title: Punisher

text: In "", he was incarcerated after assassinating the Russian criminal known as the Red Hammer and is later visited by Fury persuading him to rejoin the Avengers by offering him revenge on his fellow prisoners. While the Avengers were battling the New Ultimates, the Punisher was aiming a sniper rifle at Captain America's kneecap with the intention of immobilization. However, Spider-Man swung in and took the hit from the Punisher's bullet instead. Horrified that he had shot a kid, he begged the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that arrived shortly afterwards to "punish him". After the Punisher and the Avengers were arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D., they took Tyrone Cash's serum and temporarily gained Hulk-like powers. They confronted the new S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Gregory Stark, but are easily defeated thanks to Stark's Nanite-based suit. The Avengers later assisted the New Ultimates against Stark's Spider in Korea. In the conflict's aftermath, the Punisher is last seen torturing the other convicts in prison.


title: Punisher

text: In the X-Men crossover Age of X, another universe's General Frank Castle commands a mutant-hunting version of the Avengers.


title: Punisher

text: In this alternate universe, an unknown pathogen transforms the entire superhuman population, as well as basic civilians, into zombie-like cannibals. Five years prior, the Punisher raided a Mafia deal in a warehouse, incidentally releasing the plague. Due to being overly exposed to the pathogen, he has gained a special immunity from the virus. He is one of the few people immune to the pathogen, the others being Hawkeye and Wolverine.


title: Punisher

text: During the beginning days of the outbreak, Wolverine sought out Frank after getting a tip from Reed Richards that someone with Frank's M.O. was present when the virus was released. When confronted, Frank recounted the events which occurred eighteen months prior to when the virus was released, revealing that all it did was make him sick for a few weeks. Richards, overhearing their conversation via radio, determines that Frank's overexposure to the pathogen has given him a special immunity and that he is humanity's best chance at getting a cure. After fighting to the Baxter Building, both men find that the building's emergency generator has stopped working and the security team has been slaughtered. Upon further investigation, they find a badly injured Reed, who tells them that both the Thing and Beast have turned with the latter feasting upon Hank Pym.


title: Punisher

text: Later, following a failed counterattack against a large cannibal army led by an infected Hulk, the Punisher, Deadpool, and Captain America save a badly injured Wolverine, who lost his arm in the battle. The four later coordinate two diversions while Mr. Fantastic and Black Panther lead a convoy of scientists out of the city so they could begin work on a cure in a safe location. Frank and Captain America launch an offensive against a large cannibal horde, though Captain America begins to succumb to the plague and begs Frank to kill him before he turns. A solemn Frank obliges and is soon confronted by Hawkeye, who witnessed the execution.


title: Punisher

text: Weeks later, Frank continues to fight the horde alongside other uninfected heroes. He is one of few heroes who do not accept Dr. Doom's offer of wearing a Doom Stone to prevent the infection. Frank, Hawkeye, and Black Widow end up being the last uninfected heroes in New York after the surviving heroes are forcibly turned by Doctor Doom using Doom Stones to accelerate the turning process. Though they attempt to save their fellow heroes, their attempts are in vain and Black Widow is kidnapped by Spider-Man, while Frank leaves Hawkeye and goes out in search of him. Frank later witnesses Hawkeye's murder at the hands of Thor, leaving him as the last uninfected person in New York.


title: Punisher

text: Five years later, the Punisher hunts for the first known infected, Spider-Man in a New York City that has been depopulated. Castle is constantly bugged by a cannibalistic Deadpool, who he has killed over 35 times. While out on patrol, Frank encounters an elderly priest and a young boy who have been surviving in the ruins of New York. While the Priest attempts to appeal to Frank's humanity in hopes that the infected can be saved, Frank coldly tells him that the only way to win is to kill them all.


title: Punisher

text: They are soon confronted by Spider-Man, who offers Frank and the remaining human survivors safe passage out of the city in exchange for returning his wife to him from Kingpin. The Punisher rescued a pregnant Mary Jane Parker from the hands of a flesh-eating Kingpin and his cohorts. At the end, Mary Jane looks on aghast as Castle kills Spider-Man and sends off the survivors. The Punisher stays behind on Manhattan to continue his hunt for cannibals.


title: Punisher

text: In this alternate universe, Captain Frank Castle of the NYPD is called in to take over for George Stacy in the hunt for Spider-Woman. He was a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War, where he and Maria Walls were the only survivors of a massive firefight. The two later marry and have 2 children. He then worked as a mercenary for Tony Stark's private military company, WAR MACHINE. After that stint, he joins the NYPD, rapidly rising through the ranks. On the day he was named to take over the Spider-Woman case, he finds a note that Maria and the children have left him, and Frank finds himself now only focusing on his job.


title: Punisher

text: After following the Vulture on an attack on George Stacy, Castle takes on both the Vulture and Spider-Woman, the latter of whom brutally beats Castle, though Castle does see her unmasked face, he is unaware of her actual identity; Castle subsequently takes on the forces of the Hand, and the Kingpin, Matt Murdock.


title: Punisher

text: The character of the Punisher has appeared in many types of media. Since his first appearance in 1974, he has appeared in television, films, and video games—each on multiple occasions—and his name, symbol, and image have appeared on products and merchandise.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress who played the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in "", for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She has reprised her role as Seven of Nine in "".


title: Jeri Ryan

text: Ryan also played Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke on "Boston Public" (2001–2004). She was a regular on the science fiction series "Dark Skies" (1997) and the legal drama series "Shark" (2006–2008). In 2009 she guest starred on the series "Leverage" as Tara Cole. From 2011 to 2013, she starred as Dr. Kate Murphy in the ABC drama series "Body of Proof". In 2016, she began appearing as Veronica Allen on the Amazon Prime series "Bosch".


title: Jeri Ryan

text: Ryan was born Jeri Lynn Zimmermann on February 22, 1968, in Munich, West Germany, the daughter of Gerhard Florian "Jerry" Zimmermann, a master sergeant in the U.S. Army, and his wife Sharon, a social worker. She has one older brother, Mark. Ryan grew up on Army posts in Kansas, Maryland, Hawaii, Georgia and Texas.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: When she was 11, her father retired from the Army and the family settled in Paducah, Kentucky. She graduated from Lone Oak High School in 1986 as a National Merit Scholar, and then attended Northwestern University, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. She graduated from Northwestern in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in theatre.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: In 1989, Ryan was chosen as Miss Illinois. She competed in the Miss America 1990 pageant, where she finished as third runner-up, winning the preliminary swimsuit competition and singing "On My Own" from "Les Misérables" for her talent.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: After college, she pursued acting full-time in Los Angeles. She made her acting debut in "Who's the Boss?", and followed that with guest-starring roles in television series such as "Melrose Place", "Matlock", and "The Sentinel" as well as TV movies.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: She had a regular role as the extraterrestrial investigator Juliet Stuart on the television series "Dark Skies". The series was cancelled after one season, but the role had drawn the attention of the science-fiction community.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: In 1997, Ryan was chosen for a role on the science fiction series "" as Seven of Nine, a Borg drone who had been freed from the Borg's collective consciousness. When she joined the cast in season four, ratings increased 60%.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: She appeared in Wes Craven's "Dracula 2000". After "Voyager" ended in 2001, Ryan joined the cast of "Boston Public" in the role of Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke, a frustrated lawyer who becomes a high school teacher. David E. Kelley, the series' producer, wrote the role specifically for her. The series ended in 2004.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: Ryan appeared in the romantic-comedy film "Down with Love" and as Lydia in the independent film "Men Cry Bullets." Ryan's first film lead was in "The Last Man" as the last woman left on Earth.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: In 2005 she had a role in a TV pilot titled "Commuters", a suburban version of "Desperate Housewives". She had a recurring role as Charlotte Morgan on "The O.C." in 2005; and she guest-starred as Courtney Reece on David E. Kelley's "Boston Legal" in 2006. Ryan then co-starred in the legal drama "Shark" as Los Angeles County District Attorney Jessica Devlin alongside series lead James Woods, but she did not return for episodes aired after the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike; she was credited in all four episodes. The series did not air between January 27 and April 29, 2008. CBS cancelled the broadcast of the series after its season-two finale, May 20, 2008.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: She guest-starred as defense attorney Patrice La Rue on the April 7, 2009, episode of "", her first role since giving birth to her daughter Gisele. Ryan next had a seven-episode role on the drama "Leverage" in season 2 as a grifter named Tara Cole, filling in while series regular Gina Bellman (Sophie) was on maternity leave.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: She was in Kevin Tancharoen's short film "" as Sonya Blade. Although originally a film, it was marketed as a web series, with previews scheduled to appear online in June 2010. The web series "" officially launched in March 2011.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: Ryan continued to appear in guest roles on genre television series, including the science fiction series "Warehouse 13" as Marine Major Amanda Lattimer, ex-wife of the series' male lead character Pete Lattimer, in the episode "Queen for a Day". Ryan made a return guest appearance on the drama "Leverage" in season 4, episode 13 as the grifter Tara Cole, in the episode titled "The Girls' Night Out Job". She also appeared for a multi-episode arc in season 1 of the science fiction series "Helix". She was next seen in the series "", reprising her role as Seven of Nine.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: In 1990, while dealing blackjack at a charity event, the actress met investment banker and future Republican political candidate Jack Ryan. The couple married on June 15, 1991, in Wilmette, Illinois. They later had a son, Alex, on August 15, 1994. Jeri commuted between Los Angeles and Wilmette during their marriage. They divorced on August 27, 1999. A few years after she joined the "Voyager" cast, Ryan began dating "Star Trek: Voyager" producer Brannon Braga. Between February and November 2000, they were stalked by Marlon Estacio Pagtakhan, who was convicted for harassment and threats in May 2001.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: When Jack Ryan's campaign for an open United States Senate seat in Illinois began in 2003, the "Chicago Tribune" newspaper and WLS-TV, the local ABC affiliate, sought to have his records released. Both Jeri and Jack agreed to make their divorce records, but not their custody records, public, saying the latter's release could be harmful to their son.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: On June 18, 2004, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider agreed to release the custody files. The decision went against both parents' direct request and reversed the decision to seal the papers in the best interest of the child. It was revealed that six years earlier, Jeri had accused Jack Ryan of asking her to perform sexual acts with him in public and in sex clubs in New York, New Orleans, and Paris. Jeri described one as "a bizarre club with cages, whips, and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling." Jack denied these allegations. Although Jeri only made a brief statement, and she refused to comment on the matter during the campaign, the document disclosure led Jack to withdraw his candidacy; his main opponent, Barack Obama, then won the 2004 United States Senate election in Illinois.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: According to statements she has made in interviews, Ryan's main hobby is gourmet cooking. While starring in "Boston Public", she moonlighted on weekends in the kitchen of the Los Angeles restaurant The House. In 2003, Ryan met French chef Christophe Émé at a chef's charity event. The two eventually began a relationship, and Émé moved in with Ryan and her son Alex in their home in San Fernando Valley. In February 2005, Ryan, a "lifelong Francophile", opened—in partnership with Émé—the restaurant "Ortolan." Located on Third Street in Los Angeles, California, the restaurant served French food with a modern interpretation. The two have appeared on "Iron Chef America", where Émé and one sous-chef challenged Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and his two sous-chefs. The restaurant is seen in season 2, episode 26 of "Boston Legal" as Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Alan Shore (James Spader) are discussing the arrival of Courtney Reece (Jeri Ryan) at "her favorite restaurant." Despite its success, the restaurant was hit hard by the Great Recession and it closed in December 2010.


