title: Cirque du Soleil

text: The success of "Nouvelle Expérience"'s contract in Las Vegas led to a deal between Cirque du Soleil and the Mirage Casino-Hotel to create a permanent show, "Mystère", residing in Treasure Island Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. It premiered in December 1993. Its success as the company's first permanent production would later allow for the creation of two more permanent shows in 1998: "O" in Las Vegas and "La Nouba" at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. During this time of expansion the company also founded their International Headquarters in Montreal's Saint-Michel neighbourhood and their multimedia division, Cirque du Soleil Images. In 1999 they premiered their film "Alegría", also directed by Dragone.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Following the premiere of "La Nouba" in 1998, the creative team that had developed all of the company's shows from "Nouvelle Expérience" to "La Nouba" left. Starting with the creation of "Dralion" in 1999, Cirque du Soleil began producing shows with entirely new creative teams.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: "Le Cirque Réinventé" marked the company's first performances outside of North America when it performed in London and Paris in 1990. The show received a mixed reception and was not followed by another production until "Saltimbanco"'s 1995 European tour, which better solidified Cirque du Soleil's presence in the European market.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Cirque du Soleil also toured Japan in the summer of 1992 at the behest of the Fuji Television Network. Combining acts from their previous shows "Nouvelle Expérience" and "Le Cirque Réinventé", they created their first arena show "Fascination" which toured Japan from May to August of that year. "Fascination"'s positive reception allowed Cirque du Soleil to play "Saltimbanco" there in 1994, thereby establishing the company's market in the Asia and Pacific region for their subsequent tours in the late 1990s and 2000s.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2000, the company produced their IMAX film "Journey of Man." Shortly afterwards, at the beginning of 2001, Daniel Gauthier left the company and was bought out by Guy Laliberté, bringing his ownership stake in the company to 95%. Gilles Ste-Croix also soon left to found the horse-based touring show "Cheval", leading Laliberté to hire Lyn Heward and Daniel Lamarre as Presidents and C.O.O.'s of the company's Creative Content and New Ventures divisions, respectively.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2002, the company created the touring show "Varekai" and in 2003 premiered the resident show "Zumanity" in Las Vegas, their first "X-rated" show performed only for adults aged 18 years and older.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2003, the company also produced their first television shows: the documentary reality miniseries "" and the variety series "Solstrom".


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2004, Cirque du Soleil premiered the resident show "Kà" at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, directed by Robert Lepage. In September of that year, the company launched their record label, Cirque du Soleil Musique, after their agreement with BMG Canada expired.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2005, Lamarre took over as President of Cirque du Soleil from Laliberté while Heward took on the role of executive producer for special projects. In that same year the company premiered the touring show "Corteo". The same year, the Cirque du Soleil switched ticketing companies to go with Outbox's technology, a while label system, of which it also became a shareholder.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Cirque du Soleil premiered two shows in 2006: "Delirium", their first significant touring arena show, in January of that year and "The Beatles Love", their first collaboration with The Beatles, in June. Similarly, in 2007 they opened two more productions with the resident show "Wintuk" in New York City and the touring tent show "Koozå". In July 2007 the company made their first effort to convert tent shows to arena settings by launching "Saltimbanco"'s arena tour in London, Ontario (this custom would be followed by other tent shows in later years).


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: The company opened three resident shows within the span of 3 months in 2008 — "Zaia" in Macau, China, "Criss Angel Believe" in Las Vegas, and "Zed" in Tokyo, Japan — which furthered their practice of producing multiple shows at the same time. That year Cirque du Soleil also announced that they sold a 20% stake in the company to Dubai investors Istithmar World and Nakheel in order to finance their goals, which included creating a permanent show in Dubai.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2009, they launched 3 more shows: the touring tent show "Ovo", the touring theatre show "Banana Shpeel", and the resident show "Viva Elvis" in Las Vegas. At this time Cirque du Soleil began being criticized for the quality of their productions. "Banana Shpeel" became labelled as one of the company's first "failures" when it was panned by both critics and audiences; "Criss Angel Believe" and "Viva Elvis" also received negative reviews.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: The touring show "Totem" premiered in 2010 and was soon followed by three more shows in 2011: the resident show "Iris" in Los Angeles and the touring shows "" and "Zarkana." Although the company was still growing at this time, it continued to face several issues with its newer productions. "Zarkana" and "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" received poor reviews and the company had a string of closures. "Banana Shpeel" closed in Toronto in October 2010 after cancelling its previously-announced engagement in San Francisco. In July 2011, Cirque du Soleil announced the closure of "Zed" due to poor ticket sales as a direct result of the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In November 2011 MGM Grand asked the company to close and replace "Viva Elvis" by the end of 2012 due to poor ticket sales. In February 2012, the company announced the closure of "Zaia" due to disappointing ticket sales and in November 2012, despite critical praise, announced the closure of "Iris," also due to low ticket sales. In December 2012, the company announced a new division — Cirque du Soleil Média — in conjunction with Bell Media, followed by the release of their second film "". At this time Cirque du Soleil also announced 50 layoffs. The layoffs consisted mostly of 30 employee positions at their International Headquarters in Montreal, including three vice-presidents.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: With the high output of shows between 2007 and 2011 in combination with its multiple closures, the company began slowing down its operations. In 2012 and 2013 it only opened two shows: the touring tent show "Amaluna" and the resident show "" in Las Vegas. On 16 January 2013, Cirque du Soleil announced that it would be laying off 400 of its 5000 employees worldwide, most of which at their International Headquarters. The company noted that it had not been profitable in 2012 despite having garnered over $1 billion in revenue that year. Later that year, on 30 June 2013, the company faced headlines when acrobat Sarah "Sasoun" Guyard-Guillot died after falling during a performance of "Kà" in Las Vegas, its first on-stage death in its history.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In January 2014, Cirque du Soleil announced the creation of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical, a division aimed developing more traditional theatre productions in order to diversify their production output. The company subsequently announced numerous subsidiaries in addition to its Theatrical division, including the Sandbox Hospitality Group, 45 Degrees, 4U2C, and Outbox Enterprises. In April 2014, "Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities", a touring tent show, premiered in Montreal to critical acclaim and was followed in November 2014 by "Joyà", both the company's first resident show in Mexico and their first dinner theatre production.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 20 April 2015, Guy Laliberté announced that he had sold a 90% joint stake in the company to the investment groups TPG Capital, Fosun Capital Group, and La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec for approximately $1.5 billion, while retaining a 10% stake in the company himself. Under the new ownership, the company began majorly restructuring its executive leadership in order to focus on increasing their profitability. Their finance director, chief operating officer, and numerous vice-presidents were all replaced within six months of the company's sale. Most notably, the position of Chief Operating Officer held by Charles Décarie was given to finance lawyer Jonathan Tétrault. Stéphane Lefebvre would later come into the position of Chief Financial Officer.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In November 2015 the company premiered the touring arena show "Toruk — The First Flight" based on James Cameron's "Avatar" franchise.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: It was followed shortly after by the touring tent show "Luzia" and the company's first Broadway musical "Paramour", both opening in April 2016. By the end of 2016 the company had also launched the preschool television series "Luna Petunia" on Netflix.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2017, it launched three more productions. "Séptimo Día — No Descansaré", an arena show based on the music of Soda Stereo, premiered in March for a short year-long tour targeted largely at South and Central American audiences. In April 2017, it premiered the touring tent show "Volta" and in October, "Crystal", the company's first ice show.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Under the ownership of TPG Capital, Fosun Capital Group, and La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Cirque du Soleil took steps to diversify and rebrand the company. On 6 July 2017, Cirque du Soleil announced that it had acquired the Blue Man Group as a new subsidiary of the company. It was reportedly bought for US$65.5 million. On 21 November 2017, the company released a video on all of its social media platforms titled "New Icons for a New Era" where it revealed new logos and announced the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group as the name of the organization's new umbrella company.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 25 April 2018, the company announced that 45 Degrees, their special events subsidiary, had taken over the main company's creation and production department. On 5 July 2018, they announced their acquisition of the children's entertainment company VStar Entertainment Group and its subsidiary Cirque Dreams. Cirque du Soleil launched the children's show "Big Top Academy" through TVO in October 2018. In November 2018, it premiered the touring tent show "Bazzar" in India, the company's first production to tour in that region. In 2019, the company opened six shows: the touring tent show "Alegría: In a New Light"; the touring arena shows "Axel" and "Messi10"; and three resident shows — "X: The Land of Fantasy" in Hangzhou, China, "R.U.N" in Las Vegas, and "'Twas the Night Before" in New York City. During this time Cirque du Soleil also acquired The Works Entertainment company for $40 million to further diversify its subsidiaries.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In February 2020, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec announced that it had acquired Guy Laliberté's 10% stake in Cirque du Soleil, bringing its total ownership in the company from 10% to 20%.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 19 March 2020, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cirque du Soleil announced that all 44 active shows worldwide would be suspended, and that 4,679 employees, comprising 95 percent of their staff, would be temporarily laid off, effective immediately. These actions brought the company into a state of financial collapse with a debt of over $1 billion. Although it received financial support with a $50 million injection from its shareholders and a $200 million loan from the Quebec government, on 29 June 2020, the company announced that it had filed for bankruptcy protection and was terminating 3,500 employees who had previously been laid off. CEO Daniel Lamarre stated the intention of the company was to rehire "a substantial majority" of terminated employees once coronavirus-related shutdowns were lifted and operations could resume, business conditions allowing. In connection with the filing, Cirque du Soleil entered a stalking horse bid from its shareholders with the intention of drawing outside bidders to buy the company. In July 2020, the company's shareholders offered a proposal that would allow its creditors to obtain a 45% stake in the company while the current shareholders would maintain a 55% shared stake. On 17 July 2020, a takeover proposal by the company's creditors valued at US$1.2 billion was approved as a benchmark bid in the company by the Quebec Superior Court. On 17 August 2020, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec reported that it had to write off the US$75 million investment which it had made only four months prior, in February.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 24 November 2020, it was announced that the company emerged from bankruptcy and was sold to former MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren and Canadian investment company Catalyst Capital.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In January 2021, the company's previously announced 2021 production "Nysa" was cancelled as a direct result of the pandemic.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: With the exception of the resident shows "Joyà" and "X: The Land of Fantasy", which reopened with limited capacities in the summer of 2020, Cirque du Soleil did not reopen its shows for over a year following its worldwide COVID-19 performance suspension in March 2020. In the summer of 2021, the company began gradually reopening several of its shows, beginning with all its Las Vegas-based resident shows (with the exception of "Zumanity", which permanently shut down in November 2020) and some of its touring shows in late 2021 and 2022. However, some touring shows that had been temporarily suspended due to the pandemic were retroactively permanently closed at this time, including "Totem", "Volta", and "Axel".


