknot/Stone Sour would make a guest appearance on the new album. He also revealed Nick Raskulinecz as the album's producer. On July 16, 2016, Korn premiered a new song, "Rotting in Vain", at Chicago Open Air Festival.


title: Korn

text: In late 2016, Zac Baird left the live band after 10 years. Jules Venturini completed the tour before Davey Oberlin was brought in to the band. It was later announced that Fieldy would be missing Korn's South American tour and Robert Trujillo's then-12-year-old son Tye was brought in to perform with the band for the tour's duration.


title: Korn

text: In March 2018, Korn embarked on a Japanese tour with support from Deadly Apples, including a stop at Vans Warped Tour Japan.


title: Korn

text: On May 15, 2018, Korn announced the dates of special shows in order to mark the 20th anniversary of their album "Follow the Leader". In order to mark the album's 20th anniversary, the band partnered with the clothing company Pleasures to release clothing merchandise dedicated to the album.


title: Korn

text: In August 2018, Luzier reported via Instagram that Korn has begun the process of tracking drums for the upcoming thirteenth album. In a December 2018 interview to "Revolver Magazine", Welch revealed that the upcoming album was scheduled for release in fall 2019, with Nick Raskulinecz resuming production duties. He also stated some of the tracks had been co-written with John Feldmann and that the band had tracked demos with Travis Barker on drums.


title: Korn

text: On June 25, 2019, the band revealed that their latest album, "The Nothing", would be released on September 13, 2019, and unveiled its first single: "You'll Never Find Me". On August 2, the band released a brand new song from "The Nothing" called "Cold". On August 22, Korn announced their new album by playing a concert in multiplayer game AdventureQuest 3D, complete with in-game merchandise, a virtual meet-and-greet, and performing a new song on a digital stage.


title: Korn

text: In July 2020, Korn released a cover of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels, who had died earlier that year. The cover was recorded during sessions for "The Nothing" and featured rapper Yelawolf and proceeds were donated to non-profit "Awakening Youth".


title: Korn

text: During an interview with "Wall of Sound", Munky spoke about COVID ruining their plans to tour "The Nothing", stating "It was kind of a fucking bummer, I gotta be honest man. I was so excited [with] that album. We put the artwork together, we designed the stages, we got everything ready to roll out, merch and all; you know everything a band does before they go on the road and promote an album."


title: Korn

text: In his first online interview of 2021, Brian Welch revealed that the band had plans for 2021 but was coy about what they were, hinting it had something to do with touring in a powerful way. On April 24, 2021, Korn released a one-off, online streaming event entitled "Monumental" that was filmed on the top of a parking structure at the "Stranger Things: A Drive-Into Experience" set in Los Angeles.


title: Korn

text: On May 12, the band announced a 28-date summer US tour with Staind as the supporting act. The 2021 tour comes after Korn was forced to cancel their planned 2020 run with Faith No More due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 21, the band announced that their bassist Arvizu will be taking a hiatus from the band and won't be performing with them on their upcoming summer tour. Ra Díaz of Suicidal Tendencies replaced Arvizu on the tour.


title: Korn

text: The tour was marred by several separate instances where members contracted COVID-19: first, Jonathan Davis tested positive in August, causing several dates to be postponed. Then in September, Munky was forced to sit out several dates, being replaced by Love and Death guitarist JR Bareis while he recovered. Lastly, in October Ray Luzier also tested positive, missing the next three shows while Fever 333 drummer Aric Improta stepped in.


title: Korn

text: On April 23, the band confirmed that they had begun work on a fourteenth studio album, utilizing the period of lockdown due to COVID-19 to begin writing. The album was said to be fully written as of April 2021. A new single was released November 11 entitled "Start the Healing", with the music video debuting in a YouTube premiere. On January 13, 2022, the band released the second single from the album entitled "Forgotten". The album "Requiem" was released on February 4, 2022. On April 21, 2022, the band released a music video for the song, "Worst Is on Its Way".


title: Korn

text: Shortly prior to the release of "Requiem", Davis revealed in an interview with Music Feeds that the band were already in the process of working on a follow-up studio album.


title: Korn

text: Korn is identified as the pioneers of nu metal music, a form of alternative metal music which began in the mid-1990s. While generally considered an alternative metal and nu metal band, the band has also been labeled as heavy metal, grunge, rap rock, rap metal, funk metal, and groove metal. Their debut album mixed metal, funk, hip-hop, groove, and dissonance. Their lyrics focus on pain and personal alienation rather than traditional heavy metal themes.


title: Korn

text: Historically, when "Life Is Peachy" was released, the band's music was not yet labeled "nu metal". Thus, in November 1996, Korn was described as "one of the key players in an American metal revival" alongside Deftones, "two bands that share the same roots". In the music community, there have been disagreements whether the band should be considered as "heavy metal". In 2015, lead singer Jonathan Davis commented, "Yeah, we're heavy and downtuned, but metal, to me, is like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, that's metal man. I always thought of us as a funk band."


title: Korn

text: Many of Korn's first works are based on early experiences. The song "Daddy" was described by lead singer Jonathan Davis: "When I was a kid, I was being abused by somebody else and I went to my parents and told them about it, and they thought I was lying and joking around. They never did shit about it. They didn't believe it was happening to their son... I don't really like to talk about that song. This is as much as I've ever talked about it..." "Kill You" was written about Davis's experiences as a child with his stepmother. "Follow the Leader" marked the first album where the majority of the lyrics did not have origins relating to early occurrences, with songs like "Justin" and "Pretty" written about incidents occurring during adulthood.


title: Korn

text: Bassist Reginald Arvizu plays his instrument using both the techniques of fingerstyle and slapping. Jonathan Davis was said by author Doug Small to be "the eye of the storm around which the music of Korn rages." Small described the band as "a basket-case full of contradictions."


title: Korn

text: A few years before establishing Korn, James "Munky" Shaffer; Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu; and David Silveria (who were three members of the funk rock band L.A.P.D.), alongside friend Brian "Head" Welch, all had the common influences of Red Hot Chili Peppers and especially the Faith No More album "The Real Thing". Likewise, Davis was greatly inspired by the adventurousness of "The Real Thing" upon its 1989 release: "It showed everybody you could do heavy music and not be 'metal'. It was something completely different."


title: Korn

text: Munky later acknowledged the song structures and instrumentations of Faith No More in inspiring Korn's future songwriting: "Faith No More steered us in the direction where we ultimately ended up." They became "fanatics" of Faith No More singer Mike Patton, researched about him, and traveled to the band's hometown of San Francisco in order to watch them play. In this way, they discovered Patton's avant-garde metal band Mr. Bungle, whose 1991 self-titled album had a long-standing impact on Korn's experimentation, dissonance, and eccentric stylings. A notable example of Bungle's influence has been what Korn dubbed the "Mr. Bungle chord" (a flat fifth chord or "tritone"), which became a band trademark throughout their discography.