title: Jeri Ryan

text: Ryan and Émé married in the Loire Valley, France on June 16, 2007. In March 2008, Ryan gave birth to a daughter in Los Angeles, California.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen from a screenplay by Gary Scott Thompson, David Ayer, and Erik Bergquist, from a story by Thompson. It is the first installment in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, and stars Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner and Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster in supporting roles. In the film, a recent spate of truck hijackings causes O'Conner, a police officer, to go undercover and befriend Toretto, a local street racer, to investigate the matter.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: "The Fast and the Furious" entered development in late 1998, after Cohen and producer Neal H. Moritz read a "Vibe" article about illegal street racing in New York City. Thompson and Bergquist wrote the original screenplay that year, with Ayer hired soon after. Various actors were considered for the roles of O'Conner and Toretto, with Walker cast in 1998 and then Diesel in early 1999, with the pair attending actual street races in preparation for the film. Principal photography commenced in July 2000 and finished that October, with filming locations primarily including Los Angeles and the surrounding area in southern California. The film's title is borrowed from Roger Corman's 1954 film of the same name.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: "The Fast and the Furious" was originally set to be released worldwide in March 2001, but was postponed until the summer. It premiered at Mann Village Theatre in Los Angeles on June 18, 2001, and was theatrically released in the United States by Universal Pictures on June 22. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism for its screenplay and characterization, but praise for the action sequences and Walker and Diesel's performances, considered their breakthrough roles. "The Fast and the Furious" was a commercial success, grossing $207 million worldwide, making it the 19th highest-grossing film of 2001. It was followed by the sequel film "2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003).


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: On a deserted highway, a heist crew driving three modified Honda Civics assault a truck carrying electronic goods, steal its cargo, and escape into the night. The following day, a joint Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and FBI task force sends LAPD officer Brian O'Conner undercover to locate the crew. He begins his investigation at Toretto's Market and flirts with its owner Mia, sister of the infamous street racer Dominic Toretto, while Dominic sits in the back office reading a newspaper. Dominic's crew—Vince, Leon, Jesse, and Dom's girlfriend Letty—arrives. Vince, who has a crush on Mia, starts a fight with Brian until Dominic intervenes.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: That night, Brian brings a modified 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse to an illegal street race, hoping to find a lead on the thieves. Dominic arrives in his Mazda RX-7 and initiates a drag race between himself, Brian and two other drivers. Lacking funds, Brian is forced to wager his car. Dominic wins the race after Brian's car malfunctions, but the LAPD arrive before Dom can take the vehicle. Brian helps Dominic escape in the Eclipse, but they accidentally venture into the territory of Dominic's old racing rival, gang leader Johnny Tran and his cousin Lance Nguyen, who destroy the Eclipse. After returning to safety, Dominic reiterates that Brian still owes him a "10 second car".


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Brian brings a damaged 1994 Toyota Supra to Dominic's garage as a replacement. Dominic and his crew begin the long process of restoring the vehicle, and Brian starts dating Mia. He also begins investigating Tran, convinced that he is the mastermind behind the truck hijackings. While investigating one garage at night, Brian is discovered by Dominic and Vince. Brian convinces them that he is researching his opponents' vehicles for the upcoming desert Race Wars. Together, the trio investigate Tran's garage, discovering a large quantity of electronic goods.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Brian reports the discovery to his superiors and Tran and Lance are arrested. The electronics are proved to have been purchased legally, and Brian is forced to confront his suspicion that Dominic is the true mastermind. Brian is given 36 hours to find the heist crew, as the truckers are now arming themselves to defend against the hijackings. The following day, Dominic and Brian attend Race Wars. There, Jesse wagers his father's MK3 Volkswagen Jetta against Tran in his Honda S2000, but flees with the car after he loses. Tran accuses Dominic of reporting him to the police, causing Dominic to attack him. After security guards break up the fight, Tran demands Dominic recover the vehicle.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: That night, Brian witnesses Dominic and his crew leaving and realizes they are the hijackers. He reveals his true identity to Mia and convinces her to help him find the crew. Dominic, Letty, Vince, and Leon attack a semi-trailer truck, intending it to be their final heist. The armed driver shoots Vince and runs Letty off the road. Brian arrives with Mia and rescues Vince. He is forced to reveal his identity to call in emergency medical care to save Vince. Dominic, Mia and the rest of the crew leave before the authorities can arrive.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Some time later, Brian arrives at Dominic's house to apprehend him as Dominic is getting his father's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T out of the garage. He demands Brian leave, since he is not running, but rather going to rescue Jesse who has no one else to look after him. Jesse suddenly arrives at the house and pleads for protection. Tran and Lance perform a drive-by shooting on motorcycles, killing Jesse. Brian and Dominic give chase in their separate vehicles, finding and killing Tran and injuring Lance. Brian then pursues Dominic, with them both eventually acquiescing to a quarter-mile drag race. The pair barely cross a railroad before a train passes, which ends the race in a draw, but Dominic crashes his car into a truck. Instead of arresting him, Brian gives Dominic the keys to his own car, asserting that he still owes him a 10-second car from their first race. Dominic leaves in the Supra as Brian walks away.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: In the post-credits scene, Dominic is seen driving through Baja California, Mexico, in a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: The central cast is rounded out by Ted Levine and Thom Barry as Tanner and Bilkins respectively, members of the team that organized the investigation to place Brian undercover. Noel Gugliemi appears as Hector, the organizer of the drag race. Musician and rapper Ja Rule and car tuner R.J. de Vera also act as Edwin and Danny, fellow drivers at the drag race who race against Dominic and Brian. Vyto Ruginis plays Harry, an informant and owner of "The Racer's Edge". Reggie Lee portrays Lance Nguyen, Tran's cousin, and right-hand man. Neal H. Moritz and Rob Cohen both appear in cameos; Moritz plays an unnamed driver of a black Ferrari F355 convertible who is given a challenge by Brian, while Cohen plays a Pizza Hut delivery man.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Director Rob Cohen was inspired to make the film after reading a 1998 "Vibe" magazine article called "Racer X" about street racing in New York City and watching an actual illegal street race at night in Los Angeles, with the screenplay originally developed by Gary Scott Thompson and Erik Bergquist. The film's original title was "Redline" before it was changed to "The Fast and the Furious". Roger Corman licensed the title rights of his 1954 film "The Fast and the Furious" to Universal so that the title could be used on this project; both films were about racing. David Ayer was brought into the project to help rework the script. Ayer changed it from the "mostly white and suburban story" set in New York to a diverse one set in Los Angeles.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Producer Neal H. Moritz, who had previously worked with Paul Walker on the film "The Skulls" (2000), gave the actor a script and offered him the role of Brian O'Conner. Eminem was offered the role, but turned it down to work in his own movie 8 Mile and Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale were also considered for the role. Originally, the studio told the producers they would green-light the film if they could get Timothy Olyphant to play the role of Dominic Toretto. Olyphant, however, who had starred in the previous year's car-themed blockbuster "Gone in 60 Seconds", declined the role. Moritz instead suggested Vin Diesel, who had to be convinced to take the role even though he had only played supporting roles up to that point. The role of Mia Toretto was originally written for Eliza Dushku, who turned down the role and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jessica Biel, Kirsten Dunst and Natalie Portman auditioned for the role.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: The film was shot in various locations within Los Angeles and parts of southern California, from June 26, to October 25, 2000. Key locations included Dodger Stadium (on the opening scene where Brian tests his Eclipse on the parking lot), Angelino Heights, Silver Lake and Echo Park (the neighborhoods around Toretto's home), as well as Little Saigon (where Tran destroys the Eclipse) and the San Bernardino International Airport (the venue for "Race Wars", which attracted over 1,500 import car owners and enthusiasts). The entire last rig heist scene was filmed along Domenigoni Parkway on the southern side of San Jacinto/Hemet in the San Jacinto Valley near Diamond Valley Lake.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Prior to filming, both Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez did not have driver's licenses, so they took driving lessons during production. For the climactic race scene between Brian and Toretto, separate shots of both cars crossing the railroad and the train crossing the street were filmed, then composited together to give the illusion of the train narrowly missing the cars. A long steel rod was used as a ramp for Toretto's car to crash through the semi-truck and fly in mid-air.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: An alternate ending titled "More than Furious" was filmed, in which Tanner drops Brian off at the Toretto home, where he encounters Mia packing, intending to move away. Brian reveals that he resigned from the LAPD, who let him go quietly, and that he wants another chance with her. When Mia tells him that it's not going to be that simple, Brian tells her that he's got time. This ending was released in the collection bundle DVD version.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: During the filming of the movie, seventy-eight cars were wrecked both on and off-screen. Out of the seventy-eight cars, three cars were shown being destroyed in the film's trailer alone.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: The film's score was composed by music producer BT, mixing electronica with hip-hop and industrial influences. Two soundtracks were released for the film. The first one features mostly hip-hop and rap music. The second one, titled "More Fast and Furious", features alternative metal, post-grunge and nu metal songs, as well as select tracks from BT's score.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: "The Fast and the Furious" was released on June 22, 2001, in North America and ranked #1 at the box office ahead of "Dr. Dolittle 2", "" and "", earning $40,089,015 during its opening weekend. The film became one of the four consecutive Universal films of 2001 to gross $40 million in their opening weekends, with the others being "Jurassic Park III", "American Pie 2" and "The Mummy Returns". Its widest release was 2,889 theaters. During its run, the film has made a domestic total of $144,533,925 along with an international total of $62,750,000 bringing its worldwide total of $207,283,925 on a budget of $38 million.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: "The Fast and the Furious" was released on DVD and VHS on January 2, 2002. The DVD release sold 2.1 million copies during its first day of release, making it the second-highest single-day DVD sales of any film, behind "Pearl Harbor". The film also made $18.6 million in DVD rentals, which was the highest at the time, beating "Cast Away". It would hold this record for four months until it was surpassed by "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" that May. More than 5.5 million home video units were sold by April 2002. A second DVD, dubbed the "Tricked Out Edition", was released on June 3, 2003, and features "The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious", a short film that set the tone of the film's sequel. An abridged version of the short film is also on the sequel's DVD release.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Racing Champions released diecast metal replicas of the film's cars in different scales from 1/18 to 1/64. RadioShack sold ZipZaps micro RC versions of the cars in 2002. 1/24 scale plastic model kits of the hero cars were manufactured by AMT Ertl.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, "The Fast and the Furious" has an approval rating of 54% based on 154 reviews, and an average rating of 5.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Sleek and shiny on the surface, "The Fast and the Furious" recalls those cheesy teenage exploitation flicks of the 1950s." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Todd McCarthy of "Variety" called the film "a gritty and gratifying cheap thrill, Rob Cohen's high-octane hot-car meller is a true rarity these days, a really good exploitationer, the sort of thing that would rule at drive-ins if they still existed." Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" called it "an action picture that's surprising in the complexity of its key characters and portents of tragedy." Vin Diesel's portrayal of Dominic Torretto won praise, with Reece Pendleton of the "Chicago Reader" writing that "Diesel carries the movie with his unsettling mix of Zen-like tranquillity and barely controlled rage."