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In November 2021, the resident show "Drawn to Life" premiered — the company's first new production since the start of the pandemic.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 30 November 2021, Cirque du Soleil announced that Daniel Lamarre would be stepping down as president and CEO of the company and transitioning into the role of executive vice-chairman of the board, while former chief financial officer and chief operating officer Stéphane Lefebvre would take over as president and CEO, effective 1 December 2021.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Each Cirque du Soleil production is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world, with its own central theme and storyline. Shows employ continuous live music, with performers rather than stagehands changing the props.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: The duration of each touring show is typically between 2 and 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission. Permanent shows are usually between 70 and 90 minutes in length without an intermission. Typically touring shows as well as resident shows perform a standard 10 shows a week. Touring shows usually have one "dark day" (with no performances) while resident shows have two.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: With the intent of diversifying its activities worldwide, the Cirque du Soleil has created subsidiaries, such as multimedia environments and ticket selling tools.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Outbox was built around the idea that event producers need a white label system to support them in selling tickets directly to customers. It allows all live entertainment venues to control their inventory, pricing, and consumer data without any third party involvement.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: 4U2C creates multimedia visual environments that combine video, sound, lighting and special effects for a variety of projection surfaces.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: This company produces custom-made experiential content for clients who are seeking high-end creative services for their events.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: From the 1990s until 2015, Cirque du Soleil produced a variety of public and private events and performances under its Special Events division. In April 2015, the company announced that its Special Events division formed a subsidiary company called 45 Degrees. Led by Yasmine Khalil, the new company continued to produce special events for Cirque du Soleil while expanding to offer creative content outside Cirque du Soleil as well. 45 Degrees later merged with the C-Lab (creative laboratory) division of the main company, continuing to produce special event performances while also designing shows with new concepts (such as the dinner-show concept in "Joyà" and the ice concept in "Crystal"). In April 2019, Cirque du Soleil announced that the 45 Degrees subsidiary had become a division named "Cirque du Soleil Events + Experiences" under which the company now develops its special events and projects.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In March 2004, Celebrity Cruises announced its first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. By the end of that year, the collaboration had launched "The Bar at the Edge of the Earth" on both the "Constellation" and "Summit" cruise ships, a bar and lounge inspired by Cirque du Soleil featuring live characters and projections. However, due to lukewarm reception, Celebrity Cruises announced in October 2005 that it would be removing the live characters and projections from the lounges and retooling its Cirque du Soleil offering so as to create a more standard circus performance. In December 2005, the collaboration premiered the 30-minute acrobatic show "A Taste of Cirque du Soleil" on both ships. It continued through 2006 and was eventually discontinued.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 9 November 2015, Cirque du Soleil announced that it would be re-entering the cruise ship business in collaboration with MSC Cruises. The partnership plans included a $21 million investment by MSC to create special theatre spaces in four of their Meraviglia class ships while Cirque du Soleil would create eight new shows, two on each ship in alternating performances. The partnership was later branded as Cirque du Soleil at Sea.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In June 2017, it launched its first two productions on the MSC Meraviglia — "Viaggio" and "Sonor". This was followed by "Syma" and "Varélia" on the MSC Bellissima in March 2019 and "Cosmos" and "Exentricks" on the MSC Grandiosa in November 2019. Two more shows were planned to launch on MSC Virtuosa in 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic forced all Cirque du Soleil at Sea productions to close.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Following the opening of "The Beatles Love" in Las Vegas in June 2006, Cirque du Soleil opened the Revolution lounge at The Mirage resort in 2007, its first venture into the Las Vegas nightlife business. The lounge was based on the work of The Beatles, in conjunction with the concept of "The Beatles Love". In 2009, the company opened the Gold Lounge at the Aria Resort and Casino based on the life of Elvis Presley and their show "Viva Elvis". In May 2013 the Light Group opened the Light nightclub in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in concurrence with the premiere of "Michael Jackson One". It would later be host to the musical "For the Record", the company's first project out of its theatrical division.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In October 2015, Cirque du Soleil renounced its intention to be involved in Las Vegas nightclubs and has since dissociated itself from all its lounges and clubs. Both the Revolution and Gold Lounges closed in 2015 while the Light nightclub is no longer affiliated with the company.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2014 Cirque du Soleil Média and Saban Brands produced "Luna Petunia", an animated series for preschool-aged children. It began airing on Netflix in September 2016. On 1 May 2018, Saban Brands sold "Luna Petunia" to Hasbro.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In a collaboration with Universal Television and Sony Pictures Television, the Cirque du Soleil Theatrical division co-produced the television broadcast of "The Wiz Live!" (based on the musical of the same name) which aired in December 2015 on NBC. Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon directed the show along with Broadway writer/actor Harvey Fierstein, who contributed new material to the original Broadway script. Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Stephanie Mills, Ne-Yo, David Alan Grier, Common, Elijah Kelley, Amber Riley, and Uzo Aduba and Shanice Williams starred in the broadcast. It was speculated that a live version of the show would play on Broadway during the 2016–2017 season, however this plan fell through.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Cirque du Soleil shows normally tour under a "grand chapiteau" (i.e. big top) for an extended period of time until they are modified, if necessary, for touring in arenas and other venues. It typically takes 8 days to set up the tent site with approximately 100 local citizens hired as temporary staff overseen by one of the company's tent masters. Contrarily, it takes 3 days to deconstruct the entire site. The infrastructure that tours with each show includes the Grand Chapiteau, a large entrance tent, artistic tent, kitchen, school, and other items necessary to support the cast and crew.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Prior to 2006, Cirque du Soleil performed exclusively in tents and permanent theatres, with the exception of the brief arena tours of "Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil" and "Fascination" in 1984 and 1992, respectively. "Delirium" marked the company's first significant touring show for the arena market in 2006. With "Delirium"'s success, Cirque du Soleil began the practice of re-staging its Grand Chapiteau shows for arena tours, beginning with "Saltimbanco" in 2007 and subsequently occurring with most of their major Grand Chapiteau productions.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: The company's tours have significant financial impacts on the cities they visit by renting lots for shows, parking spaces, selling and buying promotions, and contributing to the local economy with hotel stays, purchasing food, and hiring local help. For example, during its stay in Santa Monica, California, "Koozå" brought an estimated to the city government and local businesses.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: The company's multimedia division Cirque du Soleil Images creates original products for film, television, video, and DVD and distributes its productions worldwide. Its creations have garnered numerous awards, including a multiple Gemini Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards for ", Corteo", "Dralion", "Nouvelle Expérience", and "Le Cirque Réinventé".


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In November 2003, gymnast Matthew Cusick (represented by the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund) filed a discrimination complaint against Cirque du Soleil in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Cusick (a trainee performer who was scheduled to begin working at "Mystère") alleged that in April 2002, Cirque du Soleil fired him because he tested HIV-positive, even though company doctors had already cleared him as healthy enough to perform. Cirque du Soleil alleged that due to the nature of Cusick's disease coupled with his job's high risk of injury, there was a significant risk of his infecting other performers, crew or audience members. Cirque du Soleil said that they had several HIV-positive employees, but in the case of Cusick, the risk of him spreading his infection while performing was too high to take the risk. A boycott ensued and "Just Out" ran a story on it with the headline "Flipping off the Cirque". Cirque du Soleil settled with Cusick in April 2004. Under the settlement, the company began a company-wide anti-discrimination training program; changed its employment practices pertaining to HIV-positive applicants; paid Cusick $60,000 in lost wages, $200,000 in front pay, and $300,000 in compensatory damages; and paid $40,000 in attorney fees to Lambda Legal.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: An additional complaint was filed on Cusick's behalf by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. Their complaint stemmed from the City of San Francisco's ban on city contracting with employers that discriminate based on HIV status; the circus leases property owned by the city-owned Port of San Francisco.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: Cirque du Soleil opposed Neil Goldberg and his company Cirque Productions over its use of the word "Cirque" in the late 1990s. Goldberg's company was awarded a trademark on its name "Cirque Dreams" in 2005.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In August 1999, Fremonster Theatrical filed an application for the trademark Cirque de Flambé. This application was opposed by the owners of the Cirque du Soleil trademark in August 2002, on the grounds that it would cause confusion and "[dilute] the distinctive quality" of Cirque du Soleil's trademarks. A judge dismissed the opposition and the Cirque de Flambé trademark application was approved in 2005.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In April 2016, Cirque du Soleil filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Sony Music Entertainment in federal court in New York, alleging that Timberlake's song "Don't Hold the Wall" (co-written with Timbaland) from his third studio album "The 20/20 Experience" (2013) infringed the copyright of Cirque du Soleil's song "Steel Dream" from its 1997 album "Quidam".