title: Korn

text: Besides the projects of Patton, Korn had a wide range of influences that included groove-oriented metal acts such as Sepultura, Prong, and Biohazard, in addition to the dynamics and live performances of Rage Against the Machine and its frontman Zack de la Rocha. Head later explained that they tried to mix the weird elements of Bungle with catchy choruses and melodies, alongside the songwriting and grooves from those metal bands. On the other hand, Fieldy discards any influence classic rock groups like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin have had on Korn; "Nobody in the band ever listened to that stuff."


title: Korn

text: Much of Korn's work has also been inspired by hip hop music, as suggested in the band's song "All in the Family" and the cover song of Ice Cube's "Wicked". The band imitated the samples used by Cypress Hill, with Davis going as far to say "If there's no Cypress Hill there would be no Korn."


title: Korn

text: In the "Guitar World" section "The Album that Changed My Life" of January 1997, Welch listed "The Real Thing" by Faith No More as the album that changed his life, while Arvizu named both the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Freaky Styley" and Faith No More's "Introduce Yourself". Fieldy's biggest bass influences were Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Les Claypool from Primus. He was also greatly inspired by Billy Gould's chemistry with his Faith No More bandmates and Stanley Clarke. In 2015, asked about what record has stuck with him through the years, Munky first named 1992's "Angel Dust" by Faith No More, followed by "Evil Empire" by Rage Against the Machine and "The Fragile" by Nine Inch Nails. For his part, David Silveria named Mike Bordin of Faith No More one of his biggest influences.


title: Korn

text: Many reviewers point out stark similarities between the vocals of Davis and several techniques employed by Mike Patton, such as those from "Angel Dust". Davis' rhythmic and aggressive singing was also based on toasting, a reggae/dancehall vocal style that emphasizes rhythm and embellishments.


title: Korn

text: The members of Korn are also influenced by Alice in Chains, Pantera, N.W.A, Bauhaus, Geto Boys, Van Halen, The Pharcyde, Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, and John Zorn.


title: Korn

text: They have contributed music to the soundtracks for movies such as "", "I Know What You Did Last Summer", "Spawn", "End of Days" and "". The music of Korn has also been featured on various television series, including "South Park" (which they starred as guests), "Beavis and Butt-head", "Daria", and "The Simpsons".


title: Korn

text: Korn's debut album has been recognized for its influence on heavy music. Bands such as Coal Chamber and Limp Bizkit were inspired by the album's "churning rage, emphasizing similar grooves and song structures" and "the sound's hip-hop elements." Slipknot, Machine Head, and Sepultura were also inspired by Korn's debut album. The album launched the career of record producer Ross Robinson, who later produced albums such as "Three Dollar Bill, Yall" by Limp Bizkit, Sepultura's "Roots" and Slipknot's first two albums. Amy Lee of Evanescence also cited Korn as an influence growing up.


title: Korn

text: Richard S. He of "Billboard" wrote: "More than any other album, "Follow the Leader" opened the floodgates for countless nu-metal acts to infiltrate the mainstream." In the 2002 book "Nu-metal: The Next Generation of Rock & Punk", Korn was marked as the third biggest nu metal band in the world. Korn created a fan-base described by Doug Small and Eaton Entertainment as extremely loyal.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: Batgirl is an unreleased American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. Produced by Burr! Productions and DC Films for the streaming service HBO Max, it was intended to be an installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah from a screenplay by Christina Hodson, and starred Leslie Grace as Batgirl, alongside J. K. Simmons, Jacob Scipio, Brendan Fraser, and Michael Keaton.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: Development of a Batgirl feature film began with Joss Whedon in March 2017, but he left the project a year later. Hodson was hired to write a new script in April 2018, with El Arbi and Fallah hired to direct in May 2021 when the film was confirmed as an HBO Max original. Grace was cast that July, and filming took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from November 2021 to March 2022. In August 2022, DC Films and HBO Max parent Warner Bros. Discovery announced that, while the film had entered post-production, the studio no longer planned to release it due to the company's cost-cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical releases.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: Additionally, Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai were cast in undisclosed roles, with Kai being referred to as a "leading" character. The character Killer Moth was also expected to appear.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: In May 2016, the DC Comics character Barbara Gordon / Batgirl had the potential to appear in a female superhero team-up film starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, which became "Birds of Prey" (2020). Batgirl was ultimately not included in the film due to the development of a solo film starring the character. Joss Whedon was hired in March 2017 to write, direct, and produce the solo film, which was being overseen by Warner Bros. Pictures president Toby Emmerich and DC Films chairmen Jon Berg and Geoff Johns. Whedon was to begin production on the film in 2018, but left the project in February 2018 after being unable to come up with a story for it. There was also additional scrutiny on Whedon as a male director of a female-focused film, with Warner Bros. and new DC Films president Walter Hamada planning at that point to replace Whedon with a female filmmaker.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: "Birds of Prey" writer Christina Hodson was hired to write a new screenplay for "Batgirl" in April 2018 and was expected to begin writing the film after completing her work on another DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film, "The Flash" (2023). In December 2020, "Batgirl" was listed as a film that could potentially be released exclusively on the streaming service HBO Max, rather than in theaters, as part of Hamada's new plan for the DCEU, and in April 2021 it was included on DC's slate of films that were expected to be released in 2022 or 2023. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, both of whom were longtime fans of the character, were hired to direct the film a month later, when it was confirmed to be planned as an HBO Max original. Kristin Burr was producing the film by that time, and said the directors were bringing an excited energy that would make the film a "fun ride" and show a different side of Gotham City from previous DC projects.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: In April 2022, following the WarnerMedia merger with Discovery and the fall in stock prices for Netflix, executives at Warner Bros. were reportedly considering a switch for the film from a streaming release with a budget of around $70 million to a theatrical release with increased budget for post-production and a larger marketing push.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: DC executives began testing actresses for Batgirl in the week of July 19, 2021, with the group reportedly including Isabela Merced, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Grace, and Haley Lu Richardson; Richardson and Grace were considered to be the top contenders. Richardson went through several stages of auditioning, but Grace was cast in the role on July 21. By July 29, J. K. Simmons was in talks to reprise his role as Batgirl's father, Commissioner Gordon, from "Justice League" (2017) and its 2021 director's cut. Simmons was confirmed to be reprising his role for the film in October.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: Also in October, Jacob Scipio and Brendan Fraser joined the cast, the latter as the villain Firefly. Fraser previously portrayed Cliff Steele / Robotman in the DC Comics television series "Doom Patrol". Though it was initially reported that Fraser would portray the Garfield Lynns iteration, he later clarified in July 2022 that he was playing the Ted Carson iteration, with an original backstory not adapted from existing material. The villain role was originally offered to Sylvester Stallone, who voiced King Shark in the DCEU film "The Suicide Squad" (2021), but "things just didn't work out". Scipio portrays mob boss Anthony Bressi in the film.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: El Arbi and Fallah said Batman would appear in the film but declined to confirm if Ben Affleck would reprise his role from previous DCEU projects. In December, Michael Keaton was revealed to be appearing in "Batgirl", reprising his role as Batman from the films "Batman" (1989) and "Batman Returns" (1992). Keaton had been expected to first reprise the role for the DCEU in "The Flash" prior to that film's delay to 2023. Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, Ethan Kai, and Ivory Aquino also joined the cast, with Aquino playing Alysia Yeoh, the first major transgender character in a DC film.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: Principal photography began in Glasgow, doubling for Gotham City, on November 30, 2021, under the working title "Cherry Hill". John Mathieson serves as cinematographer. El Arbi and Fallah had arrived in Glasgow on August 24 to prepare for filming, and scouted locations with production designer Christopher Glass. Glasgow was previously used to depict Gotham City in "The Flash" as well as the non-DCEU film "The Batman" (2022). Filming officially wrapped on March 31, 2022. In April 2022, Arbi and Fallah exited "" to focus on "Batgirl". The film was in post-production by the time its release was canceled in August 2022, with Martin Walsh serving as editor. It did not have completed visual effects and still required the filming of some scenes.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: Natalie Holt announced in September 2021 that she would compose the score. She reached out to Danny Elfman regarding her plans to use the original Batman theme for Michael Keaton's character, and she received his permission.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: El Arbi, Fallah, Hodson, and Grace promoted the film at the virtual DC FanDome event in October 2021, where they discussed their preparation for filming and revealed concept art. Grace revealed a first look at herself in costume as Batgirl in January 2022.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: In August 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced that it no longer planned to release "Batgirl" on HBO Max or theatrically, despite a previously-scheduled 2022 release on HBO Max. "TheWrap" reported that WBD felt the film "simply did not work" and went against the new desire and mandate from CEO David Zaslav to make DC films "big theatrical event films". "The Guardian" reported that this put "Batgirl" "among the most expensive canceled cinematic projects ever".