title: The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

text: Other reviews were more mixed. Susan Wloszczyna of "USA Today" gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, saying that Cohen "at least knows how to keep matters moving and the action sequences exciting." Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a C, saying it "works hard to be exciting, but the movie scarcely lives up to its title." Rita Kempley of "The Washington Post" gave the film a scathing review, calling it ""Rebel Without a Cause" without a cause. "The Young and the Restless" with gas fumes. "The Quick and the Dead" with skid marks." Paul Clinton of CNN wrote that Cohen "created a high-octane, rubber-burning extravaganza" but he criticized the film for "plot holes you could drive the proverbial truck through" and an "idiotic" ending.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Rizwan Ahmed (; ; born ) is a British actor and rapper. As an actor, he has won an Emmy Award and has received nominations for a Golden Globe and three British Independent Film Awards, and as a rapper he has won an Academy Award for the short film "The Long Goodbye", based on his album of the same name. He was initially known for his work in independent films such as "The Road to Guantanamo " (2006), "Shifty" (2008), "Four Lions" (2010), "Trishna" (2011), "Ill Manors" (2012), and "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" (2013), before his breakout role in "Nightcrawler" (2014).


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2016, he appeared in the action film "Jason Bourne", and played Bodhi Rook in the "Star Wars" "anthology" film "Rogue One". He also starred as a young man accused of murder in the HBO miniseries "The Night Of", earning critical acclaim. At the 2017 Emmy Awards, he received two nominations, for his performance in "The Night Of" and his guest role in "Girls"; he won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for the former, becoming the first South Asian male to win an acting Emmy, and the first Muslim and first South Asian to win a lead acting Emmy. He went on to play Carlton Drake / Riot in the superhero film "Venom" (2018) and drummer Ruben Stone in the drama film "Sound of Metal" (2019), a role for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: As a rapper, he is a member of the Swet Shop Boys, earned critical acclaim with the hip hop albums "Microscope" and "Cashmere", and earned commercial success featuring in the "Billboard" 200 chart topping "Hamilton Mixtape", with his song "Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)" winning an MTV Video Music Award. As an activist, he is known for his political rap music, has been involved in raising awareness and funds for Rohingya and Syrian refugee children, and has advocated representation at the House of Commons. In 2017, he was included on the front cover of the annual "Time" 100 list of the most influential people in the world.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Ahmed was born on 1 December 1982 in Wembley, a suburb in the London Borough of Brent, to a British-Pakistani family of Muhajir background. His parents moved to England from Karachi, Pakistan, during the 1970s. Ahmed's father is a shipping broker, and he is a descendant of Shah Muhammad Sulaiman, the first Muslim Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court during British colonial rule in India.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Ahmed attended Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, through a scholarship programme. He graduated from Christ Church, Oxford University, with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). He experienced a culture shock at Oxford, nearly dropping out due to the isolating atmosphere. Instead, Ahmed organized parties to celebrate cultures which did not conform to the dominant "elitist, white" and "black-tie" culture of Oxford. He later studied acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Ahmed's film career began in the 2006 Michael Winterbottom film "The Road to Guantánamo", in which he played the part of Shafiq Rasul, a member of the Tipton Three. He and another actor involved in the film were detained at Luton Airport upon their return from the Berlin Film Festival where the film won a Silver Bear Award. Ahmed alleged that during questioning, police asked him whether he had become an actor to further the Islamic cause, questioned him on his views of the Iraq War, verbally abused him, and denied him access to a telephone.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2007, he portrayed Sohail Waheed in the Channel 4 drama, "Britz". Ahmed then portrayed Riq in the five-part horror thriller "Dead Set" for E4 and Manesh Kunzru in ITV1's "Wired" in 2008. Also that year he played a primary school teacher in Staffroom Monologues for the specialist channel "Teachers TV". In July 2009, he appeared in "Freefall" alongside Sarah Harding. He featured in the title role of the 2009 independent film "Shifty", directed by Eran Creevy. Ahmed plays a charismatic young drug dealer in the film which sees a life in the day of this character. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 2008 British Independent Film Awards.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Continuing his film career, he featured in the 2009 Sally Potter production of "Rage" and in 2010, in Chris Morris' satire on terrorism, "Four Lions", for which he received his second British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Actor. Ahmed also had a supporting role in Neil Marshall's historical thriller "Centurion". In 2012, he starred as one of the leading roles in the London-based film "Ill Manors", directed by Plan B. Ahmed received his third British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Actor. He assumed the lead role in Mira Nair's adaptation of the best-selling novel by Mohsin Hamid, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist", alongside Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, and Liev Schreiber.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Ahmed is also known for his stage performances such as in the Asian Dub Foundation opera "Gaddafi" and a starring role as psychotic serial-killer-turned-born-again-Christian Lucius in the Lighthouse Theatre's acclaimed production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" (directed by Jack William Clift and Thomas Sweatman) as well as in Shan Khan's "Prayer Room".


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Ahmed directed and wrote a 2014 short film, "Daytimer". It won the Best Live Action Short award at Nashville Film Festival, and was nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2014, Ahmed appeared in Dan Gilroy's "Nightcrawler". Ahmed received acclaim for his portrayal in the film and gained numerous awards nominations during awards season. Riz Ahmed was one of seventy-five actors to audition for the role of Rick. The British actor was attending a friend's wedding in Los Angeles, when his talent agent suggested he meet Gilroy to discuss the film's script. Gilroy told Ahmed that he had seen his previous work; he was not fit for the role, but still allowed him to audition. Within the first minute of his audition tape, however, Gilroy felt confident in the actor's abilities. To prepare for the role, Ahmed met with homeless people in Skid Row, and researched homeless shelters to "understand the system". He found that most of the people dealt with abandonment issues, and attempted to replicate this in Rick's abusive relationship with Lou.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2016, he appeared in "Rogue One", the first film in the new "Star Wars" anthology films as Bodhi Rook, a defected imperial pilot. The film garnered critical acclaim and earned Ahmed a nomination for the Best Male Newcomer at the Empire Awards. The film was a commercial success and became Disney's fourth of 2016 to earn $1 billion in ticket sales. It is the second highest-grossing film of 2016, the third highest-grossing "Star Wars" film, and the 22nd highest-grossing film of all time, all unadjusted for inflation. In the United States, it was the top-grossing film of 2016. "Deadline Hollywood" calculated the net profit of the film to be $319.6 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film, making it the 3rd most profitable release of 2016.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2016, Ahmed played the role of Nasir "Naz" Khan in the HBO miniseries "The Night Of", and once again received universal praise for his performance, earning him Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. He also appeared in the final season of "Girls", earning him another Emmy nomination. At the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, Ahmed won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in "The Night Of", winning over Robert De Niro, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Geoffrey Rush and co-star John Turturro. This made Ahmed the first Asian and first Muslim to win in the category, the first South Asian male to win an acting Emmy, and the first Muslim and first South Asian to win a lead acting Emmy; the only previous South Asian to win an acting Emmy was British Asian actress Archie Panjabi for a supporting role in 2010.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2017, it was rumoured that Ahmed was to play "Hamlet" in a Netflix adaptation of the Shakespeare play, which Ahmed later confirmed.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2018, Ahmed starred in "Venom" in the dual role of Carlton Drake, the Life Foundation's leader experimenting on symbiotes, and Riot, a symbiote team leader allied with Drake who seeks to invade Earth. Ahmed explained that Drake is trying to save the future of humanity when he discovers the symbiote, with Fleischer adding that Drake has a positive goal but a "moral ambiguity" that leads to him testing his science on other people.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: As of 2018, films that Riz Ahmed has been involved in, have collectively grossed at the worldwide box office.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Following his mixtape under the same name, Ahmed's "Englistan", an original TV series was commissioned by BBC Two and Left Handed Films in 2018. The series will tell the story of three generations of a British Pakistani family. Ahmed describes the series as "a period drama – unlike any other period drama you have seen before." More currently, his production company secured a first look deal with Amazon.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Ahmed starred in the American drama film "Sound of Metal", which was distributed by Amazon Studios and released in 2020, after having premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. Ahmed plays a drummer who loses his hearing. The film co-stars Olivia Cooke as his girlfriend, and Paul Raci as the leader of a Deaf retreat. "IndieWire" film critic Eric Kohn praised Ahmed's performance, writing "Ahmed's so believable that he keeps the suspense of the drama in play even as it pushes into contrived circumstances during the prolonged final act, and eventually takes a melodramatic plunge." For his performance he has received Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Award, Critics Choice Award, and Independent Spirit Award nominations. He is the first Muslim and Pakistani actor to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2021, Ahmed also executive produced the animated documentary film "Flee" which made its international debut at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was universally praised by critics and nominated for Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature at the 94th Academy Awards .