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: In 2016 the company cancelled of all touring shows to North Carolina, including "Ovo" in both Greensboro and Charlotte, and "Toruk" in Raleigh, following signature of the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (commonly known as "HB2") by North Carolina governor Pat McCrory. Cirque du Soleil was criticized for this decision and accused of taking a double standard, for cancelling the shows in North Carolina while many times they have performed their shows in countries like the United Arab Emirates which violates a number of fundamental human rights.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 16 October 2009, 24-year-old performer Oleksandr "Sacha" Zhurov, of Ukraine, died at a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from head injuries he had sustained during a training session. He had been with the company only a few months at the time of the accident. An initial report of the incident said Zhurov had fallen off a trampoline but, in 2010, it was reported he had fallen while doing training exercises on a Russian swing. An investigation by Quebec's occupational-safety board decided that while Zhurov made the error that ultimately resulted in his death, the company should be fined $1,915 for failing to adequately determine the risks associated with equipment.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 29 June 2013, 31-year-old performer Sarah "Sasoun" Guyard-Guillot, of France, died in an ambulance en route to hospital as the result of blunt force trauma she had sustained from a fall during a performance of "Kà" in Las Vegas, Nevada. She'd been with the company since 2006. It was originally thought that Guyard-Guillot's safety harness had failed her and that was what resulted in her fall but, in actuality, a cable responsible for keeping her in the air had been cut after accidentally being knocked loose by movement during the performance. Reports as to how far Guyard-Guillot fell differ from source to source, with some saying she fell as little as 50 feet and others as much as 94 feet. The show resumed 17 days after the death without the final aerial battle scene. The company was fined as a result.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 29 November 2016, 42-year-old set technician Olivier Rochette, of Canada, died in San Francisco, California, from head injuries he had sustained after accidentally being hit in the head by an aerial lift while preparing for a production of "Luzia". Rochette was the son of Cirque du Soleil co-founder Gilles Ste-Croix.


title: Cirque du Soleil

text: On 17 March 2018, 38-year-old aerial straps performer Yann Arnaud, of France, died at a hospital in Tampa, Florida, after falling during a performance of "Volta". He had been with the company for 15 years.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; 12 February 1915 – 11 September 1987) was a Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western "Bonanza" and Commander Adama in the original science-fiction television series "Battlestar Galactica" and "Galactica 1980". He also worked on the Canadian television nature documentary series "Lorne Greene's New Wilderness" and in television commercials.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene was born Lyon Himan Green in Ottawa, Ontario, to Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, Dora (née Grinovsky) and Daniel Green, a shoemaker. He was called "Chaim" by his mother, and his name is shown as "Hyman" on his school report cards. In a biography of him, written by his daughter Linda Greene Bennett, she wrote that it was unknown when he began using the name Lorne, nor when he added an "e" to Green.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene was the drama instructor at Camp Arowhon, a summer camp in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada, where he developed his talents.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene began acting while attending Queen's University in Kingston, where he acquired a knack for broadcasting with the Radio Workshop of the university's Drama Guild on the campus radio station CFRC.


title: Lorne Greene

text: He gave up on a career in chemical engineering, and upon graduation, found a job as a radio broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).


title: Lorne Greene

text: Afterward, he was assigned as the principal newsreader on the CBC National News. The CBC gave him the nickname "The Voice of Canada", although his role in delivering distressing war news in sonorous tones with his deep, resonant voice following Canada's entry into World War II in 1939 caused many listeners to call him "The Voice of Doom", instead, particularly since he was delegated the assignment of reading the dreaded list of soldiers killed in the war.


title: Lorne Greene

text: During his radio days, Greene invented a stopwatch which ran backwards (i.e. it would start from a given number and count down to zero); this helped radio announcers gauge how much time was left while speaking.


title: Lorne Greene

text: During his CBC radio career, Greene also narrated documentary films, such as the National Film Board of Canada's "Fighting Norway" (1943).


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene left the CBC and became a freelancer after the war when the network ordered staff announcers to turn over a large percentage of any income they earned from film narration. Greene continued to appear on CBC on a freelance basis while becoming the newsreader for private radio station CKEY in Toronto, while also returning to acting work both on stage and in radio plays.


title: Lorne Greene

text: After closing his Academy of Radio Arts in 1952, Greene relocated to the United States. Katharine Cornell cast him twice in her Broadway productions. In 1953, he was cast in "The Prescott Proposals." In that same year, she cast him in a verse drama by Christopher Fry, "The Dark is Light Enough." Greene likewise began appearing in isolated episodes on live television in the 1950s. In 1953, he was seen in the title role of a one-hour adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello." In 1954, he made his Hollywood debut as Saint Peter in "The Silver Chalice" and made several more films and appearances on American television. In 1955, he starred in the British Canadian TV series "Sailor of Fortune". In 1955, he was Ludwig van Beethoven in an episode of the TV version of "You Are There", and also appeared as Marcus Brutus in "Julius Caesar" at the Stratford Festival. In 1957, Greene played the prosecutor in "Peyton Place."


title: Lorne Greene

text: The first of his continuing TV roles was as the patriarch Ben "Pa" Cartwright in "Bonanza", the first one-hour Western series filmed in colour (1959–1973), making Greene a household name. He garnered the role after his performance as O'Brien in the CBS production of "Nineteen Eighty-Four".


title: Lorne Greene

text: In the 1960s, Greene capitalized on his image as Ben Cartwright by recording several albums of country-western/folk songs, which Greene performed in a mixture of spoken word and singing. In 1964, Greene had a number-one single on the music charts with his spoken-word ballad, "Ringo" (which referred to the real-life Old West outlaw Johnny Ringo), and got play time from "Saga of the Ponderosa", which detailed the Cartwright founding of the famous ranch.


title: Lorne Greene

text: In 1973, after the cancellation of "Bonanza" following a 14-year run, Greene joined Ben Murphy in the ABC crime drama, "Griff", about a Los Angeles, California, police officer, Wade "Griff" Griffin, who retires to become a private detective. When it failed to gain sufficient ratings and was cancelled after 13 episodes, Greene thereafter hosted the syndicated nature documentary series "Last of the Wild" from 1974 to 1975.


title: Lorne Greene

text: In the 1977 miniseries "Roots", he played the first master of Kunta Kinte, John Reynolds. Through the 1970s, Greene was the spokesman for Alpo Beef Chunks dog food commercials, one of the possible origins of the phrase "Eating your own dog food".


title: Lorne Greene

text: In 2007, "TV Guide" listed Ben Cartwright as the nation's second-most popular TV father (behind Cliff Huxtable). Greene was also known for his role as Commander Adama, another patriarchal figure, in the science-fiction television series "Battlestar Galactica" (1978–1979) and "Galactica 1980" (1980). Greene's typecasting as a wise father character continued with the 1981 series "Code Red" as a fire-department chief, whose command includes his children as subordinates. Greene appeared with his former "Bonanza" co-star Michael Landon on an episode of "Highway to Heaven". Greene also appeared with his former "Bonanza" co-star Pernell Roberts on a two-part episode of "Vega$".


title: Lorne Greene

text: He appeared in the HBO mockumentary "The Canadian Conspiracy", about the supposed subversion of the United States by Canadian-born media personalities. For nearly a decade, Greene co-hosted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC with Betty White.


title: Lorne Greene

text: In the 1980s, Greene devoted his energies to wildlife and environmental issues, including hosting and narrating the CTV's nature series "Lorne Greene's New Wilderness", a show which promoted environmental awareness.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene was married twice, first to Rita Hands of Toronto (19381960, divorced). Some reports list the start of their marriage as 1940. They had two children, twins born in 1945: Charles Greene and Belinda Susan Bennett. His second wife was Nancy Deale (19611987, Greene's death), with whom he had one child, Gillian Dania Greene, who is married to director Sam Raimi.


title: Lorne Greene

text: The Ponderosa II House was built by Greene in 1960 in Mesa, Arizona. It is located at 602 S. Edgewater Drive. It is a replica of the Bonanza set house from the former Ponderosa Ranch in Incline Village, Nevada. It is listed in the Mesa Historic Property Register.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene died on 11 September 1987, aged 72, from complications from pneumonia, following ulcer surgery, in Santa Monica, California. He was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on 28 October 1969, "for services to the Performing Arts and to the community."