title: Batgirl (film)

text: "Collider", "Rolling Stone", and Reuters wrote that test screening responses were negative, which could have been a factor in WBD's decision; "Collider" sources described the film as "a huge disappointment [that] looked cheap in comparison to other films". "Rolling Stone" said that WBD determined that spending an additional $7–9 million during post-production in an effort to bring "Batgirl" to the level of other theatrical DC films, such as "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" (2023), would be fruitless. However, "Variety" denied that the film's quality factored into the decision, reaffirming, along with "The Hollywood Reporter" and "Deadline Hollywood", that it was part of the studio's larger cost-cutting measures, given the budget increased from an initial $70 million to $90 million, and the desire for DC films to be theatrical blockbusters. "Deadline" noted that test screenings showed temporary versions of the visual effects, "which tend to temper audience enthusiasm".


title: Batgirl (film)

text: A subsequent "Variety" report indicated that WBD had concluded that writing off "Batgirl" for a tax break would be the most "financially sound" way of recouping its costs instead of moving the film to a theatrical release with additional investment, selling it to another distributor, or releasing it on HBO Max. "Deadline" reported that the filmmakers had been told that WBD specifically wanted to take advantage of a purchase accounting maneuver, related to the WarnerMedia–Discovery merger and related strategy changes, that had to be invoked by mid-August. Hamada was not consulted regarding the decision and only learned about it when Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairpersons and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy informed him at a test screening for "Black Adam" (2022). Hamada was upset and considered resigning, but agreed to stay at least until "Black Adam" release.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: The cast and crew did not learn of the cancellation until after the "New York Post" broke the story on August 2; El Arbi and Fallah were in Morocco for El Arbi's wedding when they were informed. They released a statement on August 3 that they were "saddened and shocked", but thanked the cast and said they were grateful to have contributed to the DCEU. Film industry figures, including Keaton, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, and film directors Edgar Wright and James Gunn, reached out to El Arbi and Fallah to express support. Following the announcement of the cancellation, El Arbi and Fallah attempted to log into the Warner Bros. servers to capture some of the footage on their cellphones, but they were unable to. Warner Bros. did set up some secret screenings of the unfinished film on its lot, exclusive to cast and crew who had worked on the film, along with their representatives and company executives.


title: Batgirl (film)

