title: Tamannaah filmography

text: Tamannaah made her first appearance in a Hindi film since her debut role with "Himmatwala" (2013), a remake of the 1983 Hindi film of the same name. She reprised the role played by Sridevi in the original. "Himmatwala" received a negative reception from the critics, and Tamannaah's performance in the film was criticised. She appeared in four films the following year: "Veeram", "Humshakals", "Aagadu", and "Entertainment". "Veeram" was the only profitable venture among them. The remaining films underperformed at the box office. Tamannaah played a warrior princess in S. S. Rajamouli's "" (2015), the first of two cinematic parts of the bilingual epic film "Baahubali". It became one of the highest grossing Indian films of all time earning more than 6 billion (Indian rupees), and gained her a nomination for Best Actress – Telugu at the 63rd Filmfare Awards South ceremony. She later starred in commercially successful films such as "Bengal Tiger" (2015) and "Oopiri" (2016); the latter was an official adaptation of Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano French film "The Intouchables" (2011). Her performance in dual roles in the horror comedy "Devi" (2016) earned her a Best Actress – Tamil nomination at the 64th Filmfare Awards South.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel by S.E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was only 15 when she started writing the novel; however, she did most of the work when she was 16 and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the book was published. The book details the conflict between two rival gangs divided by their socioeconomic status: the working-class "greasers" and the upper-class "Socs" (pronounced —short for "Socials"). The story is told in first-person perspective by teenage protagonist Ponyboy Curtis.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: The story in the book takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965, but this is never explicitly stated in the book.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: A film adaptation was produced in 1983 by Francis Ford Coppola, and a short-lived television series appeared in 1990, picking up where the movie left off. A dramatic stage adaptation was written by Christopher Sergel and published in 1990. A stage musical adaptation with a libretto by Adam Rapp and songs by Jamestown Revival is currently in the works as of 2022.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: Ponyboy Curtis, a fourteen year old boy who is a member of a "gang of "greasers", is leaving a movie theater when he is jumped by "Socs", the greasers' rival gang. Several greasers, including Ponyboy's two older brothers—the paternal Darry and the popular Sodapop—come to his rescue. The next night, Ponyboy and two greaser friends, the hardened Dally and the quiet Johnny, meet Cherry and Marcia, a pair of Soc girls, at a drive-in movie theater. Cherry scorns Dally's rude advances, but Ponyboy speaks civilly with Cherry, emotionally connecting with a Soc for the first time in his life.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: Afterward, Ponyboy, Johnny, and their wisecracking friend Two-Bit begin to walk Cherry and Marcia home, when they are stopped by Cherry's boyfriend Bob, who badly beat up Johnny a few months back. Bob and the greasers exchange taunts, but Cherry prevents a fight by willingly leaving with Bob. Ponyboy gets home at two in the morning, enraging Darry until he suddenly slaps Ponyboy. Pony runs out the door and meets up with Johnny, expressing his anger at Darry's increasing coldness in the wake of his parents' recent deaths in a car crash.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: Running away from home, Ponyboy and Johnny wander into a park, where Bob and four other Socs surround them. After some heated talk, Ponyboy spits at the Socs, prompting them to attempt to drown him in a nearby fountain, but Johnny stabs Bob, killing him and dispersing the rest. Terrified as to what to do next, Ponyboy and Johnny rush to find Dally, who gives them money and a loaded gun, directing them to hide in an abandoned church in Windrixville. During their stay there, Pony cuts and dyes his hair as a disguise, reads "Gone with the Wind" to Johnny, and, upon viewing a beautiful sunrise, recites the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: Days later, Dally comes to check on them, revealing that violence between the greasers and Socs has escalated since Bob's death into all-out city-wide warfare, with Cherry acting out of guilt as a spy for the greasers. Johnny decides to turn himself in and Dally agrees to take the boys back home. As they attempt to leave, they notice the church has caught fire and several local schoolchildren have become trapped inside. The greasers run inside the burning church to save the children, but Ponyboy is rendered unconscious by the fumes. At the hospital he discovers that he and Dally are not badly injured, but a piece of the church roof fell on Johnny and broke his back. Sodapop and Darry come to the hospital; Darry breaks down and cries. Ponyboy then realizes that Darry cares about him, and is only hard on him because he loves him and cares about his future.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: The following morning the newspapers declare Pony and Johnny heroes, but Johnny will be charged with manslaughter for Bob's death. Two-Bit tells them that the greaser–Soc rivalry is to be settled in a final rumble. Ponyboy and Two-Bit are approached by a Soc named Randy, Bob's best friend, who expresses remorse for his involvement in the gang war, lacks confidence about the rumble ending the feud, and says he will not participate.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: Later, Ponyboy visits Johnny at the hospital, where he is in critical condition. On their way home, Pony spots Cherry and they talk. Cherry says she is unwilling to visit Johnny in the hospital because he killed her boyfriend. Pony calls her a traitor, but after she explains herself they end on good terms. After escaping the hospital, Dally shows up just in time for the rumble. The greasers win the brutal fight. Afterward, Pony and Dally hurry back to the hospital to see Johnny, but he dies moments later and a maniacal Dally runs out of the room. Pony returns home that night feeling confused and disoriented. Dally calls the house to say that he has robbed a store and is running from the police. The greasers find Dally deliberately pointing an unloaded gun at the police, causing them to shoot and kill him. Overwhelmed, Ponyboy faints and is sick in bed for many days due to the resulting concussion from the rumble. When the hearing finally comes, the judge frees Ponyboy from responsibility for Bob's death and allows Pony to remain at home with Darry and Soda.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: Ponyboy returns to school, but his grades drop. Although he is failing English, his teacher, Mr. Syme, says he will pass him if he writes a decent theme. In the copy of "Gone with the Wind" that Johnny gave him before dying, Ponyboy finds a letter from Johnny describing how he will die proudly after saving the kids from the fire. Johnny also urges Ponyboy to "stay gold". Ponyboy decides to write his English assignment about the recent events, and begins his essay with the opening line of the novel: "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home..."