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by his alma mater, Queen's University, in 1971. He was the 1987 recipient of the Earle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Canadian Gemini Awards. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1559 N. Vine Street.


title: Lorne Greene

text: In May 2006, Greene became one of the first of four entertainers to ever be honoured by Canada Post by being featured on a 51-cent postage stamp.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, found on King Street and Simcoe Street in Toronto, in 2015.


title: Lorne Greene

text: Greene founded and was dean of the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto in 1945, which trained a number of future broadcasters and actors including Leslie Nielsen, James Doohan, Les Rubie, Gordie Tapp, Fred Davis, Billie Mae Richards, William Davidson, Alfie Scopp, Murray Chercover, Cec Linder, Les Lye, and Bill Luxton , Roy Currie. The school was located on Jarvis Street across from what was then the CBC Radio building. Its faculty included many CBC staff such as Mavor Moore, Fletcher Markle, Lister Sinclair, Andrew Allan, and Esse Ljungh, and graduated a total of 381 students in seven years, 90% of whom found work in the industry. Though successful academically, the school continually lost money, resulting in Greene closing the school in 1952, allowing him to sell the building to recoup his losses.


The International English Language Testing System (IELTS ), is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world.


title: International English Language Testing System

text: IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, European, Irish and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organisations across the world.


text: IELTS is approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) as a Secure English Language Test for visa applicants both outside and inside the UK. It also meets requirements for immigration to Australia, where Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Pearson Test of English Academic are also accepted, and New Zealand. In Canada, IELTS, TEF, or CELPIP are accepted by the immigration authority.


text: No minimum score is required to pass the test. An IELTS result or Test Report Form is issued to all test takers with a score from "band 1" ("non-user") to "band 9" ("expert user") and each institution sets a different threshold. There is also a "band 0" score for those who did not attempt the test. Institutions are advised not to consider a report older than two years to be valid, unless the user proves that they have worked to maintain their level.


text: In 2017, over 3 million tests were taken in more than 140 countries, up from 2 million tests in 2012, 1.7 million tests in 2011 and 1.4 million tests in 2009. In 2007, IELTS administered more than one million tests in a single 12-month period for the first time ever, making it the world's most popular English language test for higher education and immigration.


text: In 2019, over 508,000 international students came to study in the UK, making it the world's most popular UK ELT destination. Over half (54%) of those students were under-18 years old.


text: The English Language Testing Service (IELTS), as IELTS was then known, was launched in 1980 by Cambridge English Language Assessment (then known as UCLES) and the British Council. It had an innovative format, which reflected changes in language learning and teaching, including the growth in 'communicative' language learning and 'English for specific purposes'. Test tasks were intended to reflect the use of English language in the 'real world'.


text: During the 1980s, test taker numbers were low (4,000 in 1981 rising to 10,000 in 1985) and there were practical difficulties administering the test. As a result, the IELTS Revision Project was set up to oversee the redesign of the test. In order to have international participation in the redesign, the International Development Program of Australian Universities and Colleges (IDP), now known as IDP: IELTS Australia, joined Cambridge English Language Assessment and the British Council to form the international IELTS partnership which delivers the test to this day. This international partnership was reflected in the new name for the test: The International English Language Testing System (IELTS).


text: IELTS went live in 1989. Test takers took two non-specialised modules, Listening and Speaking, and two specialised modules, Reading and Writing. Test taker numbers rose by approximately 15% per year and by 1995 there were 43,000 test takers in 210 test centres around the world.


text: Further revisions went live in 2001 (revised Speaking Test) and 2005 (new assessment criteria for the Writing test).


text: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are designed to cover the full range of abilities from non-user to expert user. The Academic version is for test takers who want to study at the tertiary level in an English-speaking country or seek professional registration. The General Training version is for test takers who want to work, train, study at a secondary school or migrate to an English-speaking country.


text: The difference between the Academic and General Training versions is the content, context, and purpose of the tasks. All other features, such as timing allocation, length of written responses, and reporting of scores, are the same.


text: Listening, Reading and Writing are completed in one sitting. The Speaking test may be taken on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other tests.


text: All test takers take the same Listening and Speaking tests, while the Reading and Writing tests differ depending on whether the test taker is taking the Academic or General Training versions of the test.


text: The module comprises four sections, with ten questions in each section.It takes 40 minutes: 30 - for testing, plus 10 for transferring the answers to an answer sheet.


text: Each section begins with a short introduction telling the test taker about the situation and the speakers. Then they have some time to look through the questions. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording, so the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on. The first three sections have a break in the middle allowing test takers to look at the remaining questions. Each section is heard only once.


text: At the end of the test students are given 10 minutes to transfer their answers to an answer sheet. Test takers will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.


text: The Reading paper has three sections and texts totalling 2,150-2,750 words. There will be a variety of question types, such as multiple-choice, short-answer questions, identifying information, identifying writer's views, labelling diagrams, completing a summary using words taken from the text and matching information/headings/features in the text/sentence endings. Test takers should be careful when writing down their answers as they will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.


text: The Writing paper has two tasks which must both be completed. In task 1 test takers write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. In task 2 test takers write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. Test takers will be penalised if their answer is too short or does not relate to the topic. Answers should be written in full sentences (test takers must not use notes or bullet points).


text: Test takers receive a score for each test component – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The individual scores are then averaged and rounded to produce an Overall Band Score.


text: There is no pass or fail. IELTS is scored on a nine-band scale, with each band corresponding to a specified competence in English. Overall Band Scores are reported to the nearest half band.


text: The following rounding convention applies: if the average across the four skills ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band.


text: This table can be used to convert raw scores (out of 40) to band scores (out of 9). This helps test takers understand how many correct answers they need to achieve a particular band score. This chart is only a guide; scores may vary slightly depending on how difficult the test is.


text: For a computer-delivered test, results are released between 3–5 days. For a paper-based test, a Test Report Form is posted to test takers 13 days after their test. It shows:


text: Test takers receive one copy of their Test Report Form, apart from test takers who are applying to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) or UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) who receive two copies.


text: There are up to 48 test dates available per year. Each test centre offers tests up to four times a month depending on local demand. The Academic version is available on all 48 dates per year and the General Training version is available on 24 dates.


text: There used to be a minimum time limit of 90 days before a person was allowed to retake the test. However this restriction has been withdrawn and currently there is no limit for applicants to retake the test.


text: In 2019, approximately 77% of test takers took the Academic version and 23% of test takers took the General Training version. The average overall score in the Academic version was 6.04 for male test takers and 6.10 for female test takers. In the General Training version, it was 6.57 for male test takers and 6.63 female test takers.


text: In 2019, of the 40 most common places of origin, the countries ranked in the top five for mean band scores for the Academic IELTS test were:


text: In 2018, of the 40 most common places of origin, the countries ranked in the top five for mean band scores for the General Training IELTS test were:


text: In 2019, of the 40 most common self-reported first language backgrounds, the countries ranked in the top five in the Academic IELTS test were from test takers whose first languages were:


text: In 2019, of the 40 most common self-reported first language backgrounds, the countries ranked in the top five in the General Training IELTS test were from test takers whose first languages were:


text: Just over half (51%) of test takers take IELTS to enter higher education in a foreign country. The IELTS minimum scores required by academic institutions and by course vary. As a general rule, the top ranked universities in the United States tend to require a higher IELTS band (typically 7.0). Most universities accept scores between 6-7 as being suitable for undergraduate study in English.


text: IELTS is used by over 9,000 educational institutions worldwide. This section provides just a few examples of IELTS requirements in different countries. Full details about the organizations which accept IELTS and the scores they require can be found on the IELTS Global Recognition System.


text: IELTS is accepted by over 3,000 U.S. institutions. The highest IELTS Band required by a university is 8.5, by the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.


text: Most top ranked U.S. universities, as listed by the TES 2015 World University Rankings, require a minimum score of around 7.0. For example:


text: Most top ranked UK universities, as listed by the THE 2020 World University Rankings, require a minimum score of 6.5-7.0. For example:


text: IELTS is accepted by over 750 organisations in Canada Most top ranked Canadian universities, as listed by the TES 2015 World University Rankings, require a minimum score of 6.5 with a minimum subscore of 6.0 for each individual part.


text: Most top ranked Australian universities, as listed by the TES 2015 World University Rankings, require a minimum score of approximately 6.5. For example:


text: Along with the universities, the test results are directly relevant for applying a student Visa (Subclass 500). The candidates need at least an IELTS score of 5.5. The precise requirements depend on the university.


text: Most top ranked universities in non-native English speaking countries, as listed by the TES 2015 World University Rankings, require a minimum score between 6.0 and 7.0 For example:


text: A number of Commonwealth countries use IELTS scores as a proof of prospective immigrants' competence in English.


text: Australia's immigration authorities have used IELTS to assess English proficiency of prospective migrants since May 1998, when this test replaced the 'access:' test that had been previously used.


text: New Zealand has used the IELTS test since 1995. There are different IELTS score requirements for different types of visa and type of applicant.


text: Originally, applicants who could not achieve the required score could pay a NZ$20,000 fee instead, which would be fully or partially refunded later if the migrant were able to successfully take the test within a certain period (3 to 12 months) after his or her arrival to the country. A few years later, the policy was changed: the fee was reduced, and, instead of being potentially refundable, it became treated as a "pre-purchase" of post-arrival ESL tuition.


text: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) uses IELTS and/or TEF as evidence of one's ability to communicate in English and/or French. The CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program) test scores are an alternative to IELTS.


text: The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) are the national standards used in Canada for describing, measuring and recognizing the English language proficiency of prospective immigrants. The following table shows the IELTS scores needed for each CLB level.


text: Submitting one's IELTS scores is also one of the several ways to prove one's proficiency in an official language when applying for Canadian citizenship (minimum of CLB level 4 required).


text: On 6 April 2015, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) changed its English language requirements for UK visa and immigration applications.


text: IELTS assesses all four language skills and is accepted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) at levels B1 to C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).