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In February 2021, Ahmed was nominated and won in the best debut screenwriter category for the film "Mogul Mowgli" at the delayed British Independent Film Awards 2020. Starring in the main role as a British-Pakistani rapper, "The Guardian" film critic Wendy Ide praised his "blistering performance" on screen.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In August 2021, Ahmed was named as head of the Platform Prize jury for the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. In November 2021, Ahmed was announced as a recipient of the Richard Harris Award, which is given to an actor or actress who has "contributed significantly to British films throughout their career".


title: Riz Ahmed

text: "The Long Goodbye" also was adapted into a short film, directed by Aneil Karia. It won Best Live Action Short Film at the 94th Academy Awards.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Ahmed is set to voice Ballister Boldheart in "Nimona", which is scheduled for release in 2023 on Netflix.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Inspired by jungle and hip hop music, his music career began in his mid-teens, appearing on pirate radio and in freestyle rap battles. While at university, Ahmed co-founded the Hit & Run night in Oxford, which has since moved to Manchester and gone on to become one of Manchester's leading underground music events. At Oxford, he was also part of a 12-person jazz-house/electronica band called Confidential Collective. After graduating, he competed in and won many rap battle competitions. He competed as Riz MC on JumpOff TV's "Spin the Mic" freestyle rap battle contest in 2006. He beat contestants Stig and Skilla Mic, before a controversial loss to contest winner Whatshisface; according to JumpOff TV, Riz was at a disadvantage due to racial double standards from the crowd.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2006, Ahmed recorded a satirical social-commentary rap track entitled "Post 9/11 Blues", which he wrote after being detained in Luton. It was leaked by friends and first gained popularity through the internet. The song was initially banned from British airplay because the lyrics were deemed "politically sensitive", including satirical references to 9/11, terrorism, the post-9/11 climate, Iraq War, death of Jean Charles de Menezes, the MI6, and Belmarsh prison. The resulting press coverage, however, prompted some independent radio stations to play the track. He soon founded his own independent record label, Battered Records, officially releasing "Post 9/11 Blues" for the CD and MP3 formats in August 2006. He went on to win Best MC at the 2006 Asian Music Awards. He released his second single in 2007, the garage rap song "People Like People". He was selected as a BBC Introducing artist in 2007, playing the Glastonbury Festival and the BBC Electric Proms. He opened the Meltdown Festival with Bristol-based trip-hop group Massive Attack at the Royal Festival Hall in 2008, and was appointed 'Emerging Artist in Residence' at the Southbank Centre in London. He played at the London Camp for Climate Action in August 2009.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2011, he released his debut album, "Microscope", which was re-released with additional remixes in 2012. On 1 December 2011, it was announced that Riz MC had signed to Tru Thoughts, an independent label in Brighton. From "Microscope", he released "Sour Times" which was accompanied by a video featuring Scroobius Pip, Plan B, Tom Hardy, and Jim Sturgess. Formed in 2014, Ahmed is half of the hip hop duo Swet Shop Boys along with Heems. Their debut release, "Swet Shop" EP, was released in 2014. The group's debut full-length effort, "Cashmere", was released on 14 October 2016, and received critical acclaim. In 2016, he also released a mixtape, "Englistan". He was featured on the song "Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)" in "The Hamilton Mixtape", which topped the "Billboard" 200 chart. This put him in the unique position of sitting at number-one on both the Billboard 200 album chart and the movie box office chart (with "Rogue One") at the same time. At the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), "Immigrants" won the award for Best Fight Against the System, giving him the rare distinction of winning both the Emmy and VMA awards.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In 2018, Sadia Habib and Shaf Choudry, two researchers in the UK, were inspired by Ahmed to determine a method to quantify the nature of Muslim representation in film and TV. Ultimately they came up with a test they named "The Riz Test", which has been compared to the Bechdel test. The test came about following a speech given by Ahmed in 2017 at the House of Commons, in which he addressed what he views as a lack of diversity in film and television. Ahmed has spoken about the lack of accurate representation of Muslims in the arts, and often expresses these views on social media.


title: Riz Ahmed

text: The Riz Test has five parts which, according to the creators, serve to highlight and combat the stereotypes of Muslims found in characters in films and on TV:


title: Riz Ahmed

text: One of the tests' creators, Shaf Choudry, describes the test as not being "a scientific measure of Islamophobia, it’s more to prop conversation."


title: Riz Ahmed

text: Ahmed acknowledged the test in 2018, expressing his surprise at the test being named after him and writing on Twitter that he was "glad to see this" and that he thought it was "much needed."


title: Riz Ahmed

text: As a Muslim, Ahmed has spoken candidly about negative stereotyping of Muslims, both in a personal and societal context. As an activist, he has been involved in raising funds for Syrian refugee children and advocating representation at the House of Commons. He has also been involved in raising awareness of the displacement of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, and raising funds for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. In 2013, Ahmed provided journalist Hardeep Singh with a formal apology for a tweet he had published in which he called Singh a "bigot" and falsely accused him of attempted assault. Ahmed also agreed to pay him substantial damages for libel and his legal costs. In 2016, he contributed an essay on racial profiling at airports, auditions and the implicit need to leave himself at a door to be waved through for the anthology book, "The Good Immigrant".


title: Riz Ahmed

text: In January 2021, Ahmed revealed on the podcast "Grounded with Louis Theroux" that he had recently married. Several days later, he revealed that he had married American novelist Fatima Farheen Mirza.


title: Dave McCary

text: David Lawrence McCary (born July 2, 1985) is an American comedian, writer, and director. From 2013 to 2019, he served as a segment director for "Saturday Night Live" and was also the main director for the first two seasons of the popular web series "Epic Rap Battles of History". During college he formed sketch comedy group Good Neighbor. He is married to actress Emma Stone, with whom he has a daughter.


title: Dave McCary

text: McCary lived with his childhood friend Kyle Mooney while Mooney attended the University of Southern California but dropped out after his second year. It was there that McCary met future Good Neighbor members Nick Rutherford and Beck Bennett.


title: Dave McCary

text: In 2007, McCary came together with Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett, and Nick Rutherford to form the sketch comedy group Good Neighbor. Prior to landing on "SNL", Good Neighbor had just finished filming a Comedy Central pilot, "The Good Neighbor Show", that was produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay via their company Gary Sanchez. "SNL" reportedly had to work with Comedy Central to get them out of their contract so they could join the long-running sketch show. During this time, McCary directed the first two seasons of "Epic Rap Battles of History".


title: Dave McCary

text: In 2013, McCary joined "Saturday Night Live" for its thirty-ninth season as a segment director along with Good Neighbor co-founders Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett, who joined as featured players, and Nick Rutherford, who joined as a staff writer.


title: Dave McCary

text: In 2017, McCary directed comedy-drama film "Brigsby Bear" produced by The Lonely Island. The film stars Kyle Mooney, Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Ryan Simpkins. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017, and was released on July 28, 2017 by Sony Pictures Classics.


title: Dave McCary

text: In August 2020, McCary and his wife Emma Stone's production company, Fruit Tree Productions, signed a two-year first-look television deal with A24.


title: Dave McCary

text: McCary began dating actress Emma Stone in October 2017. McCary and Stone announced their engagement on December 4, 2019 and married the following year. In January 2021, it was reported that Stone was pregnant with their first child, who was born on March 13, 2021. McCary and Stone named their daughter Louise Jean McCary - a tribute to Stone's grandmother, Jean Louise; Jean is also Stone's middle name.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Basic Instinct is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy rock star. During the investigation, Curran becomes involved in a torrid and intense relationship with the prime suspect, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), an enigmatic writer.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Eszterhas developed the script in the 1980s. It became a subject of a bidding war until Carolco Pictures acquired the rights to the film. From there, Verhoeven signed on to direct and Douglas and Stone joined the project, after many actresses were considered for the role of Tramell. Before its release, "Basic Instinct" generated controversy due to its overt sexuality and violence, including a rape scene. Gay rights activists criticized the film's depiction of homosexual relationships and the portrayal of a bisexual woman as a murderous psychopath. Most infamously, in one scene, Stone's vulva was filmed as she crossed her legs, which she claimed was done without her knowledge, a claim denied by the director.


title: Basic Instinct

text: "Basic Instinct" premiered in Los Angeles on March 18, 1992, and was released in the United States by TriStar Pictures on March 20, 1992. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of its cast, original score and editing, but criticized its writing and character development. Despite these reviews and public protest, "Basic Instinct" was a box office success, grossing $352 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1992 behind Disney's "Aladdin", "The Bodyguard" and "". Several versions of the film have been released on videocassette, DVD and Blu-ray including a director's cut with extended footage previously unseen in North American cinemas.