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: "The Outsiders" was a controversial book at the time of its publication; it is still currently challenged and debated. It was ranked #38 on the American Library Association’s Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999. This book has been banned from some schools and libraries because of the portrayal of gang violence, underage smoking and drinking, strong language/slang, and family dysfunction. However, in many U.S. schools, the book is part of the English curriculum at the middle- or high-school level.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: On November 5, 2019, the "BBC News" listed "The Outsiders" on its list of the 100 most influential novels.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: The 1983 film adaptation was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, since its release it retains a fanbase. The film is notable for casting young actors before their rise to fame, which includes C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, and Diane Lane.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: A television series based on the characters of the novel and film aired in 1990. It consists of a different cast playing the same characters. It picks up right after the events of the film's ending and lasted only one season.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: In Rockstar Vancouver/Rockstar Games' 2006 video game "Bully", two factions, The Greasers and the Preppies/Preps, who both have major roles in the game, are based on "The Outsiders"’ Greaser and Socs factions respectively. On occasion, while starting a fight with a Greaser, he may say "Heads up, Ponyboy".


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: The Outsiders House Museum opened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on August 9th, 2019. In 2009, hip-hop artist Danny Boy O'Connor discovered the house that was used for the Curtis Brothers's home. Moving forward O'Connor kept the thought of buying it, which he eventually did in 2016. O'Connor said he bought it sight unseen and when he first went inside that it was falling apart. With the help of friends, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office, the City Council, local business and individuals who volunteered the restoration started. After raising funds the house went through extensive renovations to restore it and maintain its authenticity from the film. A GoFundMe was set up for additional funds, notable donors include Jack White who donated $30,000 and Billy Idol. Also to raise funds, screenings of the film were organized that actor C. Thomas Howell attended. Also in 2016, the street signs on the corner were changed to "The Outsiders way" and "The Curtis Brothers Lane". Since its opening, the museum now contains a collection of "The Outsiders" memorabilia. Aside from Howell, between its restoration and opening, other stars of the films visited this includes Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, and Matt Dillon. For his efforts on preserving a cultural landmark O'Connor received a key to the city of Tulsa.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: In 2022, in Sperry, Oklahoma, the group Upward Sperry restored the now un-operational DX gas station seen in the film. The group's president Gary Coulson said, “It’s really growing. I almost hate to say, but it’s almost like a cult following. They stream through here - what that does is get people here.” With O'Connor they are planning to revitalize "Outsiders" nostalgia in Sperry.


title: The Outsiders (novel)

text: A stage musical based on both the novel and film has been in the works as of 2022 and is expected to hold its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in February/March 2023. The production will be directed by Danya Taymor from a libretto by Adam Rapp, with songs by Jamestown Revival and music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Justin Levine.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Russell Irving Tamblyn, also known as Rusty Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934) is an American film and television actor and dancer.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Tamblyn appeared in the musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954). He subsequently portrayed Norman Page in the drama "Peyton Place" (1957), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In "West Side Story" (1961), he portrayed Riff, the leader of the Jets gang.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Throughout the 1970s, Tamblyn appeared in several exploitation films and worked as a choreographer in the 1980s. In 1990, he starred as Dr. Lawrence Jacoby in David Lynch's television drama "Twin Peaks", reprising the role during its 2017 revival.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn was born December 30, 1934, in Los Angeles, California, to actors Sally Aileen (Triplett) and Edward Francis "Eddie" Tamblyn. His younger brother, Larry Tamblyn, was the organist for the 1960s band the Standells. Tamblyn was a hyperactive child with a penchant for gymnastics and performing. He took the stage during intermissions at the local movie theater and gave tumbling performances. When he was 13, Tamblyn lived in North Hollywood, studied dramatics under Grace Bowman and dancing at the North Hollywood Academy, owned and operated by his parents.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn wanted to be a circus performer and was skilled in acrobatics and dancing as a child. He developed a musical act that involved singing, dancing, juggling and comedy.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Discovered at age 10 by actor Lloyd Bridges after acting in a play, Tamblyn first appeared on film in a small non-speaking role in "The Boy With Green Hair" (1948), after which he appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show". At age 13 he appeared in the stage play "The Stone Jungle".