text: A new test, IELTS Life Skills, assesses Speaking and Listening at CEFR level A1 and at CEFR Level B1. IELTS Life Skills can be used to meet the English language requirements for some classes of visa application, including 'family of a settled person' visas and indefinite leave and citizenship.


text: To be used for visa and immigration purposes, IELTS and IELTS Life Skills must be taken in test centres approved by the UKVI.


text: For UK visa purposes the test is designed to meet certain administrative requirements specified by UKVI. These Test Report Forms are slightly different, to show that the test taker has taken the test at an IELTS UKVI session. The actual test taken is the same – same content, examiners, format, level of difficulty, scoring and so on.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car, designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and Bugatti and manufactured in Molsheim, France, by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. It was named after the racing driver Pierre Veyron.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The original version has a top speed of . It was named the 2000s Car of the Decade by the BBC television programme "Top Gear". The standard Veyron also won "Top Gear"s Best Car Driven All Year award in 2005.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Super Sport version of the Veyron is one of the fastest street-legal production cars in the world, with a top speed of . The Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse was the fastest roadster in the world, reaching an averaged top speed of in a test on 6 April 2013.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Veyron's chief designer was Hartmut Warkuß and the exterior was designed by Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen, with much of the engineering work being conducted under the guidance of chief technical officer Wolfgang Schreiber. The Veyron includes a sound system designed and built by Burmester Audiosysteme.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: Several special variants have been produced. In December 2010, Bugatti began offering prospective buyers the ability to customise exterior and interior colours by using the "Veyron 16.4 Configurator" application on the marque's official website. The Bugatti Veyron was discontinued in late 2014, but special edition models continued to be produced until 2015.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: In May 1998, Volkswagen AG acquired the rights to use the Bugatti logo and the trade name Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. To succeed the EB 110 model produced under the previous ownership, the automaker quickly released a series of concept cars whose technological advancements would culminate in the form of the Veyron 16.4.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: Between October 1998 and September 1999, Bugatti introduced a series of Giugiaro-designed concept vehicles, each with permanent four-wheel drive and powered by the Volkswagen-designed W18 engine. The first car, the EB 118, was a 2-door luxury coupé presented at the 1998 Paris Motor Show. The next car, the EB218, was a 4-door saloon presented at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. The third and final car, the 18/3 Chiron, was a mid-engine sports car presented at the 1999 International Motor Show in Frankfurt.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: In October 1999, Bugatti unveiled a fourth concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show. The EB 18/4 Veyron was a mid-engine sports car styled in-house under the direction of Hartmut Warkuß. In 2000, a modified version, the EB 16/4 Veyron, was displayed at motor shows in Detroit, Geneva, and Paris. Rather than the three-bank W18 engine of the four previous concept cars, the EB 16/4 featured the four-bank W16 engine architecture installed in every production example of the Veyron.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The decision to start production of the car was made by the Volkswagen Group in 2001. The first roadworthy prototype was completed in August 2003. It is identical to the later series variant, except for a few details. In the transition from development to series production, considerable technical problems had to be addressed, repeatedly delaying production until September 2005.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Veyron EB 16.4 is named in honor of Pierre Veyron, a Bugatti development engineer, test driver and company race driver who, with co-driver Jean-Pierre Wimille, won the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans while driving a Bugatti. The "EB" refers to Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti and the "16.4" refers to the engine's 16 cylinders and quad-turbochargers.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Veyron features an 8.0-litre, quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine, equivalent to two narrow-angle V8 engines bolted together. Each cylinder has four valves for a total of 64, but the configuration of each bank allows two overhead camshafts to drive two banks of cylinders so only four camshafts are needed. The engine is fed by four turbochargers and displaces , with a square bore and stroke.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The transmission is a dual-clutch direct-shift computer-controlled automatic transmission having seven gear ratios, with magnesium paddles behind the steering wheel and a shift time of less than 150 milliseconds, built by Ricardo of England rather than Borg-Warner, who designed the six speed DSG used in the mainstream Volkswagen Group marques. The Veyron can be driven in either semi-automatic or fully-automatic mode. A replacement transmission for the Veyron costs just over . It also has permanent all-wheel drive using the Haldex Traction system. It uses special Michelin PAX run-flat tyres, designed specifically to accommodate the Veyron's top speed, and cost per set. The tyres can be mounted on the wheels only in France, a service which costs . Kerb weight is . This gives the car a power-to-weight ratio, according to Volkswagen Group's figures, of per ton.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The car's wheelbase is . Overall length is which gives of overhang. The width is and height . The Bugatti Veyron has a total of ten radiators:


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: It has a (normal condition) and (after lowering to the ground), and a frontal area of . This gives it a drag area, the product of drag coefficient and frontal area, of .


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: According to Volkswagen Group and certified by TÜV Süddeutschland, the W16 engine utilised by the Veyron has a power output of , and generates of torque.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: German inspection officials recorded an average top speed of the original version at during test sessions on Volkswagen Group's private Ehra-Lessien test track on 19 April 2005.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: This top speed was almost matched by James May on "Top Gear" in November 2006, at the Ehra-Lessien test track, at . May noted that at top speed the engine consumes of air per minute (as much as a human breathes in four days). Back in the "Top Gear" studio, co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson commented that most sports cars felt like they were shaking apart at their top speed, and asked May if that was the case with the Veyron at . May responded that the Veyron was very controlled, and only wobbled slightly when the air brake deployed.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The car's normal top speed is listed at . When the car reaches , hydraulics lower the car until it has a ground clearance of about . At the same time, the wing and spoiler deploy. In this "handling mode", the wing provides of downforce, holding the car to the road.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: "Top speed mode" must be entered while the vehicle is at rest. Its driver must toggle a special top speed key to the left of their seat, which triggers a checklist to establish whether the car and its driver are ready to attempt to reach . If so, the rear spoiler retracts, the front air diffusers shut, and normal ground clearance drops to .


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Veyron's brakes use cross drilled, radially vented carbon fibre reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) composite discs, manufactured by SGL Carbon, which have less brake fade and weigh less than standard cast iron discs. The lightweight aluminium alloy monobloc brake calipers are made by AP Racing; the front have eight titanium pistons and the rear calipers have six pistons. Bugatti claims maximum deceleration of 1.3 g on road tyres. As an added safety feature, in the event of brake failure, an anti-lock braking system (ABS) has also been installed on the handbrake.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: Prototypes have been subjected to repeated 1.0 g braking from to without fade. With the car's acceleration from to , that test can be performed every 22 seconds. At speeds above , the rear wing also acts as an airbrake, snapping to a 55° angle in 0.4 seconds once brakes are applied, providing an additional 0.68 g (6.66 m/s) of deceleration (equivalent to the stopping power of an ordinary hatchback). Bugatti claims the Veyron will brake from to a standstill in less than 10 seconds, though distance covered in this time will be half a kilometre (third of a mile).


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The targa top version of the Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4, dubbed the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, was unveiled at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It has extensive reinforcements to compensate for the lack of a standard roof and small changes to the windshield and running lights. Two removable tops are included, the second a temporary arrangement fashioned after an umbrella. The top speed with the hardtop in place is the same as the standard coupé version, but with the roof removed is limited to —and to with the temporary soft roof. The Grand Sport edition was limited to 150 units, with the first 50 going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. Production began in the second quarter of 2009.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is a faster, more powerful version of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4. Production was limited to 30 units. The Super Sport has increased engine power output of at 6,400 rpm and a maximum torque of at 3,000–5,000 rpm and a revised aerodynamic package. The Super Sport has been driven as fast as , making it the fastest production road car in the world at the time of its introduction although it is electronically limited to to protect the tyres from disintegrating.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport World Record Edition is a version of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 SuperSport. It is limited to five units. It has an orange body detailing, orange wheels, and a special black exposed carbon body. The electronic limiter is also removed with this version.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The model was unveiled in 2010 at The Quail, followed by the 2010 Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca, and the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: On 4 July 2010, James May, a television presenter on BBC Two's television show "Top Gear", drove the Veyron Super Sport on Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien (near Wolfsburg, Germany) high-speed test track at . Later that day, Bugatti's official test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel drove the Super Sport version of the Veyron at the same track to establish the car's top speed. With representatives of the Guinness Book of Records and German Technical Inspection Agency (TÜV) on hand, Raphanel made passes around the big oval in both directions achieving an average maximum speed of , thus taking back the title from the SSC Ultimate Aero TT as the fastest production vehicle of all time. The mark was reached by averaging the Super Sport's two test runs, the first reaching and the second .


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: When the record was certified it was already well known to the public that the customer car would be electronically limited to .


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: Yet, after a query by the "Sunday Times" Guinness' PR director Jaime Strang was quoted on 5 April 2013: "As the car's speed limiter was deactivated, this modification was against the official guidelines. Consequently, the vehicle's record set at 431.072 km/h is no longer valid."


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: On 10 April 2013, it was written on its website: "Guinness World Records would like to confirm that Bugatti's record has not been disqualified; the record category is currently under review."


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: On 15 April 2013, Bugatti's speed record was confirmed: "Following a thorough review conducted with a number of external experts, Guinness World Records is pleased to announce the confirmation of Bugatti's record of Fastest production car achieved by the Veyron 16.4 SuperSport. The focus of the review was with respect to what may constitute a modification to a car's standard specification. Having evaluated all the necessary information, Guinness World Records is now satisfied that a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine."