title: Basic Instinct

text: The film was later recognized for its groundbreaking depictions of sexuality in mainstream Hollywood cinema, and was described by one scholar as "a neo-film noir masterpiece that plays with, and transgresses, the narrative rules of film noir." A sequel released 14 years later, "Basic Instinct 2", also starred Stone and was made without Verhoeven's involvement; the sequel received negative reviews and was relatively unsuccessful.


title: Basic Instinct

text: In San Francisco, homicide detective Nick Curran investigates the murder of retired rock star Johnny Boz, who has been stabbed to death with an ice pick during sex with a mysterious blonde woman. Nick's only suspect is Boz's girlfriend, crime novelist Catherine Tramell, who has written a novel that mirrors the crime. It is concluded that either Catherine is the murderer or someone is attempting to frame her. Catherine is uncooperative and taunting during the investigation, smoking and exposing herself during her interrogation. She passes a lie detector test and is released. Nick discovers Catherine has a history of befriending murderers, including her girlfriend Roxy, who impulsively killed her two younger brothers when she was 16 years of age, and Hazel Dobkins, who killed her husband and children for no apparent reason.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Nick, who accidentally shot two tourists while high on cocaine during an undercover assignment, attends counseling sessions with police psychologist Dr. Beth Garner, with whom he has an on-and-off affair. Nick discovers that Catherine is basing the protagonist of her latest book on him, wherein his character is murdered after falling for the wrong woman. Nick suspects that Catherine has bribed Lt. Marty Nielsen of Internal Affairs for information from Nick's psychiatric file and that Beth had previously given it to Nielsen after he threatened to recommend Nick's termination. Nick assaults Nielsen in his office, and later becomes a prime suspect when Nielsen is killed. Nick suspects Catherine, and when his behavior deteriorates, he is put on leave.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Nick and Catherine begin a torrid affair with the air of a cat-and-mouse game. Nick arrives at a club and witnesses Catherine doing cocaine with Roxy and another man. Nick and Catherine dance and make out, and are later observed by Roxy, having violent sex in Catherine's bed. Catherine ties Nick to the headboard with a white silk scarf, just as Boz was tied by the mystery blonde, but does not kill him. Roxy, jealous of Nick, attempts to run him over with Catherine's car, but dies when the car crashes. Catherine grieves over Roxy's death and tells Nick about a previous lesbian encounter at college that went awry. She claims that the girl became obsessed with her, causing Nick to believe that Catherine may not have killed Boz. Nick identifies the girl as Beth, who acknowledges the encounter, but she claims it was Catherine who became obsessed. Additionally, Nick discovers that a college professor of Beth and Catherine's was also killed with an ice pick in an unsolved homicide, and that the events inspired one of Catherine's early novels.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Nick comes across the final pages of Catherine's book in which the fictional detective finds his partner's body in an elevator. Catherine then breaks off their affair, causing Nick to become upset and suspicious. Nick later meets his partner Gus Moran, who has arranged to meet with Catherine's college roommate at an office building, hoping to reveal what really went on between Catherine and Beth. As Nick waits in the car, Gus is stabbed to death with an ice pick in the elevator. Recalling the last pages of Catherine's book, Nick runs into the building, only to find Gus' body in a manner similar to the scene described. Beth unexpectedly arrives and explains that she received a message to meet Gus. Nick suspects Beth has murdered Gus and, believing that she is reaching for a gun, shoots her, but discovers that Beth was only fiddling with an ornament on her key chain.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Evidence collected at the scene and in Beth's apartment implicates her as the killer of Boz, Nielsen, Moran and her own husband, along with collections of photos and newspaper clippings of Catherine that imply an obsession with her. Nick is left confused and dejected. He returns to his apartment where Catherine meets him. She explains her reluctance to commit to him, as, people she cares about keep dying; but then, the two have sex. As they discuss their future, an ice pick is revealed to be under the bed.


title: Basic Instinct

text: The screenplay, written in the 1980s, prompted a bidding war until it was purchased by Carolco Pictures for US$3 million. Eszterhas, who had been the creative source for several other blockbusters, including "Flashdance" (1983) and "Jagged Edge" (1985), wrote the film in 13 days. Verhoeven had suggested changes to the script that Eszterhas disagreed with, one of which included a lesbian sex scene that Eszterhas called "exploitative." With Verhoeven unwilling to budge, Eszterhas and producer Irwin Winkler left the production.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Gary Goldman was subsequently hired to do four different re-writes of the script, at the advice of Verhoeven. After the fourth re-write, Verhoeven admitted his proposals were "undramatic" and "really stupid". By the fifth draft, the script had reverted to Eszterhas' original, with minor visual and dialogue changes. Joe Eszterhas received sole writing credit for the film.


title: Basic Instinct

text: In preparation for the car chase scene, Douglas drove up the steps on Kearny Street in San Francisco for four nights by himself. Douglas recommended Kim Basinger for the role of Catherine Tramell, but Basinger declined. He also proposed Julia Roberts, Greta Scacchi and Meg Ryan, but they also turned down the role, as did Michelle Pfeiffer, Geena Davis, Kathleen Turner, Kelly Lynch, Ellen Barkin and Mariel Hemingway. Verhoeven considered Demi Moore. Stone, who was eventually selected for the role, was a relative unknown until the success of this film, but had previously worked with Verhoeven on "Total Recall". Verhoeven said her quick change of emotion before her character was killed in "Total Recall" prompted him to select her for the part. "That transition for me was so notable. The evil in her eyes changes into the love of her life in a couple seconds." She was paid $500,000, a low sum relative to the film's production budget. Michael Douglas was determined to have another A-list actress starring in the movie with him; worried to take the risk on his own, he was quoted as saying "I need someone to share the risks of this movie. [...] I don't want to be up there all by myself. There's going to be a lot of shit flying around."


title: Basic Instinct

text: Filming in San Francisco was attended by gay and lesbian rights activists and demonstrators, and San Francisco Police Department riot police were present at every location daily to deal with the crowds. Protesters outside of filming locations held signs that said "Honk if you love the 49ers" and "Honk if you love men". The protesters used lasers and whistles to interfere with the filming. Even though the police were on set and a restraining order was in place, producer Alan Marshall individually picked out each protester he wanted arrested. This disrupted production, leading to a citizen's arrest of Marshall, which didn't lead to anything with the local police department.


title: Basic Instinct

text: In one scene, Stone's vulva was filmed as she crossed her legs. Stone later said she believed the character's not wearing underwear would only be alluded to and not shown. She said she had been wearing white knickers until Verhoeven said they reflected light on the camera lens and asked her to take them off, assuring her that only shadow would be visible. Stone said that it was not until she saw the film in a screening room with a test audience that she became aware of it, leading her to slap Verhoeven in the face and leave the screening. However, Verhoeven denied her claim, and said she was fully aware in advance that her vulva would be filmed.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Jeanne Tripplehorn maintains that the notorious scene in which her character and Douglas' had brutal, bruising sex was somewhat "lighter" when described to her by Verhoeven before shooting.


title: Basic Instinct

text: The film score to "Basic Instinct" was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, and garnered him nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Goldsmith said, ""Basic Instinct" was probably the most difficult I've ever done. It's a very convoluted story with very unorthodox characters. It's a murder mystery, but it isn't really a murder mystery. The director, Paul Verhoeven, had a very clear idea of how the woman should be, and I had a hard time getting it. Because of Paul pushing me, I think it's one of the best scores I've ever written. It was a true collaboration."


title: Basic Instinct

text: Apart from the score, professionally released music did not play a major part in the film. The scene in which source music plays a prominent role occurs during the club scene; Curran, Tramell and Roxy are seen at Downtown San Francisco. It features "Blue" by Chicago house music performer LaTour and "Rave the Rhythm" by the group Channel X. It also features "Movin' on Up" by Jeff Barry and Ja'Net DuBois. Chris Rea's "Looking for the Summer" is heard during the scene between Douglas and his partner at Mac's Diner.


title: Basic Instinct

text: The soundtrack was released on March 17, 1992. A considerably expanded release of Goldsmith's score, featuring previously omitted sections and alternative compositions of certain elements, was issued by Prometheus Records in 2004.


title: Basic Instinct

text: "Basic Instinct" is rated R for "strong violence and sensuality, and for drug use and language". It was initially given a commercially restrictive NC-17 rating by the MPAA for "graphic depictions of extremely explicit violence, sexual content and strong language", but under pressure from TriStar and Carolco, Verhoeven cut 35 to 40 seconds to gain an R rating. Verhoeven described the changes in a March 1992 article in "The New York Times":


title: Basic Instinct

text: Following the theatrical version, the film was first released in its uncut format in an unrated version onto video in 1992, running at 129 minutes. This was followed by a DVD release in 1997, in a "bare bones" format that contained the R-rated version. A 'collector's edition' was released on DVD in 2001, containing the uncut version of the film with a commentary by Camille Paglia and a small ice pick (the villain's weapon of choice). This version of the film, running 127 minutes, was re-released twice: in 2003 and 2006.


title: Basic Instinct

text: In March 2006, the unrated version (also known as the 'director's cut') was re-released on DVD and labeled as the 'ultimate edition'. In 2007, the film was released on Blu-ray with the 'director's cut' label.


title: Basic Instinct

text: The film was cut by 35 to 40 seconds to avoid an NC-17 rating on its theatrical release in 1992, with some violence and sexually explicit content removed. The missing or censored material (later released on video and DVD unrated as the director's cut) included:


title: Basic Instinct

text: The film was released in the UK by StudioCanal on restored 4K Ultra HD 'collector's edition', a remastered Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on June 14, 2021. The film was released in Australia on July 7 and New Zealand on July 14, 2021. Restoration was done during 2019 and 2020 from the original 35MM negative and supervised by the director. A new special feature includes a documentary titled "Basic Instinct, Sex, Death & Stone".