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn was given a role in "The Kid from Cleveland" (1949), billed third (as "Rusty Tamblyn") under stars George Brent and Lynn Bari. The movie was not a success, but it established Tamblyn as a film actor. He appeared as young Saul in "Reign of Terror", Cecil B. DeMille's 1949 version of "Samson and Delilah," and in "What Happened to Jo Jo?" (1950).


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn played the younger Bart Tare (played as an adult by John Dall) in the film noir "Gun Crazy" (1950) and Elizabeth Taylor's younger brother in "Father of the Bride" (also 1950) and its sequel, "Father's Little Dividend" (1951). He appeared in "Captain Carey, U.S.A." (1950), "The Gangster We Made" (1950), "As Young as You Feel" (1951), "Cave of Outlaws" (1951), "Retreat, Hell!" (1952), and "The Winning Team" (1952).


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: MGM was impressed by Tamblyn's performance in "Retreat, Hell!" and signed him to a long-term contract. His first role under the contract was as a young soldier in boot camp in "Take the High Ground!" (1953), directed by Richard Brooks. His training as a gymnast in high school, and abilities as an acrobat, prepared him for his breakout role as Gideon, the youngest brother, in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954).


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn was not a trained dancer and always considered himself an actor who danced rather than the other way around, but the film was a big success and established him at MGM. Tamblyn was one of many studio contract players in the musical "Deep in My Heart" (1954). He played Eleanor Parker's brother in the Western "Many Rivers to Cross" (1955), and was one of several young MGM actors (others included Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds) in the musical "Hit the Deck" (1955).


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn supported older actors in two Westerns: Robert Taylor (American actor) and Stewart Granger in "The Last Hunt" (1956), a flop; and Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford in "The Fastest Gun Alive" (1956), a big hit, where he performed an extraordinary "shovel" dance at a hoe-down early in the film. He served (uncredited) as a choreographer for Elvis Presley in 1957's "Jailhouse Rock". MGM loaned Tamblyn to Allied Artists for his first star role, "The Young Guns" (1957). Back at MGM he supported Glenn Ford and Gia Scala in "Don't Go Near the Water" (1957), a comedy set among members of the U.S. Navy.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn portrayed Norman Page in the film of "Peyton Place" (1957) at 20th Century Fox, opposite Lana Turner and Diane Varsi. For his performance he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was then given a star role at MGM, playing Tony Baker in "High School Confidential" (1958). The film was a solid hit. Also successful was the musical "Tom Thumb" (1958) made for George Pal, in which Tamblyn was cast in the title role. His career momentum was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army in 1958.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Upon his return MGM gave him a prominent support part in "Cimarron" (1960), supporting Glenn Ford. Tamblyn's best-known musical role came as Riff, the leader of the Jets street gang in "West Side Story" (1961). He then appeared in two MGM Cinerama movies, "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" and "How the West Was Won" (both 1962). He played Luke Sanderson in "The Haunting" and Lt. "Smitty" Smith in MGM's "Follow the Boys" (both 1963).


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn was unable to consolidate his position as a leading man, and later said he "dropped out" after his "West Side Story" success and devoted himself to art, refusing movie roles, as well as a role in the TV series "Gilligan's Island". In the 1960s he appeared in the TV series "The Greatest Show on Earth" ("Silent Love, Secret Love"; 1963), and "Channing" ("The Last Testament of Buddy Crown"; 1963).


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn played a Viking alongside Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier in "The Long Ships" (1965). Also in 1965 he appeared in "Burke's Law" ("Who Killed Rosie Sunset?"); and in "Days of Our Lives".