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse is a targa top version of the Veyron Super Sport. The engine in the Vitesse variant has a maximum power output of at 6,400 rpm and a maximum torque of at 3,000–5,000 rpm. These figures allow the car to accelerate from a stand still to in 2.6 seconds. On normal roads, the Vitesse is electronically limited to .


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Vitesse was first unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and later at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show and the 2012 São Paulo Motor Show.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: In 2013, Bugatti produced a series of Vitesse dedicated to racing legends, including Jean-Pierre Wimille, Jean Bugatti, Meo Costantini, and Ettore Bugatti.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: A Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse driven by the Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu at Volkswagen Group's proving grounds in Ehra-Lessien became the fastest open-top production sports car, with a top speed of .


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: After the world record attempt, Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S, said "When we introduced the Vitesse, we established the top speed for open-top driving to be 375 km/h. Still, we could not let go of the idea of reaching the 400 km/h mark with this car as well. The fact that we have succeeded in reaching 408.84 km/h is a thrill for me, and it reaffirms once again that Bugatti is the leader when it comes to technology in the international automotive industry." The driver, Anthony Liu, claimed "Even at such high speeds it remained incredibly comfortable and stable. With an open-top, you can really experience the sound of the engine and yet even at higher speeds I did not get compromised by the wind at all."


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Bugatti Veyron Linea Vincero is a Veyron 16.4 modified by the German car modification firm Mansory.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Linea Vincero has new wheel rims and new exterior lower bodywork. It extensively uses carbon fibre in the interior and exterior as well.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: This car, with its interior and exterior customisations, is worth US$1 million more than a standard Veyron 16.4.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Bugatti Veyron Linea D'oro is a car made on the basis of the Veyron Grand Sport and the 16.4 by the German car modification firm Mansory.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The D'oro's exterior design is identical to its predecessor's but it has a few differences such as the gold paint on the badge, rims and other features. The iconic "V" shaped badge is also present on this car's front grille.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Bugatti Veyron Linea Viviere (commonly known as the Mansory Viviere) is a car made on the basis of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport by the German car modification firm Mansory.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: This car's exterior design features the iconic "V" shaped front grille and an additional exhaust system below its rear lights. The interior has been handcrafted and carbon fibre has been extensively used.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: This car has a second generation known as the Viviere Diamond Edition which has been made on the same basis. This car is the final Veyron Edition tuned by Mansory and has a marble coloured exterior paintwork.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Bugatti Veyron Linea Viviere costs US$2.3 million, making it one of the most expensive Veyrons ever produced.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: , 405 cars have been produced and delivered to customers worldwide, with orders that have already been placed for another 30. Bugatti was reported to produce 300 coupés and 150 roadsters up to the end of 2015.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: Production amounted to 450 units in a span of over 10 years. The final production vehicle, a Grand Sport Vitesse titled "La Finale" (The Last One), was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show from 5–15 March 2015.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: In 2008, Bugatti then-CEO Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen confirmed that the Veyron would be replaced by another high-end model by 2012. In 2011, the new CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer revealed that the company was planning to produce two models in the future — one a sports car-successor to the Veyron, the other a limousine known as the Bugatti 16C Galibier, which was later cancelled since Bugatti was later then working on a successor to the Veyron, which became the Bugatti Chiron.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The successor to the Veyron was unveiled in concept form as the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo at the September 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: A toned-down version of the radically styled Vision Gran Turismo concept car, now called the Chiron, debuted at the March 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Production started in 2017 and will be limited to 500 units.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: All three former presenters of the popular BBC motoring show "Top Gear" have given the Veyron considerable praise. While initially skeptical that the Veyron would ever be produced, Jeremy Clarkson later declared the Veyron "the greatest car ever made and the greatest car we will ever see in our lifetime", comparing it to Concorde and S.S. "Great Britain". He noted that the production cost of a Veyron was , but was sold to customers for just . Volkswagen designed the car merely as a technical exercise. James May described the Veyron as "our Concorde moment". Clarkson test drove the Veyron from Alba in northern Italy to London in a race against May and Richard Hammond who made the journey in a Cessna 182 aeroplane.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: A few episodes later, May drove the Veyron at the VW test track and took it to its top speed of . In series 10, Hammond raced the Veyron against the Eurofighter Typhoon and lost. He also raced the car in Series 13 against a McLaren F1 driven by The Stig in a one-mile (1.6 km) drag race in Abu Dhabi. The commentary focused on Bugatti's "amazing technical achievement" versus the "non-gizmo" racing purity of the F1. While the F1 was quicker off the line and remained ahead until both cars were travelling at approximately , the Bugatti overtook its competitor from and emerged the victor. Hammond has stated that he did not use the Veyron's launch control in order to make the race more interesting.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: The Veyron also won the award for "Car of the Decade" in "Top Gear" end of 2010 award show. Clarkson commented, "It was a car that just rewrote the rule book really, an amazing piece of engineering, a genuine Concorde moment". When the standard version was tested in 2008, it did not reach the top of the lap time leader board, with a time of 1:18.3, which was speculated as being due to the car's considerable weight disadvantage against the other cars towards the top. In 2010 the SuperSport version achieved the fastest ever time of 1:16.8 (dethroned the Gumpert Apollo S, replaced by the Ariel Atom V8 in 2011), as well as being taken to a verified average top speed of by Raphanel on the programme, thenceforth retaking its position as the fastest production car in the world.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: In 2011, Martin Roach's book "Bugatti Veyron: A Quest for Perfection – The Story of the Greatest Car in the World" took the stance that the car had now become so famous that it is effectively a bona fide celebrity. The book follows its author as he attempts to track down and drive the car, along the way interviewing chief designers, test drivers, and the president of Bugatti.


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: During its development period McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray said in UK auto magazine "Evo": "The most pointless exercise on the planet has got to be this four-wheel-drive, thousand-horsepower Bugatti." But after driving it he called it "a huge achievement".


title: Bugatti Veyron

text: Murray was impressed with the Veyron's engine and transmission after he test drove one for "Road & Track" magazine. He also praised its styling: "The styling is a wonderful mélange of classic curves and mechanical edges and elements — this should ensure that the car will still look good years from now, and therefore have a chance of becoming a future classic."


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: The series begins with a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku befriending a teenage girl named Bulma. Together, they go on an adventure to find the seven mystical , which have the ability to summon the powerful dragon Shenron, who can grant whomever summons him their greatest desire. The journey leads to a confrontation with the shape-shifting pig Oolong, as well as a desert bandit named Yamcha and his companion Pu'ar, who all later become allies; Chi-Chi, whom Goku unknowingly agrees to marry; and Emperor Pilaf, a blue-skinned imp who seeks the Dragon Balls to fulfill his desire of becoming ruler of the world. Oolong stops Pilaf from using the Dragon Balls by wishing for a pair of panties.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Goku undergoes rigorous training under the martial artist Master Roshi in order to fight in the that attracts the most powerful fighters in the world. A monk named Krillin becomes his training partner and rival, but they soon become best friends.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: After the tournament, Goku sets out on his own to recover the Dragon Ball his deceased grandfather left him and encounters a terrorist organization known as the Red Ribbon Army, whose diminutive leader, Commander Red, wants to collect the Dragon Balls so that he can use them to become taller. He almost single-handedly defeats the army, including their hired assassin Mercenary Tao, whom he originally loses to, but after training under the hermit Korin, easily beats. Goku reunites with his friends to defeat Fortuneteller Baba's fighters and have her locate the last Dragon Ball in order to revive a friend killed by Tao.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Goku and his friends reunite at the World Martial Arts Tournament three years later and meet Master Roshi's rival and Tao's brother, Master Shen, and his students Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, who vow to exact revenge for Tao's apparent death at the hands of Goku. Krillin is murdered after the tournament and Goku tracks down and is defeated by his killer, Tambourine, and the Demon King Piccolo. The overweight samurai Yajirobe takes Goku to Korin, where he receives healing and a power boost. Meanwhile, Piccolo kills both Master Roshi and Chiaotzu, and uses the Dragon Balls to give himself eternal youth before destroying Shenron, which results in the Dragon Balls' destruction. As King Piccolo prepares to destroy West City as a show of force, Tien Shinhan arrives to confront him, but is defeated and nearly killed. Goku arrives in time to save Tien and then kills King Piccolo by blasting a hole through his chest.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Just before he dies, King Piccolo spawns his final son, Piccolo Junior. Korin informs Goku that Kami, the original creator of the Dragon Balls, might be able to restore Shenron and the Dragon Balls so that Goku can wish his fallen friends back to life, which he does. He also stays and trains under Kami for the next three years, once again reuniting with his friends at the Martial Arts Tournament, as well as a now-teenaged Chi-Chi and the revived Mercenary Tao. Piccolo Junior also enters the tournament to avenge his father's death, leading to the final battle between him and Goku. After Goku narrowly wins and defeats Piccolo Junior, he leaves with Chi-Chi and they get married, leading to the events of "Dragon Ball Z".


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Kazuhiko Torishima, Toriyama's editor for "Dr. Slump" and the first half of "Dragon Ball", said that because the "Dr. Slump" anime was not successful in his opinion, he and Shueisha were a lot more hands on for the "Dragon Ball" anime. Before production even began, they created a huge "bible" for the series detailing even merchandise. He himself studied the best way to present anime and its business side, discussing it with the Shogakukan team for "Doraemon".