text: Prior to the film's cancellation, Grace and Margot Robbie both expressed interest on a crossover between Batgirl and Robbie's Harley Quinn. Grace said in April 2022 that there were discussions between the crew regarding the plot for a "Batgirl" sequel, but whether a sequel was greenlit would have depended on the film's reception upon release. When WBD announced the film's cancellation, it stated that it hoped to work on other projects with El Arbi, Fallah, and Grace. "Deadline" reported that Warner Bros. was attempting to renegotiate its deals with the three at that time.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Virgil Abloh (; September 30, 1980 – November 28, 2021) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. He was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection beginning in 2018, and was given increased creative responsibilities across the LVMH brand in early 2021. Abloh began his own line of streetwear clothing, Pyrex Vision, in 2012, and became the chief executive officer of the Milan-based label Off-White, a fashion house he founded in 2013.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: A trained architect, Abloh, who also worked in Chicago street fashion, entered the world of international fashion with an internship at Fendi in 2009, alongside American rapper Kanye West. Abloh assumed the role of Creative Director at Donda, West's creative agency in 2010. In 2013, Abloh founded Off-White. The first African-American to be artistic director at a French luxury fashion house when he joined LVMH in 2018, Abloh was named by "Time" magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world that year. Abloh's design aesthetic which bridged streetwear and luxury clothing was described as transformative by "The New York Times". According to "The Wall Street Journal", he reached a level of global fame unusual for a designer, and as an inspirational figure, according to the BBC.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Virgil Abloh was born on September 30, 1980, in Rockford, Illinois, to Ghanaian immigrant parents. His mother was a seamstress and his father managed a paint company. From his mother, he learned how to sew. Abloh was raised in Rockford, where he attended Boylan Catholic High School, graduating in 1998. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He received his Master of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in 2006. When Abloh was attending IIT, there was a building on campus under construction designed by the architect Rem Koolhaas (who had also worked on runway collections for Prada). Koolhaas's building helped spark his interest in fashion. Abloh was further inspired by Crown Hall, a modernist masterpiece designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Abloh's master's thesis project involved a design for a Chicago skyscraper, which curved in the direction of Lake Michigan, as if leaning toward the rising sun. While studying architecture, he also designed T-shirts and wrote on fashion and design for a well-known blog, "The Brilliance". Abloh first met musician Kanye West while working on his designs at a Chicago print shop.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: After getting his architecture degree, Abloh interned at Fendi in the same class as rapper Kanye West in 2009. Placed in the company's Rome, Italy office, the two began a collaborative relationship. During his work with the rapper and designer, Abloh caught the eye of the Louis Vuitton CEO, Michael Burke. Later that year, Abloh and West's artistic partner, Don C, launched a retail store, called the RSVP Gallery, located in Chicago. The store became known for carrying a mixture of fashion apparel, and for its reflection of Abloh's style on his design for the store interior. A year later, West appointed Abloh the creative director of his creative agency, Donda.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In 2011, West asked him to serve as the artistic director for the 2011 Jay-Z/West album "Watch the Throne", earning the designer a Grammy nomination. In 2012, Abloh designed the cover art for WZRD’s self-titled debut. In 2012, Abloh launched his first company, Pyrex Vision. He purchased deadstock clothing from Ralph Lauren for $40, screen-printed designs on them and sold them for prices upward of $550. He closed the company down a year later as he did not intend it to be a commercial enterprise, but an artistic experiment.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh founded his first fashion house and second business overall in 2013 with the high-end streetwear brand Off-White, designing a logo inspired by Ben Kelly. Based in Milan, Italy, the company was described by Abloh as "the gray area between black and white as the color off-white" to investors and fashion critics. During the launch of his brand, he received help from the New Guards Group, who also assisted many other designers and brands, such as Palm Angels, Heron Preston, and Marcelo Burlon. Abloh said his first Off-White collection was inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's floating glass home, Farnsworth House, and presented it with references to the Baroque artist Caravaggio and the early 20th century German design studio The Bauhaus. The brand lead generated widespread attention for his apparel beginning in Paris, then expanding to China, Japan, and the United States. The clothing line can be identified through its use of quotation marks, zip-ties, capital letters, and barricade tape. He launched the company's women's wear line in 2014 and showed the collections at Paris Fashion Week. His line was selected as a finalist for the LVMH Prize, an industry award, but lost to Marques'Almeida and Jacquemus. Abloh launched his first concept store for Off-White in Tokyo, Japan, where he started the company's furniture arm, Grey Area. Through Abloh's re-designing he exercised his self-made rule of only editing the shoes 3% of the way because he was intrigued by still maintaining the original design of the shoe.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: By the end of 2018, an index of sales and consumer sentiment ranked Off-White as the hottest label in the world, surpassing Gucci. Virgil also partnered up with the Swedish furniture company IKEA to design furniture for apartments and houses as well as easy to carry tote bags with the word sculpture imprinted in the middle. The collection was named "Markerad", which is a Swedish word meaning "clear-cut; crisp; pronounced", and was released in 2019. Virgil envisioned that the collection would include practical furniture featuring contemporary designs. In 2017, he was asked to design a new collection in conjunction with Nike entitled "The Ten" and he re-designed a variety of the company's best-selling shoes. Abloh worked towards fulfilling his vision for the IKEA collection by sketching out drafts of generic pieces of furniture, while adding his own aesthetics to the designs by using a doorstop to level out furniture items. Abloh worked on designs for chairs, coffee tables, beds, storage cabinets, mirrors, and carpets apart of his collaboration with IKEA. Abloh used quotation marks to convey detachment from society and social norms.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: During the rise in neo-nationalism in 2017 Abloh worked with conceptual artist Jenny Holzer to create a line emphasizing the positive aspects of immigration, cultural integration, and globalization. In December 2017, he worked with Holzer again to design T-shirts for Planned Parenthood in response to the Women's March on Washington.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: On March 25, 2018, Abloh was named artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear ready wear line, making him the first person of African descent to lead the brand's menswear line, as well as one of the few black designers at the helm of a major French fashion house. Upon his acceptance of the position, he stated, "It is an honor for me to accept this position. I find the heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times". Abloh showed his first collection for Louis Vuitton at the 2018 Men's Fashion Week at the Palais-Royal gardens in Paris. Rihanna was the first well known person to wear Abloh prior to this watershed show. Playboi Carti, Steve Lacy, A$AP Nast, Dev Hynes, and Kid Cudi walked the runway for Abloh's debut Vuitton show. Abloh was in high demand thereafter for his designs, creating an original outfit designed for Serena Williams to wear throughout the 2018 US Open, a collaboration with Nike. On June 5, 2018, Abloh released a special collaboration with the luggage manufacturer Rimowa, a transparent suitcase in a limited edition. In March 2019, Abloh collaborated with Ikea to start making furniture for millennials, ranging from cabinets, rugs, coffee tables, and chairs. Abloh incorporated different elements of style, such as his quotation marks around certain words and putting it on different articles of clothing, and in this case different types of furniture. For example, Abloh created a "Door Stop Interruption" on a chair by adding a doorstop on one of the chair legs to make it elevated. One of Abloh's most popular items is the Frakta Bag. It is beige with the text "SCULPTURE" imprinted on the side. In March 2019 Abloh teamed up with SSENSE to release a workout collection. This collection contained a variety of workout clothes ranging from; matching leggings and sports bras, athletic sweaters, and crop tops. The collection incorporated some of Abloh's signature designs by including the Off-White yellow sign wrapping around the waist of the pants and bottom of the sports bras. Abloh also included a three-dimensional addition of his four-way arrows, creating a cross, on the front of the tops and pants.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh was featured in conversation with his friend and frequent collaborator Takashi Murakami on the cover of the fall 2018 issue of "Cultured" magazine.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In 2019, Abloh was appointed to the board of directors of The Council of Fashion Designers of America. The council seeks to promote the American fashion industry.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh created a custom Off-White gown and veil for Hailey Bieber's wedding day. On the veil, he included his famous quotation marks design around the words "till death do us part".


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In July 2021, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton announced it would be taking a 60% stake in Off-White, with founder Abloh, then the creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton, retaining the remaining 40%. At the same time, Abloh was given greater creative control across the LVMH brand.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh worked frequently with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Abloh was given a solo art show in Murakami's Kaikai Kiki art gallery in Tokyo, Japan. Pieces of their artwork were showcased together at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and Murakami's shop Oz Zingaro in Tokyo. In 2018, Abloh and Murakami collaborated on a series of exhibitions at Gagosian Gallery's outposts in London, Paris, and Beverly Hills. In 2019, Abloh introduced the MCA speech campaign for the CTA's Red Line train wrap.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh's first solo art exhibition occurred at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 2019. After Chicago, "Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech" traveled to the High Museum of Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, and Qatar Museums, as part of the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture. The exhibition was intended to offer a mid-career retrospective of Abloh's endeavors in art, design and music. From July 1, 2022 – January 29, 2023, The Brooklyn Museum is displaying "Figures of Speech". Brooklyn's edition of the exhibition spans the two decades of the artist’s practice, including collaborations with artist Takashi Murakami, musician Kanye West, and architect Rem Koolhaas, among others; material from his fashion label Off-White; and items from Louis Vuitton, where he served as the first Black menswear artistic director. The installation also offers a space for gathering and performances, designed to counter the historical lack of space afforded to Black artists and Black people in cultural institutions.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh's interest in music led him to DJing beginning in his teens. He DJ'd at house parties throughout high school and college. His influences included DJ's A-Trak, Benji B, and Gilles Peterson. Over the years, Abloh gained recognition as a DJ and started playing shows internationally. He played at Hi Ibiza and was also booked for the 2019 edition of the Tomorrowland festival. Abloh released his first single "Orvnge" with German DJ/producer Boys Noize in January 2018. In June 2019, Abloh was named to a DJ residency at Wynn Las Vegas's XS Nightclub, with Wynn also agreeing to open an Off-White store.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In May 2019 Pioneer, maker of DJ consoles, announced its collaboration with Abloh in design of its transparent CDJ-2000NXS2 and DJM-900NXS2 models. The consoles were displayed at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art in the "Figures of Speech" Exhibition.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In June 2020, Abloh designed the original cover for Pop Smoke album, "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon". The original cover came under heavy criticism from fans. On July 2, a new cover, designed by Ryder Ripps, was revealed along with the album's release. Abloh also worked on album art for artists Lil Uzi Vert, Kid Cudi, and Westside Gunn.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In 2021, he launched a new monthly two-hour internet radio show on Worldwide FM, ""Imaginary Radio" c/o Virgil Abloh". The show featured DJ sets and interviews with musicians and other creatives; early guests included artists like electronic artist Omar-S and Alex Sowinski of BadBadNotGood. He previously had a show on Apple Music 1 called ""TELEVISED RADIO"." Five episodes were released between 2018 and 2020.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In 2021, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) published ""You Can Do It Too": Songs for, by, and with Virgil Abloh."