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn had the starring role in the low-budget MGM Western "Son of a Gunfighter" (1965) and starred in the 1966 Japanese kaiju film "War of the Gargantuas". He guest starred on "Tarzan" ("Leopard on the Loose"; 1966), and "Iron Horse" ("Decision at Sundown"; 1967). Tamblyn later said he became "bored" with acting around this time and more interested in art.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn starred in the notorious biker movie "Satan's Sadists" (1969) for Al Adamson. He followed it with "Scream Free!" (1969), "The Last Movie" (1971), "The Female Bunch" (1971) and "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" (1971) for Adamson.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: He appeared on TV in "Cade's County" ("Ragged Edge"; 1972), "Win, Place or Steal" (1973), "The World Through the Eyes of Children" (1975), "The Quest" ("The Captive"; 1976), "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" ("The Skyrider"; 1978), and "Nero Wolfe" ("Before I Die"; 1981). He was also in "Black Heat" (1976).


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: At the same time he worked in exploitation, Tamblyn also worked in the construction industry and computer software.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn played the supporting role in Neil Young's 1982 "Human Highway" while also credited for screenplay and choreography. Tamblyn is credited as director, choreographer and actor for Young's "Greendale" concert tour. He choreographed a play, "Man with Bags", in 1983.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn appeared in "Fame", "Commando Squad" (1987) for Fred Olen Ray, "The Phantom Empire" (1988), "Necromancer" (1988), "B.O.R.N." (1988), "The Bloody Monks" (1988), and an episode of "Quantum Leap". He was in "Aftershock" (1990) and "Wizards of the Demon Sword" (1991) for Fred Olen Ray.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: In 1990–91, Tamblyn starred as Dr. Lawrence Jacoby on the David Lynch-created series "Twin Peaks" (alongside his "West Side Story" co-star Richard Beymer, who played Ben Horne); his scenes in the 1992 prequel film "" were cut.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: He appeared in "Running Mates" (1992), "Little Devils: The Birth" (1993), "Cabin Boy" (1994), "Desert Steel" (1995), and "Babylon 5". He appeared on stage in Los Angeles in "Zastrozzi". His work drifted back to straight to video: "Starstruck" (1995), "Rebellious" (1995), "Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold" (1995) and "Invisible Mom" (1996) for Fred Olen Ray, "Johnny Mysto: Boy Wizard" (1997), "My Ghost Dog" (1997), and "Little Miss Magic" (1998) for Ray.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn appeared on another soap opera, "General Hospital", alongside his daughter Amber in 1997 and 2000. In 2004, he appeared with Amber again, playing God in the form of a man walking dogs, in three episodes of "Joan of Arcadia". The two also worked together in the films "Rebellious", "Johnny Mysto: Boy Wizard", and "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret". In Quentin Tarantino's film "Django Unchained", they were billed respectively as "Son of a Gunfighter" and "Daughter of a Son of a Gunfighter", alluding to his leading role in the 1965 western "Son of a Gunfighter".


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: In 2004, the Academy Film Archive preserved the mid-1960s works "First Film" and "Rio Reel" by Tamblyn.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn had supporting roles in "Drive" (2011), "Django Unchained" (2012), and "Hits" (2014). He appeared several times in "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret", and in the revival of "Twin Peaks" (2017).


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn married actress Venetia Stevenson in 1956, but they divorced the next year. In 1960 he married Elizabeth Kempton, a showgirl, in Las Vegas. In later years, Tamblyn discovered he had a daughter he did not previously know about from the 1960's with artist and spiritual practitioner Elizabeth Anne Vigil. His first daughter, China Faye Tamblyn, is an artist and heavy metal welder who lives in California. Tamblyn did not meet her until she was a teenager, and only after the birth of his second child, actress Amber Tamblyn, who was born in 1983 to his third wife, Bonnie Murray.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: Tamblyn underwent open heart surgery in October 2014. There were complications afterward and during his rehabilitation, but his health had reportedly improved by February 2015.


title: Russ Tamblyn

text: In June 2021, Amber Tamblyn wrote an essay in "The New York Times" expressing solidarity with Britney Spears's effort to end the conservatorship controlling her life. Tamblyn wrote that she became financially successful when she turned 21 and starred in "Joan of Arcadia." Her father became her co-manager and her mother her business manager. She wrote that having her parents on the payroll complicated their relationship, and that having money at such a young age also complicated other relationships with relatives, friends and romantic partners, that she was "everybody's ATM", and that her money "paid for our vacations, dinners out, and sometimes even the bills". But she wrote that she remains close to her parents despite those difficult years. "My mom taught me everything I know about money management, from balancing checkbooks to coding my business expenses in my credit card statements. My father was a fiercely protective advocate."


title: The WB

text: The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. Entertainment division of Time Warner and the Tribune Broadcasting subsidiary of the Tribune Company, with the former acting as controlling partner. The network aired programs targeting teenagers and young adults between 12 and 34, with its children's division, Kids' WB, geared toward children 6 to 12.