title: Basic Instinct

text: "Basic Instinct" opened in theaters in the United States and Canada on March 20, 1992 and was one of the highest-grossing films of 1992. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $15 million opening at number one at the US box office. It returned to number one in its fifth week where it remained for four weeks. It went on to gross $117.7 million in the United States and Canada and was the highest-grossing film for the calendar year worldwide grossing $352,927,224, which eventually ranked the fourth-highest-grossing film released in 1992. It had a record opening in Italy with a gross of $5.44 million for the week from 155 screens and was number one for four weeks. It was the highest-grossing film for the year in Italy with a gross of $20 million. It was the highest-grossing film in Spain of all time with a gross of $21.6 million. In the United Kingdom, it was number one for three weeks and was the highest-grossing film for the year in the UK with a gross of £15.5 million. It was also number one for the year in France ($27 million), Germany (4.5 million admissions), South Africa ($3 million), Iceland and Ireland. In Australia, it was number one for three weeks and the second-highest-grossing film for the year with a gross of A$13.1 million.


title: Basic Instinct

text: "Basic Instinct"s critical reaction was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 57% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 6.20/10 and the consensus that "Unevenly echoing the work of Alfred Hitchcock, "Basic Instinct" contains a star-making performance from Sharon Stone, but is ultimately undone by its problematic, overly lurid plot." On Metacritic the film holds a score of 41 based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" praised the film, saying ""Basic Instinct" transfers Mr. Verhoeven's flair for action-oriented material to the realm of Hitchcockian intrigue, and the results are viscerally effective even when they don't make sense." Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" also praised the film, saying it was a guilty pleasure film; he also expressed admiration for Verhoeven's direction, saying "[his] cinematic wet dream delivers the goods, especially when Sharon Stone struts on with enough come-on carnality to singe the screen," and praised Stone's performance: "Stone, a former model, is a knockout; she even got a rise out of Ah-nold in Verhoeven's "Total Recall". But being the bright spot in too many dull movies ("He Said, She Said"; "Irreconcilable Differences") stalled her career. Though "Basic Instinct" establishes Stone as a bombshell for the Nineties, it also shows she can nail a laugh or shade an emotion with equal aplomb."


title: Basic Instinct

text: Australian critic Shannon J. Harvey of the "Sunday Times" calling it one of the "1990s['] finest productions, doing more for female empowerment than any feminist rally. Stone—in her star-making performance—is as hot and sexy as she is ice-pick cold."


title: Basic Instinct

text: The film had many detractors. Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" awarded it two out of four stars, saying the film was well crafted but died down in the last half-hour: "The film is like a crossword puzzle. It keeps your interest until you solve it. Then it's just a worthless scrap with the spaces filled in." Dave Kehr of the "Chicago Tribune" also gave a negative review, calling it psychologically empty: "Verhoeven does not explore the dark side, but merely exploits it, and that makes all the difference in the world."


title: Basic Instinct

text: The film generated controversy due to its graphic sexuality and violence, including the truncated rape scene. Gay rights activists protested during filming, saying it followed a pattern of negative depictions of homosexuals in film. Members of the lesbian and bisexual activist group LABIA protested against the film on its opening night. Others also picketed theatres to dissuade people from attending screenings, carrying signs saying "Kiss My Ice Pick", "Hollywood Promotes Anti-Gay Violence" and "Catherine Did It!"/"Save Your Money—The Bisexual Did It". Verhoeven himself defended the groups' right to protest, but criticized the disruptions they caused, saying "Fascism is not in raising your voice; the fascism is in not accepting the no."


title: Basic Instinct

text: Film critic Roger Ebert mentioned the controversy in his review, saying "As for the allegedly offensive homosexual characters: The movie's protesters might take note of the fact that this film's heterosexuals, starting with Douglas, are equally offensive. Still, there is a point to be made about Hollywood's unremitting insistence on typecasting homosexuals—particularly lesbians—as twisted and evil." Camille Paglia denounced gay activist and feminist protests against "Basic Instinct", and called Sharon Stone's performance "one of the great performances by a woman in screen history", praising her character as "a great vamp figure, like Mona Lisa herself, like a pagan goddess".


title: Basic Instinct

text: The film was also criticized for glamorizing cigarette smoking. Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas was later diagnosed with throat cancer and publicly apologized for glamorizing smoking in his films.


title: Basic Instinct

text: Since the release of the film, Stone alleged multiple times that a scene in which her vulva was exposed as she crossed her legs was filmed without her knowledge. In her "Inside the Actors Studio" interview in 1998, Stone said of the experience that, while she was initially angry, she realized the director's decision was the right one, saying "And I thought about it for a few days and I knew in my heart, he was right. I hated that it existed, I hated it more than he stole it from me instead of allowing me to choose. But he was right." In 2021, Stone alleged once again in her memoir that she was misled by Verhoeven with regard to the circumstance of the filming of the scene even though she ultimately did not seek an injunction against it. Verhoeven responded that it was "impossible" and "she knew exactly what we were doing." However, despite having a "radically different" memory about the particular scene, he praised Stone's performance and said they're on good terms.


title: Basic Instinct

text: During the trial of the murder of Jun Lin, the prosecution stated that Luka Magnotta was inspired by the film and Stone's character, Catherine Tramell.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza (natively and officially in , see below) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its largest settlements are Ibiza Town (, or simply ), Santa Eulària des Riu, and Sant Antoni de Portmany. Its highest point, called Sa Talaiassa (or Sa Talaia), is above sea level.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza is well known for its nightlife and electronic dance music club scene in the summer, which attract large numbers of tourists. The island's government and the Spanish Tourist Office have worked toward promoting more family-oriented tourism.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ibiza and the nearby island of Formentera to its south are called the Pine Islands, or "Pityuses".


title: Ibiza

text: The official, Catalan name is "Eivissa" (). Its name in Spanish is "Ibiza" (). In British English, the name is usually pronounced in an approximation of the Peninsular Spanish variant ( ), whereas in American English the pronunciation is closer to the Latin American Spanish variant ( , , and so forth).


title: Ibiza

text: Phoenician colonists called the island "Ibossim" or "Iboshim" (, , "Dedicated to Bes"). It was later known to Romans as "Ebusus". The Greeks called the two islands of Ibiza and Formentera the "Pityoûssai" (, "Pine-Covered Islands"). The Catalan name and the Spanish name retain this Greek root.


title: Ibiza

text: In the 18th and 19th centuries the island was known to the British and especially to the Royal Navy as "Ivica".


title: Ibiza

text: In 654 BC, Phoenician settlers founded a port on Ibiza. With the decline of Phoenicia after the Assyrian invasions, Ibiza came under the control of Carthage, also a former Phoenician colony. The island produced dye, salt, fish sauce (garum) and wool.


title: Ibiza

text: A shrine with offerings to the goddess Tanit was established in the cave at Es Cuieram, and the rest of the Balearic Islands entered Eivissa's commercial orbit after 400 BC. Ibiza was a major trading post along the Mediterranean routes. Ibiza began establishing its own trading stations along the nearby Balearic island of Majorca, such as "Na Guardis", and "Na Galera" where numerous Balearic mercenaries hired on, no doubt as slingers, to fight for Carthage.


title: Ibiza

text: During the Second Punic War, the island was assaulted by the two Scipio brothers (Publius and Gnaeus) in 217 BC but remained loyal to Carthage. With the Carthaginian military failing on the Iberian mainland, Ibiza was last used, 205 B.C, by the fleeing Carthaginian general Mago to gather supplies and men before sailing to Menorca and then to Liguria. Ibiza negotiated a favorable treaty (Foedus) with the Romans, which spared Ibiza from further destruction and allowed it to continue its Carthaginian-Punic institutions, traditions and even coinage well into the Empire days, when it became an official Roman municipality.


title: Ibiza

text: After the fall of the Western Roman Empire and a brief period of first Vandal and then Byzantine rule, the island was conquered by the Muslims in 902, the few remaining locals converted to Islam and Berber settlers came in. Under Islamic rule, Ibiza (Yabisah) came in close contact with the city of Dénia—the closest port in the nearby Iberian peninsula, located in the Valencian Community—and the two areas were administered jointly by the Taifa of Dénia during some time (11th century).


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza, together with the islands of Formentera and Menorca, were invaded by the Norwegian King Sigurd I of Norway in the spring of 1110 on his crusade to Jerusalem. The king had previously conquered the cities of Sintra, Lisbon and Alcácer do Sal and given them over to Christian rulers, in an effort to weaken the Muslim grip on the Iberian peninsula. King Sigurd continued to Sicily where he visited King Roger II of Sicily.


title: Ibiza

text: The island was conquered by Aragonese King James I in 1235. The local Muslim population got deported, as was the case with neighboring Majorca and elsewhere, and Christians arrived from Girona. The island maintained its own self-government in several forms until 1715, when King Philip V of Spain abolished the local government's autonomy. The arrival of democracy in the late 1970s led to the Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands. Today, the island is part of the Balearic Autonomous Community, along with Majorca, Menorca and Formentera.


title: Ibiza

text: Though primarily known for its party scene, large portions of the island are registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.


title: Ibiza

text: A notable example includes the Renaissance walls of the old town of Ibiza City, which were awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1999. They are one of the world's few Renaissance walls that were not demolished, and part of the medieval wall is still visible. There are some Ibizan cultural sites, such as the remains of the first Phoenician settlement at Sa Caleta. Other sites are still under threat from the developers, such as Ses Feixes Wetlands, but this site has now been recognised as a threatened environment, and it is expected that steps will be taken to preserve this wetland. The oceanic plant "Posidonia oceanica" is also part of UNESCO's World Heritage.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza is a rock island covering an area of , almost six times smaller than Majorca, but over five times larger than Mykonos (in the Greek Isles) or 10 times larger than Manhattan in New York City.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza is the larger of a group of the western Balearic archipelago called the Pityusic Islands ("Pitiusas") or "Pine Islands" composed of itself and Formentera. The Balearic island chain includes over 50 islands, many of which are uninhabited. The highest point of the island is Sa Talaiassa, also known as Sa Talaia or Sa Talaia de Sant Josep at .