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh noted that one of his principles is that a new design can be created by changing an original by only three percent. He described his approach as being "ironic detachment" and that Duchamp's precedent "gives him the grounds to copy and paste, to take and to re-apply". This philosophy caused Abloh to be accused of plagiarism and appropriation.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: The originality of Off-White's logo design with its alternating parallel diagonal lines has been contested by a number of parties, including Ben Kelly, who popularized this graphic in the early 1980s. Fashion blog Diet Prada has compared several of Abloh's designs, from chairs to apparel, with existing designs.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh's fall/winter 2019 collection was based on his "ultimate muse", Michael Jackson. The launch occurred one week prior to the release of "Leaving Neverland" at the Sundance Film Festival. In response, Louis Vuitton announced they would not produce any items that directly featured Michael Jackson elements. Abloh also received criticism in early 2019 when images of his Off-White team suggested a lack of cultural diversity at his head office.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In 2019, LVMH recorded a 20% growth in sales that were in part attributed to his appointment. However, in December 2019 Abloh predicted that streetwear would die in 2020 as people moved to vintage clothing. On the March 2020 launch of his collaboration with Japanese streetwear designer Nigo, Abloh retracted his earlier comments clarifying that he was only riffing, describing himself as a novice.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: During the George Floyd protests in mid-2020, Abloh attracted criticism after posting on social media a screenshot showing that he had made a $50 donation to Miami-based art collective (F)empower to go towards protesters' legal costs, adding that he was "crazy inspired". He later said on Instagram that "I can understand your frustration if you think my contributions were limited to $50... [that is] purely false when it comes to the total. I have donated $20,500 to bail funds and other causes related to this movement," and continued, "I will continue to donate more and will continue to use my voice to urge my peers to do the same." Abloh also subsequently stated that the looting of businesses during the George Floyd protests was an example of why streetwear "is dead".


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In 2020, he established the Virgil Abloh "Post-Modern" Scholarship Fund. Abloh raised $1 million for the scholarships which will be managed by the Fashion Scholarship Fund to assist Black students. In July 2020, Abloh's brand Off-White launched a fundraising program called "I Support Young Black Businesses" that sold Hoodies and T-Shirts with “I Support Young Black Businesses” written on them. All of those proceeds went to an organization called Chicago CRED, aimed to diminish gun violence. Also that year, with Nike he finished the redesign and renovations of the Boys and Girls Club facility in East Garfield Park, Chicago. Abloh spent significant amounts of his time to mentor and provide mentoring resources to young designers.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh received his first major award in 2011 when his work designing the cover art for American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West's collaborative album "Watch the Throne" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. In 2015, Abloh (for Off-White) was one of the finalists for the LVMH Prize. Abloh was the only American designer to be nominated for the award that year. Abloh's "Charlie Hebdo"-inspired "War is Not Over!" tees as well as his toppers from his fall 2015 women's collection gained him the most traction. He received the Urban Luxe award at the 2017 British Fashion Awards. He also won International designer of the Year at the "GQ" Men of the Year awards in 2017. Abloh's Off-White Air Jordan "the Ten" collaboration won 2017's Shoe of the Year and he received the nod for Accessory Designer of the Year. Abloh was listed as one of "Time" magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2018, one of two designers named that year. In the "Time" issue, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami wrote that Abloh's impressive achievements led to his listing. In December 2018, Abloh was honored as a leading innovator by "Ebony" Power 100. Abloh was also nominated for 2019 Menswear Designer of the Year.


title: Virgil Abloh

text: In 2019, Abloh was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma, a type of cancer, though he kept the diagnosis private. He died on November 28, 2021, at the age of 41, in Chicago. With the family’s permission, LVMH paid tribute to Abloh at their planned November 30 spin-out fashion show in Miami, with a theme of "Virgil was here". Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, ASAP Rocky, Bella Hadid, Pharrell Williams, Tahar Rahim, Venus Williams, Joe Jonas, Ricky Martin, Jeremy Pope, 21 Savage, Joan Smalls, and Bernard Arnault attended the tribute. Louis Vuitton dedicated its window-displays worldwide, also using the dedication "Virgil was here".


title: Virgil Abloh

text: Abloh's funeral service took place on December 6, 2021, in Chicago, with Drake, Rihanna, West, Kardashian, Kid Cudi, Tyler, the Creator, ASAP Rocky, Frank Ocean, Vic Mensa, Lauryn Hill, Don C, and Jerry Lorenzo in attendance amongst his family and other close friends.


title: Rule 34

text: Rule 34 is a meme which says that Internet pornography exists concerning every conceivable topic. The concept is commonly depicted as fan art of normally non-erotic subjects engaging in sexual behavior. It can also include writings, animations, and any other form of media to which the internet provides opportunities for proliferation.


title: Rule 34

text: Rule 34 was coined from a 2003 webcomic, captioned "Rule #34 There is porn of it. No exceptions." The comic was drawn by TangoStari (Peter Morley-Souter) to depict his shock at seeing "Calvin and Hobbes" parody porn. Though the comic faded into obscurity, the caption instantly became popular on the Internet. Since then, this phrase has been adapted into different syntactic versions and even used as a verb.


title: Rule 34

text: On August 20, 2007, the webcomic "xkcd" published a comic titled "Rule 34", which involved hypothetical sexual scenarios including homoerotic spelling bees.