title: The WB

text: On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to merge its subsidiary networks, UPN and the WB, and launch The CW later that same year. The WB Television Network shut down on September 17, 2006, with some programs from both it and competitor UPN (which had shut down on September 15) moving to The CW when it launched the following day, September 18.


title: The WB

text: Time Warner re-used the WB brand for an online network that launched on April 28, 2008. Until it was closed in December 2013, the website allowed users to watch shows aired on the former television network, as well as programming from the defunct In2TV service created prior to Time Warner's spinoff of AOL. The website could only be accessed within the United States.


title: The WB

text: Much like its competitor UPN, the WB was summoned in reaction primarily to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s then-recent deregulation of media ownership rules that repealed the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules, and partly due to the success of the Fox network (which debuted in October 1986, nine years before the WB launched) and first-run syndicated programming during the late 1980s and early 1990s (such as "Baywatch", "", and "War of the Worlds"), as well as the erosion in ratings suffered by independent television stations due to the growth of cable television and movie rentals. The network can also trace its beginnings to the Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN), a programming service operated as a joint venture between Time Warner and the Chris-Craft Industries group of stations, and launched in January 1993.


title: The WB

text: On November 2, 1993, the Warner Bros. division of Time Warner announced the formation of the WB Television Network, with the Tribune Company holding a minority interest; as such, Tribune Broadcasting signed agreements to affiliate six of its seven television stations at the time – all of which were independent stations, including the television group's two largest stations, WPIX in New York City and KTLA in Los Angeles – with the network. Only five of these stations – along with a sixth that Tribune acquired the following year – would join the WB at launch (the company's Atlanta independent WGNX would instead agree to affiliate with CBS in September 1994, as a result of Fox's affiliation deal with New World Communications, then-owner of longtime CBS station WAGA-TV; in contrast, New Orleans sister station WGNO did become a WB charter affiliate before joining ABC in January 1996 due to a similar affiliation deal between Fox and longtime ABC station WVUE-TV).


title: The WB

text: On December 3, 1993, the WB announced a separate affiliation agreement with Tribune for its Chicago flagship station WGN-TV (which originally planned to remain an independent station due to concerns about handling its sports programming commitments while maintaining a network affiliation); through this deal, WGN's superstation feed would provide additional national distribution for the WB as a cable-only affiliate, in order to give the network time to fill gaps in markets where it was unable to find an affiliate at launch. Although Tribune had a minority stake in the network, its stations were not technically considered owned-and-operated stations of the WB since Time Warner held controlling interest in the network's ownership.


title: The WB

text: When the network was announced, the WB planned to run a predominately network programmed schedule over time. It was originally slated to launch with two nights of primetime programming in its first year, and two additional nights of primetime programming, a nightly half-hour in late primetime, 4½ hours of weekday daytime programming and a four-hour Saturday morning children's lineup in its second year. By the third year, a fifth night of primetime and 1½ hours of weekday programming outside of primetime would have been added, followed by an additional hour of programming in primetime and 1½ hours on weekday afternoons by the network's fourth year, and a seventh night of primetime in the fifth year of operation. However, this plan was scaled back dramatically, as the WB launched with only one night of primetime programming; and by September 1995, the network added only one additional night (Sundays), along with a three (Later 4 then 5)-hour Saturday morning, one-hour weekday morning and two-hour weekday afternoon children's block.


title: The WB

text: Warner Bros. appointed many former Fox executives to run the network, including the network's original chief executive Jamie Kellner, who served as president of Fox from 1986 to 1993; and president of programming Garth Ancier, who was the programming chief of Fox from 1986 to 1989.


title: The WB

text: The WB Television Network launched on January 11, 1995, with the debut airing of the first episode of "The Wayans Bros." (a sitcom starring comedians Shawn and Marlon Wayans) as its first program. The classic Warner Bros. cartoon character Michigan J. Frog appeared on-air as the network's official mascot (with animator Chuck Jones, in person, drawing him out after Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck argued about who should launch the WB during the network's premiere), and would remain as part of the network's branding in one form or another until 2005. Additionally, WB affiliates introduced their station ID where the WB letters being projected on the Warner Bros. studio lot while moving, then, the WB letters light up before turning off and the logo for the station affiliated with the network zooms out shortly thereafter accompanied by an orchestral version of "Hello Ma Baby". Much of the network's branding was based around Warner Bros. locations and characters: the television network's original logo (which was originally displayed upright until 1998, and displayed at a titled angle thereafter) was based on the typography of the iconic Warner Bros. Pictures' "shield" logo; network promotions and imaging campaigns for the WB and the Kids' WB block from their launches until the 2003–2004 season were also centered on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot, often involving large neon signs promoting the nights of programming and their component shows (at times including signs for Kids' WB and certain shows from that block); this approach was similar to one used for Fox's 1989–90 "This is the Year" fall campaign (likely thanks to Kellner and Ancier previously having worked at Fox).