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza is administratively part of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, whose capital is Palma, on the island of Majorca. Ibiza comprises five of the region's 67 municipalities:


title: Ibiza

text: At the 2001 census these municipalities had a total population of 88,076 inhabitants, which had risen to an officially estimated 147,914 by the start of 2019, and have a land area of .


title: Ibiza

text: The island's self-government institution is the ("Consell Insular d'Eivissa"). Prior to its split in 2007, Formentera was part of the council.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh), bordering on a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa). The average annual temperature of Ibiza is , being warm and mild throughout the whole year. Ibiza lies at the same latitude as Atlantic City, yet it is much warmer for its location in the Mediterranean Basin. The climate of Ibiza is typically warm, sunny and dry, with low variation between highs and lows. The sunshine hours of Ibiza are 2700-2800 per year, while the yearly rain amount goes from . The average high temperature is , while the average low is . Winters are slightly rainy and mild, from November to April normally the whole island turns green for the seasonal rains. Summers are hot and fairly humid, but with very little rainfall. The few rainy days are often accompanied by thunderstorms. During the coldest month, January, the average high temperature is , while the average low is . In the warmest month, August, the average high temperature is , while the low is . Extreme temperatures are rare for the influence of the sea. The average temperature of the sea in Ibiza is and beach weather usually lasts 7 months, from May to November. The highest temperature ever recorded on Ibiza Airport is on August 13, 2022.


title: Ibiza

text: The typical folkloric dance of Ibiza is "Ball Pagès". The origin of these dances is unknown. Nowadays, this tradition is in the process of recovery, thanks to the efforts of different "Colles" of Ball Pages of the islands.


title: Ibiza

text: The clothing of the dancers is very colorful. The speed of the dance can be slow, medium or fast, although "Sa Llarga", is the most danced way, and it's fast, dynamic and energetic, where the male dancer jumps around the woman and lifts up his legs.


title: Ibiza

text: Demographically, Ibiza displays a very peculiar configuration, as census agencies diverge on exact figures. According to the 2001 national census, Ibiza had 88,076 inhabitants (against 76,000 in 1991, 64,000 in 1981, 45,000 in 1971, and 38,000 in 1961). However, by the 2011 national census, this had grown to 133,594, and by the start of 2019 had reached 147,914. This rapid growth stems from the amnesty which incorporated a number of unregistered foreign migrants. In terms of origin, about 55 percent of island residents were born in Ibiza, 35 percent are domestic migrants from mainland Spain (mostly working-class families from Andalusia, and the remainder from Catalonia, Valencia and Castile), and the remaining 10 to 15 per cent are foreign, dual and multi-national citizens of the EU and abroad (Govern de les Illes Balears – IBAE 1996). In decreasing order, the most commonly visiting foreigners are German, British, Latin American, French, Italian and Dutch.


title: Ibiza

text: The Spanish composer and music theorist Miguel Roig-Francolí was born in Ibiza, as was the politician and Spain's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abel Matutes. Notable former residents of Ibiza include: Spandau Ballet's Steve Norman, English punk musician John Simon Ritchie (Sid Vicious), comic actor Terry-Thomas, Hungarian master forger Elmyr de Hory, American authors Cormac McCarthy and Clifford Irving.


title: Ibiza

text: Eivissenc is the native dialect of Catalan that is spoken on Ibiza and nearby Formentera. Catalan shares co-official status with Spanish. Additionally, because of the influence of tourism and expatriates living in or maintaining residences on the island, other languages, like English, French, German and Italian, are widely spoken.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza is considered to be a popular tourist destination, especially due to its well-known and at times riotous nightclub-based nightlife centred on two areas: Ibiza Town, the island's capital on the southern shore and Sant Antoni to the west. Ibiza has garnered the reputation as the "Party Capital of the world".


title: Ibiza

text: Nightlife in Ibiza has undergone several changes since the island's opening to international tourism in the late 1950s. Origins of today's club culture may be traced back to hippie gatherings held during the 1960s and 1970s. During these, people of various nationalities sharing the hippie ethos would regroup, talk, play music and occasionally take recreational drugs. These would most often happen on beaches during the day, with nude bathing a common sight, and in rented country estates in the evenings or at nights. Apart from this confidential scene, which nevertheless attracted many foreigners to the island, local venues during the 1960s consisted mostly of bars, which would be the meeting points for Ibicencos, ex-pats, seafarers and tourists. The Estrella bar on the port and La Tierra in the old city of Eivissa were favourites.


title: Ibiza

text: During the 1970s, a decade that saw the emergence of the contemporary nightclub, several places opened and made a lasting impact on Ibiza's nightlife. Four of these original clubs are still in operation today: Pacha, Privilege (formerly Ku), Amnesia and Es Paradís. These four clubs mainly defined nightlife on the White Island, which has evolved and developed from several distinctive elements: open-air parties (Es Paradis, Privilege, Amnesia), held in isolated places, eventually old fincas (Pacha, Amnesia), that mixed in nudity and costume party (Es Paradis, Privilege, Pacha) and enabled people from various backgrounds to blend (all). The hippie ethos served as a common factor that infused all these venues and catalyzed the experience of a certain kind of freedom, accentuated by the holiday nature of most of the stays on the White Island.


title: Ibiza

text: During the 1980s, the music played in these clubs gained in reputation and became known as Balearic beat, a precursor of the British acid house scene. As rave parties blossomed all over Europe, a DJ-driven club culture took hold of Ibizenca nightlife. It was at that time that Space opened, thanks to Pepe Rosello, which found a niche in the after-hour parties. The club would close at 06:00 and open again at 07:00, when all the other clubs were still closed, enabling party-goers to flock from the other clubs to Space and continue dancing in broad daylight.


title: Ibiza

text: At the end of the 1990s, the after-hour parties took firm root on the island. In 1999, the Circoloco parties made their debut at DC10, with some of the original elements of Ibiza nightlife at the forefront.


title: Ibiza

text: In recent years, during the summer, top producers and DJs in dance music come to the island and play at the various clubs, in between touring to other international destinations. Some of the most famous DJs run their own weekly nights around the island. Many of these DJs use Ibiza as an outlet for presenting new songs within the house, trance and techno genres of electronic dance music. The island has achieved fame as a cultural centre for house and trance in particular, with its name often being used as a partial metonym for the particular flavour of electronic music originating there, much like Goa in India.


title: Ibiza

text: Since 2005, the live music event Ibiza Rocks has changed perceptions of the Ibiza party landscape. Bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, The Prodigy and the Kaiser Chiefs have played in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel.


title: Ibiza

text: The season traditionally begins at the end of May, where Opening Parties take place at Ibiza's clubs over the course of a three-week period. Opening Parties normally coincide with the culmination of the International Music Summit, a three-day conference which has taken place on the island every year since 2008. The first clubs that host opening parties are normally Amnesia, Privilege, Ushuaia and Hi Ibiza.


title: Ibiza

text: Closing Parties signal the end of the clubbing season, taking place at the end of September and into the first two weeks of October. Nearly all of Ibiza's clubs remain shut during the winter until reopening the following summer.


title: Ibiza

text: A typical schedule for clubbers going to Ibiza includes waking at noon, early evening naps, late night clubbing, and "disco sunrises". Due to Ibiza's notable tolerance towards the misbehaviour of young adult tourists, it has acquired the sobriquet "Gomorrah of the Med". Also well known is Café del Mar, a long-standing bar where many tourists traditionally view the sunset made famous by José Padilla, who has released more than a dozen eponymous album compilations of ambient music played at the location. That and other bars nearby have become an increasingly popular venue for club pre-parties after sunset, hosting popular DJ performers, such as Patrick Topping, Carl Cox and Green Velvet.


title: Ibiza

text: The island's government is in the process of making policy changes to encourage a more cultured and quieter tourism scene. These include rules such as the closing of all nightclubs by 06:00 at the latest and requiring all new hotels to be 5-star. The administration wants to attract a more international mixture of tourists.


title: Ibiza

text: The tourism of the island is not always characterized by its nightlife. Visitors can take a hot-air balloon ride, surf, visit the Cave Can Mark, or go to Cap Blanc's Aquarium.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza has been featured in the racing game "Test Drive Unlimited 2", in which the player can drive around the entire island.


title: Ibiza

text: A number of novels and other books have been written using Ibiza as the setting, including "The White Island" by Stephen Armstrong, "Joshua Then and Now" by Mordecai Richler, "Soma Blues" by Robert Sheckley, "Vacation in Ibiza" by Lawrence Schimel, "A Short Life on a Sunny Isle: An Alphonse Dantan Mystery" by Hannah Blank, "They Are Ruining Ibiza" by A. C. Greene, and "The Python Project" by Victor Canning. Books including "Ibiza Bohemia", which was published by Assouline, which have explored the island itself with both photography and text, while other such as "Memes Eivissencs" have registered the traditions of their residents and their history in social media.


title: Ibiza

text: In "Monty Python's Flying Circus", the opening sketch of Episode 33 features the pilot Biggles. His secretary teasingly calls him "Señor Biggles," and Biggles protests, saying, "I've never even been to Spain." The secretary responds, " You went to Ibiza last year." Biggles counters, "That's still not grounds for calling me señor, or Don Beeg-les for that matter."


title: Ibiza

text: Vengaboys' 1999 single "We're Going to Ibiza" reached number one on the singles chart in United Kingdom and the Netherlands.


title: Ibiza

text: The island is shown as the home of notorious art forger Elmyr de Hory in the 1973 docudrama "F for Fake" by "Orson Welles".


title: Ibiza

text: In popular music, American singer-songwriter Mike Posner released "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" (alternatively known as "In Ibiza", or its clean title "I Took a Plane to Ibiza") in April 2015, as single on his Vevo account and in the exclusive "The Truth" EP; it was later released on "At Night, Alone" in May 2016. Originally an acoustic guitar-based folk pop song, it was remixed by the Norwegian duo SeeB as a tropical house dance pop song, and released digitally as a single in the United States on 24 July 2015. "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" peaked at #4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in the U.S., and reached #1 on seventeen other charts. Tourism officials in Ibiza were reportedly "annoyed" by the song's apparent reinforcement of drug culture associated with Ibiza in the past, and Tourism Director Vicent Ferrer subsequently invited Posner to witness the island's culture and how it contrasts with the party "typecast".


title: Ibiza

text: In August 2018, Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Ozuna released the song 'Ibiza' featuring Romeo Santos, on the album Aura.