title: Rule 34

text: In 2008, users of the imageboard 4chan posted numerous sexually explicit parodies and cartoons illustrating Rule 34. In the special argot of 4chan request forums, "porn" is called "rule 34", "Pr0nz". "The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs" claims that Rule 34 "began appearing on Internet postings in 2008."


title: Rule 34

text: As Rule 34 continued spreading on the Internet, traditional media began reporting on it. A 2009 "Daily Telegraph" article listed Rule 34 as third of the "Top 10" Internet rules and laws. A 2013 CNN story said Rule 34 was "likely the most famous" Internet rule that has become part of mainstream culture. On November 14, 2018, a Twitch streamer with the nickname "Drypiss" celebrated turning eighteen by posting a video to Twitter in which he looked up Rule 34 pictures. The popular video and its responses were covered by "The Daily Dot".


title: Rule 34

text: Fan fiction has eroticized numerous political figures from the 2016 United States presidential election and the 2021 Suez Canal obstruction by the container ship "Ever Given". Short low-cost books called "Tinglers" have depicted anthropomorphized dinosaurs and airplanes in sexual acts. A pseudonymous author, Chuck Tingle, published dystopian erotica on Brexit, featuring sex with a giant one-pound coin from the future, hours after the referendum passed.


title: Rule 34

text: According to researchers Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam, "Today, Rule 34 thrives as sacred lore on blogs, YouTube videos, Twitter feeds and social networking sites. It's frequently used as a verb, as in 'I Rule 34'ed Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell on the judging table'." They propose the reason the maxim resonated with so many people is because it "certainly seems true" for "anybody who has spent time surfing the Web". Ogas said that following the 2009–2010 study, the consolidation of the porn industry onto large market share video aggregators has reduced the visibility of the niche market videos. The sites favor mainstream content directly by steering users towards it and indirectly by disadvantaging small producers who cannot afford strong anti-piracy measures, bringing into doubt the ability of the rule being able to keep up with market.


title: Rule 34

text: Cory Doctorow concludes, "Rule 34 can be thought of as a kind of indictment of the Web as a cesspit of freaks, geeks, and weirdos, but seen through the lens of cosmopolitanism, bespeaks a certain sophistication—a gourmet approach to life."


title: Rule 34

text: Feminist scholar Susanna Paasonen summarizes Rule 34, along with versions of Rules 35 and 36 to mean that no matter how unlikely or unusual the concept, pornography of it is either available online or will be. John Paul Stadler concluded that Rule 34 reflects the codification of paraphilias into social identity structures.


title: Rule 34

text: The original rule was rephrased and reiterated as it went viral on the Web. Some common permutations omit the original "No exceptions."


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Alexander Volkanovski (born 29 September 1988) is an Australian mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Featherweight Champion. He is also a former Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) Featherweight champion. Prior to his UFC debut, Volkanovski competed as a professional boxer in 2015. As of 16 November 2022, he is #1 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski was born on 29 September 1988, in Wollongong, New South Wales. His father was born in the village of Beranci in SR Macedonia (now Republic of Macedonia) while his mother is from Greece. Alex began training in Greco-Roman wrestling at an early age and won a national title twice at the age of 12. He decided to give up wrestling at the age of 14 and instead focused on a career in rugby league as a front rower. Volkanovski attended Lake Illawarra High School throughout his teenage years and worked as a concreter after graduation.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: He played semi-professional rugby league for the Warilla Gorillas in the South Coast Rugby League where he was awarded the Mick Cronin Medal in 2010 as the league's best player. He also played a crucial role in Warilla's 2011 Premiership winning season and received the Man of the Match award for his performance in his team's Grand Final victory over Gerringong. Volkanovski then decided to quit rugby league at 23 years of age to pursue a professional career in Mixed Martial Arts in the latter half of 2011. He claims to have watched Ultimate Fighting Championship events since childhood and would often rent UFC VHS tapes from Blockbuster as well as purchase UFC pay per views from 14 years of age.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Coach Joe Lopez said Volkanovski started training in MMA at the age of 22 and Greco-Roman wrestling to keep fit during the rugby league off season, where he weighed . However, he soon realized he had a passion for the sport and wanted to go as far as he could. Volkanovski quickly became a good counter striker with a powerful overhand right as well as a fantastic offensive wrestler. He initially competed in multiple amateur fights in the middleweight division as he adjusted from his rugby weight before turning professional and moving down to welterweight, lightweight and ultimately the featherweight division.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski is based at Freestyle Fighting Gym in Wollongong but regularly completes training camps at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket and City Kickboxing in Auckland with fellow UFC fighters, former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Starting as an amateur at middleweight and going 4–0 before turning professional, Volkanovski has fought in various MMA organizations in the Oceania region in Asia from 2012 to July 2016 before signing with the UFC. He won a Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC) title and two Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) Featherweight titles. Volkanovski amassed a record of 13–1 with 10 straight wins prior to joining the UFC.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski made his promotional debut on 26 November 2016, and increased his win streak to 11 with a second-round TKO against Yusuke Kasuya at UFC Fight Night 101. He announced at the post-fight press conference that he would drop from lightweight to featherweight for his next fight.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski was expected to face Michel Quiñones on 19 February 2017, at UFC Fight Night 105. However, the bout was scrapped after Quiñones suffered an injury and no replacement could be found.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski returned to Featherweight and faced Mizuto Hirota on 11 June 2017, at UFC Fight Night 110. He won the fight via unanimous decision after almost finishing Hirota following a knockdown.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski was expected to face Jeremy Kennedy at on 19 November 2017, in Sydney, Australia. However, Kennedy pulled out of the fight on 5 October, citing a back injury and was replaced by Humberto Bandenay. In November 2017, it was announced that Bandenay would delay his UFC debut at this event due to undisclosed reasons, and was replaced by Drex Zamboanga. In turn, Zamboanga pulled out of the fight due to visa issues and was replaced by promotional newcomer Shane Young. The bout proceeded at a catchweight of 150 pounds. Volkanovski won the fight via unanimous decision.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: The bout with Kennedy was rescheduled and took place on 11 February 2018, at UFC 221. He won the fight via technical knockout.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski faced Darren Elkins on 14 July 2018, at UFC Fight Night 133. He won the fight via unanimous decision.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski faced Chad Mendes on 29 December 2018, at UFC 232. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two after surviving two knockdowns himself. This fight earned him the "Fight of the Night" award.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski faced former featherweight champion José Aldo at UFC 237 on 11 May 2019. He won the fight via unanimous decision.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski faced Max Holloway on 14 December 2019, for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 245. Volkanovski won the fight via unanimous decision.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski made his first title defense in a rematch against Max Holloway on 11 July 2020, at UFC 251. He won the fight via split decision. This outcome was controversial amongst media outlets, with 18 out of 27 media scores giving it to Holloway, mixed martial arts personalities such as UFC president Dana White, former referee and creator of the rules system John McCarthy, and multiple mixed martial artists.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski was scheduled to make his second title defense against Brian Ortega on 27 March 2021, at UFC 260. However, the fight was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: On 2 April 2021, it was announced that Brian Ortega and Volkanovski would be the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 29 at ESPN+ and the show featured bantamweight and middleweight contestants.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski faced Brian Ortega on 25 September 2021, at UFC 266 for the UFC Featherweight Championship. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Volkanovski received universal praise for escaping multiple submission attempts and persevering. This fight earned him the "Fight of the Night" award.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski was scheduled to face Max Holloway for a third time on 5 March 2022, at UFC 272. However, a day after the announcement, Holloway was forced to pull from the event due to injury. Holloway was replaced by Chan Sung Jung and the title bout was moved to UFC 273 on 9 April 2022. Volkanovski won the fight early in the fourth round via standing TKO after dominating the majority of the bout and scoring three knockdowns. The win earned him the "Performance of the Night" award. The fight also earned him second place in the Crypto.com ""Fan Bonus of the Night"" award.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: The trilogy bout against Holloway was rescheduled at UFC 276 on 2 July 2022. Volkanovski won the bout via unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 50-45. This win earned him the Crypto.com "Fan Bonus of the Night" second place award which paid in bitcoin of US$20,000.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski is scheduled to face current UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev on February 12, 2023 at UFC 284.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski has a single boxing bout, which was a Super welterweight bout he won by unanimous decision in four rounds against Dillon Bargero.