title: The WB

text: The WB's scheduling structure was similar to Fox's when it launched, as it started with one night a week of programming and then gradually added additional nights of programming over the course of several seasons: the network started with a two-hour Wednesday night lineup of sitcoms, airing from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time. The limited amount of network programming in the WB's early years essentially rendered its affiliates as nominal independent stations; because of this, affiliates held the responsibility of programming primetime slots on nights that the network did not program, airing either first-run and/or off-network syndicated programs or more commonly, movies.


title: The WB

text: The network's first programs were mostly sitcoms targeted at an ethnically black audience. Even though four of the five shows that debuted in the network's first nine months were renewed beyond the first year – "The Wayans Bros.", "Unhappily Ever After" (a dysfunctional family sitcom from "Married... with Children" co-creator Ron Leavitt), "The Parent 'Hood" (a family sitcom starring and co-created by Robert Townsend), and "Sister, Sister" (a teen/blended family sitcom starring Tia and Tamera Mowry that was picked up by the network after its cancellation by ABC in the spring of 1995) – none of them made a significant impact.


title: The WB

text: On August 17, 1995, the Tribune Company acquired a 12.5% limited partnership interest in the WB for $12 million; the deal gave Tribune an option to increase its stake in the network up to a 25% interest; Tribune would eventually increase its ownership share in the WB to 22.5% on March 31, 1997.


title: The WB

text: The WB expanded its programming to Sunday nights for the 1995–96 season, but none of the new shows (including the Kirk Cameron vehicle "Kirk" and night-time soap opera "Savannah") managed to garner much viewing interest. The network also launched the Kids' WB programming block in September 1995, which featured a mix of existing Warner Bros. animated series that originated either on Fox Kids or in syndication and originally aired on Monday through Saturday mornings. The WB continued to expand in the 1996–97 season, adding programming on Monday nights. This season gave the WB modest hits in the Aaron Spelling-produced family drama "7th Heaven" (centering on a reverend and his family) and comedies "The Steve Harvey Show" (starring Harvey as a funk musician working as a music teacher at an inner-city Chicago high school), and "The Jamie Foxx Show" (starring Foxx as an aspiring actor/singer working at a Los Angeles hotel owned by his aunt and uncle).


title: The WB

text: The WB first had success with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (a series based on the 1992 film of the same name) which became a hit with critics when it premiered as a mid-season replacement in March 1997. The series was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and it debuted with the highest Monday night ratings in the network's history, attracting not only new teenage viewers, but new advertisers as well.


title: The WB

text: Inspired by "Buffy"s success, the WB intentionally shifted the focus of its programming, trying to capture what it perceived to be a heavily fragmented market by marketing to the under-courted teen demographic. While the Fox network, the previous destination for teen television (with shows such as "Beverly Hills, 90210", "Party of Five" and "Parker Lewis Can't Lose"), began to court older audiences with shows such as "Ally McBeal", the WB began to craft its identity with programs targeted at teenagers. The network's breakout hit and, arguably, its signature series was "Dawson's Creek", which debuted in January 1998 to what were then the highest ratings in the network's history (and made stars out of its four principal actors, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, and Katie Holmes). The series was produced by Columbia TriStar Television and it quickly became the highest-rated show on television among teenage girls, and the most popular program on the WB. The popularity of "Dawson" helped boost the network's other shows, such as "Buffy", which served as its lead-in on the WB's new night of programming that also launched in January 1998, branded as "New Tuesday," and "7th Heaven", which enjoyed a massive 81% increase in viewership that season.


title: The WB

text: With three hit shows in its roster, the WB continued to build its teen fanbase the following season with college drama "Felicity" (which made a star out of lead Keri Russell) and the wicca-themed "Charmed" (which was also produced by Aaron Spelling, and co-starred Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and "90210" alumnus Shannen Doherty), both of which set new records for the network when they respectively premiered to 7.1 and 7.7 million viewers; "Charmed" had the highest-rated premiere on the network until "Smallville" broke its record, debuting to 8.4 million viewers in October 2001. At the start of the 1998–99 season, the network expanded its programming to Thursday nights. That season, "7th Heaven" overtook "Dawson's Creek" as the network's highest-rated program, and garnered the WB the highest ratings it would ever see – the show's February 8, 1999, episode attracted 12.5 million viewers.


title: The WB

text: For the 1999–2000 season, the network concluded its primetime expansion with the addition of programming on Friday nights. New shows that season included "Roswell", "Popular", and the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spin-off "Angel", the latter of which premiered with 7.5 million viewers – the second-highest rated premiere for the network at the time. During this season, the WB was the only network to have gains in its total audience viewership and in each key demographic.