title: Ibiza

text: Because of its rustic beauty, both companies and artists frequently use the island for photographic and film shoots. A monument ("The Egg") erected in honour of Christopher Columbus is in Sant Antoni; Ibiza is one of several places purporting to be his birthplace.


title: Ibiza

text: Popular "Saturday Night Live" character David S. Pumpkins was revealed to be from Ibiza in the skit "David Pumpkins Returns" which aired live on October 29, 2022.


title: Ibiza

text: Since the early days of mass tourism on the island, there have been a large number of development projects ranging from successful ventures, such as the super clubs at Space and Privilege, to failed development projects, such as Josep Lluís Sert's abandoned hotel complex at Cala D'en Serra, the half-completed and now demolished "Idea" nightclub in Sant Antoni, and the ruins of a huge restaurant/nightclub in the hills near Sant Josep called "Festival Club" that only operated for three summer seasons in the early 1970s. The transient nature of club-oriented tourism is most obvious in these ruins scattered all over the island. Local artist Irene de Andrès has tackled the difficult issue of the impact of mass tourism on the island local landscapes, both natural and cultural, in an ongoing project called "Donde nada ocurre" (Where nothing happens). In 2013, Ibiza property prices generally remained above market value, and many of the development projects on the island have now been completed or continue, as well as some new projects announced at the end of 2012. Since 2009, Ibiza has received an increase in the number of tourists every year, with nearly 6 million people travelling through Ibiza Airport in 2012. The summer season has become concentrated between June and September, focusing on the "clubbing calendar" which is currently booming. In recent years, the luxury market has dramatically improved, with new restaurants, clubs, and improvements to the marina in Ibiza Town.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza's increased popularity has led to problems with potable water shortages and overrun infrastructure. This has led to the imposition of a "Sustainable Tourism Tax" which went into effect on 1 July 2016. Minister of Tourism Vincente Torres stated in an interview in 2016 that the government has instituted a moratorium on building in certain areas. He said that with almost 100,000 legal tourist beds and about 132,000 inhabitants on the island's not much more tourism can be supported.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza has its own airport, which has many international flights during the summer tourist season, especially from the European Union.


title: Ibiza

text: There are also ferries from the harbour of Sant Antoni and Ibiza Town to Barcelona, Majorca, Dénia, and Valencia. There are also ferries to Formentera leaving Sant Antoni Harbour (normally every Wednesday), and daily from Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària, and Figueretes–Platja d'en Bossa.


title: Ibiza

text: Several public buses also travel between Sant Antoni and Ibiza Town, every 15 minutes in summer and every half-hour in winter. In addition, there are buses from Sant Antoni to Cala Bassa, Cala Conta and Cala Tarida, and to the airport. From Ibiza there are buses to the Platja d'en Bossa, Ses Salines, the airport and Santa Eulària.


title: Ibiza

text: Ibiza's local cuisine is typically Mediterranean. Of the most common culinary products of the island are sweets known as "flaons". Other savory dishes include "sofrit pagès", "bullit de peix" (fish stew), "arròs de matança" (rice with pork) and "arròs a la marinera".


title: Frank Welker

text: Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With a total worldwide box-office gross of $17.4 billion, he is also the third-highest-grossing actor of all time.


title: Frank Welker

text: Welker is best known for voicing Fred Jones in the "Scooby-Doo" franchise since its inception in 1969, and Scooby-Doo himself since 2002. In 2020, Welker reprised the latter role in the CGI-animated film "Scoob!", the only original voice actor from the series in the movie's cast. He has also voiced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in "Epic Mickey" and ; Megatron, Galvatron and Soundwave in the "Transformers" franchise; Shao Kahn and Reptile in the 1995 "Mortal Kombat" film; Curious George in the "Curious George" franchise; Garfield on "The Garfield Show"; Nibbler on "Futurama"; the titular character in "Jabberjaw"; Speed Buggy in the "Scooby-Doo" franchise; Astro and Orbitty on "The Jetsons"; Mushmouse on "Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse"; and various characters in "The Smurfs" as well as numerous animal vocal effects in many works. In 2016, he received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award and was nominated for the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program in 2022.


title: Frank Welker

text: Welker was born on March 12, 1946, in Denver, Colorado. His parents were Merrill Welker, a mining engineer, and Lillian.


title: Frank Welker

text: Welker began his career as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the 1960s, before transitioning to on-screen acting and later voice acting. His first major voice role came in 1969 as Fred Jones in the "Scooby-Doo" franchise. Welker has voiced Fred in almost every series and incarnation of the "Scooby-Doo" animated franchise (with the exceptions of "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" and "Scoob!") and has also provided the voice of Scooby-Doo since 2002. As of 2022, Welker is the only original voice actor still in the "Scooby-Doo" franchise.


title: Frank Welker

text: His next major character voice was for Wonder Dog (which was inspired by Scooby-Doo) and Marvin White on the 1973 series "Super Friends" (also produced by Hanna-Barbera). That same year, he played Pudge and Gabby on DePatie-Freleng Enterprises' animated series "Bailey's Comets". Welker continued to provide voices for many characters for Hanna-Barbera for several years, which include "Jabberjaw", "Dynomutt, Dog Wonder", and the Shmoo in "The New Fred and Barney Show" and its spin-off, "The Flintstones Comedy Show". Frank Welker described the voice he used for the Shmoo as "a bubble voice" (one he later used for Gogo Dodo in "Tiny Toon Adventures").


title: Frank Welker

text: In 1978, he played the title character on "Fangface" and later in its spin-off, "Fangface and Fangpuss", and also voiced Heckle and Jeckle and Quacula on "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle", and Spike, Tyke, Droopy, Slick Wolf and Barney Bear on "The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show".


title: Frank Welker

text: During the 1980s and 1990s, Welker became a very busy voice actor, providing the voice for many popular cartoon characters in multiple TV series, including Brain, Doctor Claw, and M.A.D. Cat on "Inspector Gadget"; Mister Mxyzptlk, Darkseid, and Kalibak on ""; Iceman & various characters on "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends"; Wild Bill, Dreadnok Torch, and various "" heroes and villains; Scooter on Challenge of the GoBots; Ray Stantz and Slimer in "The Real Ghostbusters"; the villainous Dr. Jeremiah Surd on "The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest"; Bubba the Caveduck and two of the Beagle Boys (Bigtime & Baggie) on "DuckTales"; multiple voices on "The Smurfs", including Hefty Smurf, Poet Smurf, and Peewit; and various characters on "Captain Planet and the Planeteers".


title: Frank Welker

text: He also voiced various characters on "The Simpsons", such as Santa's Little Helper, Snowball II, and various other animals from 1991 to his departure from the show in 2002. Welker provided both the speaking voice and animal sounds for Nibbler on Matt Groening's "Futurama". He provided the voices for Mr. Plotz, Runt, Ralph the Guard, Buttons, and other characters on "Animaniacs", Gogo Dodo, Furball, Beeper, and others on "Tiny Toon Adventures", Hector the Bulldog on "The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries", and Tom Cat, Jerry Mouse, and McWolf, the main antagonist to Droopy and his nephew Dripple on "Tom and Jerry Kids Show" and "Droopy, Master Detective".


title: Frank Welker

text: He also voiced "Gus Goose", "Salty the Seal", "Figaro", "Pegasus" from Hercules, "Abu" the Monkey from Aladdin, "Aracuan Bird" & Cri-Kee from Mulan in the "House of Mouse" from 2001 to 2003.


title: Frank Welker

text: Welker has also created the vocal effects for many animals and creatures in films, including Abu the monkey, Rajah the tiger, and the Cave of Wonders in "Aladdin" (1992), its two sequels, the television series, and the remake (2019), Arnold the Pig in the television film "Return to Green Acres" (1990), the whales in "", Shao Kahn and Reptile in the Mortal Kombat movie (1995), the Martians in Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!" (1996), and the penguins in "Mr. Popper's Penguins" (2011). He performed Spock's screams in "" (1984) and voiced The Thing in "The Golden Child" (1986), Jinx the robot in "SpaceCamp" (1986), Totoro in the 2005 English version of Studio Ghibli's film "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988), Alien Sil in "Species" (1995), Malebolgia in "Spawn" (1997), and Gargamel's cat Azrael in Sony Pictures Animation's live action/animated film versions of "The Smurfs".


title: Frank Welker

text: In 2006, he began voicing George in the popular children's series "Curious George". He also voiced George in the animated film of the same name that same year. In 2007, Welker became the new voice of Garfield, following Bill Murray (2004–2006), and succeeding the original actor Lorenzo Music, who died in 2001 (Welker and Music had previously worked together on "The Real Ghostbusters" and the original "Garfield and Friends"). Welker voiced Garfield in "Garfield Gets Real" (2007), "Garfield's Fun Fest" (2008), "Garfield's Pet Force" (2009), and on the series "The Garfield Show", which ran from 2008 to 2016. In 2011, he provided the voice of Batman in a "Scooby-Doo" crossover segment of the "" episode, "Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!". In the same episode, he also voiced Batboy, the classic "Mad" Magazine Batman spoof, originally created by Wally Wood.


title: Frank Welker

text: Welker has also provided voices for many video game characters, most notably Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and The Shadow Blot in "Epic Mickey" and its sequel "", as well as Zurvan, also called the Ancient One, on "". He also provided the voice of the mad mage Xzar for the "Baldur's Gate" video game series, and reprised his role from "Avengers Assemble" as Odin for "Lego Marvel's Avengers".


title: Frank Welker

text: In 2016, Welker received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award at the 43rd Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.


title: Frank Welker

text: Welker's first on-camera film role was as a college kid from Rutgers University who befriends Elvis Presley in "The Trouble with Girls" (1969). His next film role was in the Disney film "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (1969), which starred Kurt Russell (he also appeared in the film's sequel, "Now You See Him, Now You Don't", in 1972). He later co-starred with Don Knotts in Universal's "How to Frame a Figg" (1971), appeared in "Dirty Little Billy" (1972), and on "The Paul Lynde Show" (1972).