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Toriyama had some involvement in the production of the anime. When it began he did mention to the staff that they seemed to be making it too colorful by forcing the color palette of "Dr. Slump" on it. He also listened to the voice actors' audition tapes before choosing Masako Nozawa to play Goku. He would go on to state that he would hear Nozawa's voice in his head when writing the manga. Toriyama specified Kuririn's voice actress be Mayumi Tanaka after hearing her work as the main character Giovanni in "Night on the Galactic Railroad". Tōru Furuya remarked that there were not many auditions for the characters because the cast was made up of veteran voice actors. Performing the roles was not without its difficulties, Toshio Furukawa, the voice of Piccolo, said it was difficult to constantly perform with a low voice because his normal lighter voice would break through if he broke concentration.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Shunsuke Kikuchi composed the score for "Dragon Ball". The opening theme song for all of the episodes is performed by Hiroki Takahashi in Japanese and Jimi Tunnell in English. The ending theme is performed by Ushio Hashimoto in Japanese and Daphne Gere in English.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Feeling that the "Dragon Ball" anime's ratings were gradually declining because it had the same producer that worked on "Dr. Slump", who had a "cute and funny" image connected to Toriyama's work and was missing the more serious tone, Torishima asked the studio to change the producer. Impressed with their work on "Saint Seiya", he asked its director Kōzō Morishita and writer Takao Koyama to help "reboot" "Dragon Ball"; which coincided with the beginning of "Dragon Ball Z".


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: In 1989 and 1990, Harmony Gold USA licensed the series for an English-language release in North America. In the voice dubbing of the series, Harmony Gold renamed almost all of the characters, including the protagonist Goku, who was renamed "Zero." This dub consisting of 5 episodes and one movie (an 80-minute feature featuring footage of movies and edited together) was cancelled shortly after being test marketed in several US cities and was never broadcast to the general public, thus earning the fan-coined term "The Lost Dub."


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: A subtitled Japanese version of the series was first broadcast in the United States by the Hawaii-based Nippon Golden Network. The series aired in a 6AM slot on Tuesdays from 1992 to 1994, before the network moved on to "Dragon Ball Z".


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: In 1995, Funimation (founded a year earlier in California) acquired the license for the distribution of "Dragon Ball" in the United States as one of its first imports. They contracted Josanne B. Lovick Productions and voice actors from Ocean Productions to create an English version for the anime and first movie in Vancouver, British Columbia. The dubbed episodes were edited for content, and contained different music. Thirteen episodes aired in first-run syndication during the fall of 1995 before Funimation canceled the project due to low ratings.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: In March 2001, as the sequel series "Dragon Ball Z" became its signature license, Funimation announced the return of the original Dragon Ball series to American television, featuring a new English version produced in-house with slightly less editing for broadcast (though the episodes remained uncut for home video releases), and they notably left the original background music intact. The re-dubbed episodes aired on Cartoon Network from August 20, 2001, to December 1, 2003. Funimation also broadcast the series on Colours TV and their own Funimation Channel starting in 2006. This English dub was also broadcast in Australia and New Zealand. In Canada and Europe, an alternative dubbed version was produced by AB Groupe (in association with Blue Water Studios) and was aired in those territories instead of the Funimation version.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: The US version of "Dragon Ball" was aired on Cartoon Network with numerous digital cosmetic changes, which were done to remove nudity and blood, and dialogue edits, such as when Puar says why Oolong was expelled from shapeshifting school, instead of saying that he stole the teacher's panties, it was changed to him stealing the teacher's papers. Some scenes were deleted altogether, either to save time or remove strong violence. Nudity was also covered up; for Goku's bathing scene, Funimation drew a chair to cover his genitals where it was uncensored previously. References to alcohol and drugs were removed, for example, when Jackie Chun (Master Roshi) uses Drunken Fist Kung Fu in the 21st "Tenkaichi Budokai", Funimation called it the "Mad Cow Attack." Also, the famous "No Balls!" scene was deleted from episode 2, and when Bulma places panties on the fishing hook to get Oolong (in fish form), they digitally painted away the panties and replaced it with some money.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Changes also lead to confusing context and the content of the scenes; as when Bulma helps Goku take a bath. In the Japanese version, the two characters do not cover their privates because Goku is innocent of the differences in gender and Bulma believes Goku to be a little boy. While bathing Bulma asks Goku his age and only when Goku reveals himself to be fourteen does Bulma throw things at Goku before kicking him out of the bath. In the Funimation version the dialogue was changed; with Goku remarking that Bulma did not have a tail and it must be inconvenient for her when bathing.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: In Japan, "Dragon Ball" did not receive a proper home video release until July 7, 2004, fifteen years after its broadcast. Pony Canyon announced a remastering of the series in a single 26-disc DVD box set, that was made-to-order only, referred to as a "Dragon Box". Since then, Pony Canyon content of this set began being released on mass-produced individual 6-episode DVDs on April 4, 2007, and finished with the 26th volume on December 5, 2007.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: "Dragon Ball"'s initial VHS release for North America was never completed. Funimation released their initial dub, the edited and censored first thirteen episodes, on six tapes from September 24, 1996, to February 28, 1998 together with Trimark Pictures. These episodes and the first movie were later released in a VHS or DVD box set on October 24, 2000. Funimation began releasing their in-house dub beginning with episode 14 by themselves on December 5, 2001, in both edited and uncut formats, only to cease VHS releases two years later on June 1, 2003 in favor for the DVD box sets. Including the initial 1996-1998 releases with Trimark, 86 episodes of "Dragon Ball" across 28 volumes were produced on VHS for North America.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Funimation released their own in-house dub to ten two-disc DVD box sets between January 28, 2003, and August 19, 2003. Each box set, spanning an entire "saga" of the series, included the English and Japanese audio tracks with optional English subtitles, and uncut video and audio. However, they were unable to release the first thirteen episodes at the time, due to Lions Gate Entertainment holding the home video rights to their previous dub of the same episodes, having acquired them from Trimark after the company became defunct. After Lions Gate Family Entertainment's license and home video distribution rights to the first thirteen episodes expired in 2009, Funimation has released and remastered the complete "Dragon Ball" series to DVD in five individual uncut season box sets, with the first set released on September 15, 2009, and the final on July 27, 2010.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Funimation's English dub of "Dragon Ball" has been distributed in other countries by third parties. Madman Entertainment released the first thirteen episodes of "Dragon Ball" and the first movie uncut in Australasia in a DVD set on March 10, 2004. They produced two box sets containing the entire series in 2006 and 2007. Manga Entertainment began releasing Funimation's five remastered sets in the United Kingdom in 2014.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: "Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!" (ドラゴンボール オッス！帰ってきた孫悟空と仲間たち！！ Doragon Bōru: Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokū to Nakama-tachi!!) is the second "Dragon Ball Z" OVA and features the first "Dragon Ball" animation in nearly a decade, following a short story arc in the remade "Dr. Slump" anime series featuring Goku and the Red Ribbon Army in 1999. The film premiered in Japan on September 21, 2008, at the Jump Super Anime Tour in honor of Weekly Shōnen Jump's fortieth anniversary. "Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!" is also in the extra DVD included in the "Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods" limited edition, which was released on September 13, 2013.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: During the anime's broadcast, three theatrical animated "Dragon Ball" films were produced. The first was "" in 1986, followed by "" in 1987, and "" in 1988. In 1996 "" was produced in order to commemorate the anime's tenth anniversary.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: Several video games based on "Dragon Ball" have been created, beginning with "" in 1986. "", produced that same year, was the first to be released outside Japan. 1988's North American version was titled "Dragon Power" and was heavily Americanized with all references to "Dragon Ball" removed; characters' names and appearances were changed. Additional games based on the series include "", "", , and "".


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: "Dragon Ball" has been host to several soundtrack releases, the first being "" in 1986. "" is composed entirely of music from the tenth anniversary film. In 1995 "" was released featuring the music from the Funimation/Ocean American broadcast.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: In 2000 satellite TV channel Animax together with "Brutus", a men's lifestyle magazine, and Tsutaya, Japan's largest video rental chain, conducted a poll among 200,000 fans on the top anime series, with "Dragon Ball" coming in fourth. TV Asahi conducted two polls in 2005 on the Top 100 Anime, "Dragon Ball" came in second in the nationwide survey conducted among multiple age-groups and third in the online poll. On several occasions the "Dragon Ball" anime has topped Japan's DVD sales.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: "Otaku USA"s Joseph Luster called "Dragon Ball" "one of the most memorable animated action/comedy series of all time." He cited the comedy as a key component to the show, noting that this might surprise those only familiar with "Z". Todd Douglass of DVD Talk referred to it as "a classic among classics [that] stands as a genre defining kind of show." and wrote that "It's iconic in so many ways and should be standard watching for otaku in order to appreciate the genius of Akira Toriyama." He had strong praise for the "deep, insightful, and well-developed" characters, writing "Few shows can claim to have a cast quite like Dragon Ball's, and that's a testament to the creative genius of Toriyama."