title: The WB

text: As the teen boom of the late 1990s began to wane, the WB attempted to broaden the scope of its primetime lineup. Although teen-oriented fare like "Popular" and "Roswell" had premiered to strong ratings, both series saw serious ratings erosion in their sophomore seasons, leading the network to cancel them both ("Roswell", like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", would end up being revived by rival network UPN). Meanwhile, even though ratings for "7th Heaven", "Buffy" and "Charmed" remained consistent, viewership for flagship series such as "Felicity" and "Dawson's Creek" began sagging. The network realized that it could no longer rely merely on the tastes of young teenage girls, and thus began moving back into more family-friendly fare, attempting to launch a successful sitcom, and generally targeting a more diverse audience.


title: The WB

text: This new strategy came as the WB had dropped to sixth place in the ratings among all major broadcast networks (behind UPN) during the 1999–2000 season, losing 19% of its household audience. Executives for the network attributed the ratings decline in large part due to the Tribune Company's decision to remove WB network programming from WGN-TV's superstation feed in October 1999, on the pretense that the network's national distribution was large enough that it was no longer necessary for WGN to broadcast the WB's programs outside of Chicago; the network reached several affiliation deals during the prior four years with various station owners (such as the Sinclair Broadcast Group and Pappas Telecasting Companies), buoyed by the September 1998 launch of the WB 100+ Station Group, a national cable-only service that served most of the 110 smallest Nielsen media markets in the United States that did not have enough television stations to support an over-the-air affiliate. The removal of the WB's programs from the WGN national feed effectively reduced the network's potential household audience by 10 million homes (WGN-TV continued to carry WB programming over-the-air and on cable within the Chicago market until the network shut down in 2006).


title: The WB

text: Despite the slight downturn in the network's fortunes, there were a few bright spots during the era. "Gilmore Girls", which debuted in 2000, netted meager ratings when it debuted in a tough Thursday timeslot (where it competed against NBC's powerhouse Must See TV lineup), but subsequently grew into one of the network's most successful shows after moving to Tuesdays in 2001, where it remained for six seasons (before moving to The CW for its seventh and final season). Also in the fall of 2000, the fantasy sitcom "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" moved from ABC to the WB as part of its Friday night schedule; the show continued on the network for three more seasons before ending in May 2003.


title: The WB

text: Time Warner transferred operational duties for the WB from Warner Bros. over to its Turner Broadcasting System division in 2001. On November 12, 2002, chairman Jamie Kellner – who became chairman and chief executive officer of the Turner Broadcasting System concurrent with that deal – sold his 11% stake in the WB to majority corporate parent AOL Time Warner, leaving it and minority owner, the Tribune Company, as the only partners in the network. Following Kellner's departure from Turner, AOL Time Warner reassigned the network's operations back to the Warner Bros. unit in 2003.


title: The WB

text: In October 2001, the Superman-inspired "Smallville" debuted with 8.4 million viewers, the highest-rated premiere in the history of the network; that show was also important because it was one of the few series that drew a substantial male viewership. 2001 also saw the launch of the Reba McEntire vehicle "Reba", arguably the network's most successful comedic series; "Reba" and "Sabrina" served as the linchpins for a new Friday night sitcom block that debuted in October 2001 (delayed from a mid-September launch, as other networks did with their fall schedules following the September 11th terrorist attacks) and continued for much of the remainder of the network's run (comedies on that night were relegated to one hour in April 2006, with reality series filling the 8:00 p.m. hour). Other series to gain attention during this period were the family drama "Everwood", and the short-lived but critically acclaimed soap satire "Grosse Pointe".


title: The WB

text: Despite some early success, the network struggled to shift its focus from the female 12–24 demographic to the broader 12–34 range, in its attempt to attract a broader young adult audience. In 2005, the network retired Michigan J. Frog, as the network's trademark mascot. the WB's president of entertainment at the time, David Janollari, explained in July 2005 at the network's summer press tour that "[Michigan] was a symbol that perpetuated the young-teen feel of the network. That's not the image we [now] want to put to our audience."


title: The WB

text: Still, the move did not seem to help the network. The period from 2003 to 2005 produced only three viable new series, the teen-oriented drama "One Tree Hill", social experiment reality competition "Beauty and the Geek", and fantasy drama "Supernatural" (all of which ultimately moved to successor network The CW), and even still their ratings paled in comparison to the ratings peaks of "Dawson's Creek", which had ended its run in May 2003. Ratings dropped for many of the WB's shows, while also cancelling shows with steady ratings such as "Angel"; the network failed to launch new hit shows to take their places.