title: Alexander Volkanovski

text: Volkanovski is married and has two daughters. He appeared as a coach in Malaysia Invasion, an amateur MMA reality show. Because of his paternal Macedonian and maternal Greek heritage, he uses the nickname "The Great" in reference to Alexander the Great, claiming that he had "a Macedonian father and a Greek mother", similar to himself.


title: Adam McKay

text: Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American comedy film director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian. McKay began his career in the 1990s as a head writer for the NBC sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" ("SNL") for two seasons. He rose to fame in the 2000s for his collaborations with comedian Will Ferrell and co-wrote his comedy films "" (2004), "" (2006), and "The Other Guys" (2010). Ferrell and McKay later co-wrote and co-produced numerous television series and films, with McKay himself co-produced their website Funny or Die through their company Gary Sanchez Productions.


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay began venturing into more dramatic territory in the 2010s. "The Big Short" (2015) was McKay's first film he directed without Ferrell in the cast. For this film, he was nominated for several awards including two Academy Awards, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (with co-writer Charles Randolph), and two British Academy Film Awards, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. He and Randolph won Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards, the BAFTA Film Awards, and the WGA Awards. For his work on the Dick Cheney biographical film "Vice" (2018), McKay received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. In 2019, McKay founded Hyperobject Industries. In 2022, he received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for his latest work on the apocalyptic comedy film "Don't Look Up" (2021).


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay was born in Denver and was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts and later Malvern, Pennsylvania by a mother who was a waitress, Sarah, and a musician father. When McKay was seven his parents divorced. He attended Great Valley High School in Malvern, where he graduated in 1986. He then attended Pennsylvania State University for a year before transferring to Temple University, where he majored in English. McKay dropped out of Temple a semester-and-a-half before he was set to earn his bachelor's degree. He described it as "settling with an imaginary degree".


title: Adam McKay

text: He is one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade improv comedy group and a former performer at Chicago's ImprovOlympic, where he was a member of the improv group, The Family, whose members included Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Neil Flynn, Miles Stroth, and Ali Farahnakian, as well as Child's Play Touring Theatre.


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay originally auditioned for "Saturday Night Live" to be an onscreen performer, but did not make the cut. However, the scripts he submitted earned him a job as a writer from 1995, and within a year McKay became head writer at age 27, a position he held until 2001. He also directed a number of short films for the show, including the original "SNL" Digital Shorts. McKay encouraged his Second City friend Tina Fey to submit some of her scripts to "Saturday Night Live", and she later succeeded him as head writer. Though McKay was never an actual "SNL" cast member, he did make several on-camera appearances over the years and had a recurring role as an obnoxious audience member "Keith" who would often shout insults at the celebrity hosts during their opening monologue.


title: Adam McKay

text: Shortly after leaving "SNL", McKay teamed up with comedian Will Ferrell to form Gary Sanchez Productions and write the comedy films "" (2004), "" (2006), "Step Brothers" (2008), and "The Other Guys" (2010), all of which he also directed, produced and made cameo appearances in as an actor. Ferrell and McKay co-produced the HBO series "Eastbound & Down".


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay was one of the writers for the film "The Campaign" (2012), and produced the film "Daddy's Home" (2015), the latter of which reunited "The Other Guys" stars Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and was directed by Sean Anders. McKay wrote the screenplay for and directed "The Big Short" (2015), the film adaptation of Michael Lewis' book of the same name about the financial and subprime mortgage crisis of 2007-2008, and the build-up of the financial and credit bubble; the film starred Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Melissa Leo, Marisa Tomei, and Byron Mann. McKay rewrote the script for the Marvel Studios feature film "Ant-Man", directed by Peyton Reed. McKay also worked with Reed, Paul Rudd, Gabriel Ferrari & Andrew Barrer on "Ant-Man and the Wasp" to flesh out the story. He has also expressed interest in helming a Silver Surfer movie for Marvel Studios.


title: Adam McKay

text: He produced the films "Land of the Lost" (2009), "" (2009), "The Virginity Hit" (2010), "Casa de Mi Padre" (2012), "Bachelorette" (2012), "Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie" (2012), "The Campaign" (2012), "" (2013), "Tammy" (2014), "Welcome to Me" (2014), "Get Hard" (2015), "Sleeping with Other People" (2015), "Daddy's Home" (2015), and "The Boss" (2016).


title: Adam McKay

text: In addition to "Eastbound & Down", McKay has produced the TV series "Big Lake" and "Succession", whose pilot he directed, and the miniseries "The Spoils of Babylon", and "The Chris Gethard Show".


title: Adam McKay

text: In April 2019, McKay and Ferrell announced that they were separating as producing partners but would continue producing all projects currently in development or in production at Gary Sanchez Productions.


title: Adam McKay

text: In 2019, McKay launched a new production company, Hyperobject Industries, which has a first look overall TV deal with HBO and a first look feature deal at Paramount Pictures. Hyperobject Industries' first TV project was an HBO pilot based on Jeff Pearlman's non-fiction book 'Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.' McKay directed the pilot. More recently, McKay's Hyperobject Industries has a first look deal with Apple.


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay has directed, and co-written with Will Ferrell, the films "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (2004), "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (2006), "Step Brothers" (2008), "The Other Guys" (2010), and "" (2013). He has directed an "alternate film" about Ron Burgundy that is considered a companion to "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (2004) entitled "" (2004), which is made up mostly of alternative takes, deleted scenes, and scrapped sub-plots from the original film strung together with a narrative.


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay directed and co-wrote with Ferrell the George W. Bush Broadway show "You're Welcome America". He produced the horror-action film "".