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews' Tim Jones gave the show four out of five stars, referring to it as a forerunner to modern fighting anime and still one of the best. He also stated that it has much more character development than its successors "Dragon Ball Z" and "Dragon Ball GT". Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network summed up "Dragon Ball" as "an action-packed tale told with rare humor and something even rarer—a genuine sense of adventure." Kimlinger and Theron Martin, also of Anime News Network, noted Funimation's reputation for drastic alterations of the script, but praised the dub.


title: Dragon Ball (TV series)

text: The positive impact of "Dragon Ball"'s characters has manifested itself in the personal messages Masako Nozawa sent to children as taped messages in the voice of Goku, Gohan and Goten. Nozawa takes pride in her role and sends words of encouragement that have resulted in children in comas responding to the voice of the characters.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The Craft is a 1996 American teen supernatural horror film directed by Andrew Fleming from a screenplay by Peter Filardi and Fleming and a story by Filardi. The film stars Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True. It follows four outcast teenage girls at a Los Angeles parochial high school who pursue witchcraft for their own gain and subsequently experience negative repercussions.


title: The Craft (film)

text: "The Craft" was theatrically released in the United States on May 3, 1996, by Columbia Pictures. It was a surprise hit, earning $6.7 million in its opening weekend and $55.6 million worldwide, against a budget of $15 million. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of its leads, direction and production values, but criticized its writing, inconsistent tone and political messages.


title: The Craft (film)

text: In the years since its release, the film has gained a cult following. The film was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and Fairuza Balk for Best Supporting Actress. Balk and Tunney also won the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight. A sequel, "", was released on October 28, 2020.


title: The Craft (film)

text: Sarah Bailey, a beautiful but troubled teenage girl with unusual abilities, has just moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles with her father and stepmother. At her new school, she forms a friendship with a group of girls who are outcasts for various reasons and are rumored to be witches. Bonnie Harper bears burn scars from an auto accident, Nancy Downs lives in a trailer with her mother and abusive stepfather, and Rochelle Zimmerman is a black student who is subjected to racist bullying by a group of popular white girls. The girls worship a powerful deity they call "Manon".


title: The Craft (film)

text: Sarah becomes attracted to the popular Chris Hooker. When Bonnie observes Sarah levitating a pencil in class, she and the other outcast girls are convinced that she can complete their coven as "the fourth", completing an air-water-earth-fire circle and making them all powerful. When Sarah is harassed by a vagrant with a snake (whom she had encountered before in her new house), he is immediately hit by a car. The girls believe their combined will caused it to happen, which strengthens their bond. It is also revealed that Sarah once attempted suicide.


title: The Craft (film)

text: After a date with Chris, Sarah is upset that he spread a false rumor that they had sex and she was terrible in bed. When Sarah confronts him, he treats her disrespectfully in front of his friends. Sarah casts a love spell on him. Rochelle then casts a revenge spell on racist bully Laura Lizzie. Bonnie casts a spell for beauty, and Nancy a spell for power. The spells are successful: Chris becomes infatuated with Sarah, Bonnie's scars on her back miraculously heal. Rochelle's bully, Laura, begins losing her hair. Nancy causes her stepfather to have a fatal heart attack, probably using pleurisy root as foreshadowed by open book in previous scene, enabling her and her mother to cash in on his life insurance policy and move into a luxurious high-rise apartment.


title: The Craft (film)

text: Nancy becomes power hungry and encourages the others to join her in a rite called "Invocation of the Spirit," despite being warned against the spell by Lirio, the owner of a local occult shop and practicing witch. Upon completion of the spell, Nancy is struck by lightning. The following morning, the other girls see Nancy walking on water, with beached sharks and other dead animals littering the shore. In the days that follow, Nancy becomes increasingly devoid of empathy and engages in risky behavior that endangers her life and those of others.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The spells the girls cast eventually lead to negative consequences, as Bonnie becomes aggressively narcissistic, Rochelle finds Laura traumatized by her baldness and sobbing hysterically, and the obsessed Chris attempts to rape Sarah after she rejects his continual advances. In supposed retaliation, Nancy uses a glamour spell to make herself look like Sarah and attempts to fool Chris into having sex with her at a party. She is interrupted by the real Sarah, who tells Nancy to leave with her, but it becomes obvious that Nancy's desire to control Chris is mixed with unrequited feelings. Upset at being fooled, Chris says Nancy must be jealous, angering her, and she uses her power to kill Chris by throwing him out of a window.


title: The Craft (film)

text: Sarah attempts a binding spell to prevent Nancy from doing more harm, but it does not work and the coven turns on Sarah. Sarah seeks out Lirio, but changes her mind and leaves before Lirio can offer help. They invade her dreams, torment her with visions of swarms of snakes, rats, and insects, and make her believe that her family has died in a plane crash. The rest of the coven then try to induce Sarah to commit suicide, and Nancy cuts Sarah's wrists herself. Although initially terrified, Sarah successfully invokes the spirit and is able to heal herself and fight back. She scares off Bonnie and Rochelle by showing them glamours in a mirror of Bonnie with her face scarred and Rochelle losing her hair like Laura. Sarah then defeats Nancy and binds her, preventing her from causing harm forever.


title: The Craft (film)

text: Bonnie and Rochelle, finding their powers gone, visit Sarah to attempt reconciliation, only to find that she wants nothing to do with them and that Manon took their powers because they abused them. They scornfully mutter that Sarah must have lost her powers too but Sarah then makes a tree branch nearly fall on them. She warns them to be careful not to end up like Nancy, who has been committed to a psychiatric hospital, delusional and her powers bound, and strapped to her bed as she desperately insists she can fly.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The concept for "The Craft" came from a collaboration between producer Douglas Wick, who wanted to create a film about the high school experience blended with witchcraft, and screenwriter Peter Filardi, who extensively researched the topic and wrote the initial draft. Andrew Fleming was hired to direct and produce the final version of the screenplay.


title: The Craft (film)

text: Eighty-five other actresses screen-tested for the four main roles, including Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and Alicia Silverstone. Rachel True and Fairuza Balk were the first to be cast in their respective roles. The character of Rochelle was re-written to be black when True was cast, incorporating racism subplot as the character's major conflict. Robin Tunney was initially cast in the role of Bonnie, but the producers decided she would be better in the starring role of Sarah, which she was persuaded to accept despite preferring the former. Neve Campbell, the most well known of the four actresses for her role on "Party of Five", was then cast as Bonnie. Tunney had shaved her head for her role in "Empire Records" and had to wear a wig throughout filming.


title: The Craft (film)

text: Production enlisted a real-life Wiccan named Pat Devin to act as an on-set advisor for the film. She wrote the incantations used and ensured that the treatment of the Wiccan subject-matter was as accurate and respectful as possible.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The shooting took place throughout Los Angeles, including the Los Angeles International Airport, Sunset Boulevard, and Broadway. Verdugo Hills High School was the setting for the fictional Catholic school, St. Benedict's Academy; production designer Marek Dobrowolski added different religious statues throughout the building and the grounds. Sarah's home in the film was a two-story Spanish mansion and the interiors were built on a soundstage at Culver City Studios. The occult bookstore was shot at the El Adobe Marketplace in Hollywood Boulevard. The room was repainted and enhanced and occult icons such as candles, stigmas, religious statues, masks, and tribal dolls were added for effect. Jensen's Recreation Center in Echo Park was chosen to avoid overuse of frequently seen Los Angeles locations. During filming, an unrelated accident occurred in which a child was injured; the production's medic saw this and called paramedics. The makeshift altar was set in Wood Ranch, a location that Dobrowolski called the hardest to find. Dobrowolski wanted to avoid manicured parks like Griffith Park. The beach summoning took place at Leo Carrillo State Park, which was chosen because its crest made it seem less visually boring.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The makeup effects were designed and created by Tony Gardner and his special effects company Alterian, Inc., which also created the beached sharks for the film.


title: The Craft (film)

text: "The Craft: Music from the Motion Picture" was released on April 30, 1996, by Columbia Records on CD and cassette, one month before the film's official theatrical release in the United States. The soundtrack contains a collection of songs, to suit the theme of the movie, from various artists including Heather Nova, Letters to Cleo, and Spacehog. Nova's version of "I Have the Touch", originally performed by Peter Gabriel, which featured during the end credits of the film, was exclusively included on the soundtrack, and is not available as a single, or on any of Nova's albums, nor does she perform the song in concert. The tracks in film, titled "Sick Child", "Fallin'" and "Scorn", performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees, Connie Francis and Portishead, respectively, were omitted from the soundtrack due to copyright issues from their record labels. However, they were only included in the film as part of an arrangement with PolyGram Film & Television Licensing. An uncredited bonus track, "Bells, Books, and Candles", composed by Graeme Revell for the film's score, was included on the soundtrack. A follow-up soundtrack, "The Original Motion Picture Score", was released on June 18, 1996 from Varèse Sarabande, and contained the film's score which was entirely composed and produced by Graeme Revell.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The film was released on VHS and DVD on July 22, 1997 and rereleased on a special edition DVD on September 12, 2000. The film debuted on the Blu-ray format for the first time on October 13, 2009.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The film was given a special collector's edition on March 12, 2019 by Shout Factory. Though the new collection of special features was praised, the disc received negative reviews for not remastering the image and simply porting over the old scan from the 2009 disc.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The film was re-released by Shout Factory on 4K UHD on May 17, 2022 for the film's 25th Anniversary. The film was given a fresh new 4K scan from the original camera negative.


title: The Craft (film)

text: The film opened at number one at the North American box office, making US$6,710,995. The movie was a sleeper hit, which Columbia attributed to teenagers and young women, who responded to its themes. According to Box Office Mojo, "The Craft" is the 11th-highest-grossing film since 1980 dealing with the genre of witches.


title: The Craft (film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 57% approval rating based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's consensus reads: ""The Craft"s campy magic often overrides the feminist message at the film's core, but its appealing cast and postmodern perspective still cast a sporadic spell".