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay directed the TV movie documentary "Lifecasters" (2013). He has directed a number of short films, including digital shorts for "Saturday Night Live", and the short video "Good Cop, Baby Cop" for Funny or Die that stars his daughter Pearl. Among the other short films he has directed include "The Procedure" (2007) starring Will Ferrell, Willem Dafoe, and Andy Richter, "Green Team" (2008) starring Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and himself, and the K-Swiss commercial, "Kenny Powers: The K-Swiss MFCEO" (2011), starring Danny McBride as Kenny Powers from "Eastbound & Down", which he co-produces with Ferrell and has also directed an episode of.


title: Adam McKay

text: He directed and wrote the film adaptation of the Michael Lewis non-fiction book "The Big Short", released in 2015. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work in the film, winning his first Academy Award in the latter category. In 2016, he and co-writer Charles Randolph received the USC Scripter Award for their screenplay.


title: Adam McKay

text: In 2016, he became attached to the superhero film "Irredeemable" based on the comic of the same name by Mark Waid.


title: Adam McKay

text: In November 2016, McKay began development of the biographical black comedy "Backseat", about former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and his rise to power, though the title was eventually changed to "Vice". Starring Christian Bale as Cheney, the film was released in the United States on December 25, 2018, by Annapurna Pictures. Despite polarizing reviews, "Vice" received eight nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, including the Best Picture and McKay's second nomination for Best Director, and won for Best Make-Up and Hairstyling.


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay's most recent film is a Comedy drama, "Don't Look Up," about two low level scientists trying to convince the world that a catastrophic comet is coming. McKay wrote the script and produced the film for Netflix. Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, and Cate Blanchett star in the film. It received a limited theatrical release in December 2021, before streaming on Netflix later in the month. The film received four nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay will work with Jennifer Lawrence for a biographical film titled "Bad Blood" which tells the story of entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, based on the book "". It is in development and will be produced by Legendary Pictures and released by Universal Pictures. Vanessa Taylor is writing the script. In December 2021, the project was picked up by Apple Studios, with McKay now writing.


title: Adam McKay

text: In 2007, McKay and Ferrell launched the user-submitted comedy video site Funny or Die. A video on the site, titled "The Landlord", features both him and his young daughter, Pearl, whom Ferrell and his wife bait to say curse words. Pearl also starred in a second video titled "Good Cop, Baby Cop".


title: Adam McKay

text: From November 2015 until October 2016, McKay hosted the science/comedy podcast "Surprisingly Awesome" with Adam Davidson, produced by Gimlet Media. McKay additionally produced "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Broken: Seeking Justice," a podcast series that explored the Jeffrey Epstein case. His next podcast project, "Death at the Wing", investigated a series of deaths among high-profile young basketball players in the 1980s and 1990s. In February 2022, he appeared as a guest on Smartless, a comedic podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes.


title: Adam McKay

text: In 1999, he married Shira Piven, a film and television director. They have two daughters, Lili Rose and Pearl. His brother-in-law is actor Jeremy Piven.


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay serves on the Creative Council of RepresentUs, a nonpartisan anti-corruption organization. He is a supporter of the Democratic Party and endorsed Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in 2016 and again in 2020. He identifies as a democratic socialist and joined the Democratic Socialists of America in 2019.


title: Adam McKay

text: McKay first noticed shaking in his hands while performing with Second City at age 26. He was diagnosed with essential tremor in around 2000. The condition causes his body and voice to quiver. He conducts print interviews lying down and televised ones in a special high backed chair to accommodate his disability. McKay had a heart attack while filming the biopic "Vice" starring Christian Bale, whose character Dick Cheney has multiple heart attacks in the film. The director credits his awareness of the issue from researching the film with his quick response that got him to the hospital before there was any permanent damage. During an interview on the 347th episode of The Empire Film Podcast, McKay said "Either Christian Bale or Dick Cheney just saved my life."


title: Rajinikanth

text: Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema. Known for his uniquely styled lines and idiosyncrasies in films, he has a huge fanbase across South India and has a cult following. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Bhushan in 2000, Padma Vibhushan in 2016, India's third and second highest civilian honours, and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2019 for his contributions to Indian cinema.


title: Rajinikanth

text: Following his debut in K. Balachander's 1975 Tamil drama "Apoorva Raagangal", Rajinikanth's acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films. His major positive role as a failed lover in S. P. Muthuraman's "Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri" (1977), 1978's "Mullum Malarum" and "Aval Appadithan" received him critical acclaim; the former earned him a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for Best Actor. By the end of the decade, he had worked in all South Indian languages and established a career in Tamil cinema. He then played dual roles in the action thriller "Billa" (1980), a remake of the Hindi film "Don" (1978). It was his biggest commercial success to that point, earned him stardom and gave him the action hero image. He starred in triple role in "Moondru Mugam" (1982), which earned him a special prize at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards ceremony. The following year, he made his Bollywood debut with T. Rama Rao's top grossing "Andhaa Kaanoon" (1983). "Nallavanukku Nallavan" (1984) won him that year's Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor. In the latter half of the 1980s, he starred in several successful films in Tamil and Hindi, including "Padikkadavan" (1985), "Mr. Bharath" (1986), "Bhagwaan Dada" (1986), "Velaikaran" (1987), "Dharmathin Thalaivan" (1988) and "Hum" (1991).


title: Rajinikanth

text: In 1991, Mani Ratnam's Tamil crime film "Thalapathi", earned him major critical acclaim for his performance. He collaborated with Suresh Krissna for many films including "Annaamalai" (1992) and "Baashha" (1995); later was a biggest commercial success in his career as well as highest grossing film in Tamil for many years, the film earned him a "demigod" status in Tamil Nadu. His other success includes P. Vasu's "Mannan" (1992), "Uzhaippali" (1993) and K. S. Ravikumar's "Muthu" (1995) and "Padayappa" (1999); which was second collaboration with Ravikumar, went on to become the Rajini's and Tamil cinema's highest-grossing to that point.


title: Rajinikanth

text: After few years of hiatus, he returned to acting with the comedy horror film "Chandramukhi" (2005); it went on to become again the highest-grossing Tamil film to that point and S. Shankar's "Sivaji" (2007) was the third Indian film to enter the 100 Crore Club. He played dual roles, as a scientist and an andro-humanoid robot, in the science fiction film "Enthiran" (2010) and its sequel "2.0" (2018), both being India's most expensive production at the time of their release, and among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.


title: Rajinikanth

text: He has won many awards, including One National Film Award, seven Tamil Nadu State Film Award, One Nandi Award and One Filmfare Award South. His appearances in his successful ventures contributed to many cultural tropes in India's daily life and holding a matinée idol status in the popular culture of Tamil Nadu. Rajinikanth was also named one of the most influential persons in South Asia by "Asiaweek". He was also named by "Forbes India" as the most influential Indian of the year 2010.