title: The WB

text: Although the WB's well-known inability to launch successful comedy series was nothing new ("Reba" being a notable exception), this period saw the network struggling to establish new dramas as well. High-profile failures included "Birds of Prey" (a series inspired by the Batman mythos, which premiered in October 2002 with an impressive 8 share), "Tarzan", "Jack & Bobby", "The Mountain", the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced legal dramedy "Just Legal", the Marta Kauffman-created dramedy "Related", and the Rebecca Romijn vehicle "Pepper Dennis".


title: The WB

text: During the 2004–05 season, the WB finished behind rival UPN for the first time in four years, and fell even further behind in fall 2005. Both networks fell behind Spanish language network Univision in the overall 18–34 demographic. Between November and December 2005, the network laid off approximately 40 employees amid continued ratings and profit losses (with viewership down 12% by November 2005), with network representatives expecting the WB to lose about $35 million during the 2005–06 fiscal year. The WB was programming six days and 13 hours per week at this time.


title: The WB

text: On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced plans to shut down both UPN and the WB and partner to launch a new broadcast television network that would include series from both soon-to-be predecessor networks, known as The CW. Over the next eight months, it was to be seen which shows from the two networks would cross over to The CW, as well as which stations aligned with either UPN or the WB would become future affiliates of the new network. In the end, "7th Heaven", "Beauty and the Geek", "Gilmore Girls", "One Tree Hill", "Reba", "Smallville", and "Supernatural" were chosen to move from the WB to The CW for its inaugural 2006–07 fall schedule. "7th Heaven" and "Reba" were originally canceled after the 2005–06 season, but were ultimately renewed at the last minute with 13-episode deals (the former show was later given a full-season order, while the latter served as a midseason replacement and, in spite of becoming The CW's highest-rated comedy of the 2006–07 season, ended rather abruptly). "Supernatural", which aired its final (15th) season in Fall 2020 was the last surviving series from the WB that remained on the CW network schedule.


title: The WB

text: Tribune Broadcasting also committed 16 of its 19 WB-affiliated stations at the time to serve as the network's core affiliates (though it relinquished its stake in the WB shortly after the launch announcement for The CW, in order to avoid shouldering shutdown costs for the WB, and would not take on an ownership stake in The CW) – alongside 11 UPN O&Os that were named as CW charter stations by CBS Corporation. Starting on August 14, 2006, with the Daytime WB block, the WB stopped displaying its on-screen logo bug during the network's programming and replaced it with a countdown of days until The CW's premiere. Some stations that either affiliated with MyNetworkTV (itself created in response to Tribune and CBS receiving affiliation deals with The CW, leaving UPN affiliates owned by Fox Television Stations, a subsidiary of MyNetworkTV's original parent company News Corporation, with the prospect of ending up as independents), became independent stations or became CW charter affiliates received a logo-free feed of the network, while others took the main feed and overlaid the station's own logo bug over The CW's logo.


title: The WB

text: The Night of Favorites and Farewells was a one-time special lineup that aired on the WB on September 17, 2006. It consisted of pilot episodes for some of the network's most popular and longest-running shows. The five-hour block was aired on most affiliates of The CW with the exception of those which had taken affiliation with MyNetworkTV, unless they kept the WB as a secondary affiliation. It served as the WB's last nationally broadcast schedule, as the network, which had been on the air since January 11, 1995, officially shut down after the pilot of "Dawson's Creek" ended to make room for The CW.


title: The WB

text: The night began with the announcer, Hal Douglas (who had become the "voice" of the WB for the majority of its history, and would not return as announcer for The CW, but instead moved to ABC), introducing the viewers to the night's schedule, and began with the premiere episode of "Felicity".


title: The WB

text: Before each show, there was an introduction to the show, followed by the "Night" logo displayed with the year the show premiered on the bottom. During commercial breaks and after shows during the credits, flashbacks would air that would feature actors and other memorable stars on the WB, usually from stock footage or from commercials and image campaigns the network had. The names and the year when they became big on the network would also appear.


title: The WB

text: Commercials also included promo spots for each series' TV-on-DVD box sets as well as promo spots given to cable networks broadcasting the shows above in off-network syndication.


title: The WB

text: After the final act of the pilot for "Dawson's Creek" (and a short commercial break) concludes a last 60-second clip montage aired featuring all of the network's previous stars, ending with this statement:


title: The WB

text: ""For 11 years, you brought us into your homes. We made you smile and tugged at your heart. And now, we say goodbye. From all of us at The WB, thank you.""


title: The WB

text: The last image on the WB was of their former mascot Michigan J. Frog (who was shown as a white silhouette due to the animated character being retired as the network's mascot the year before), taking his hat off and bowing while the words "thank you" are on the screen, thanking the audience for watching the network for the last 11 years. As the image faded out, the WB officially left the airwaves.


title: The WB

text: The clip montage officially ceased the network's operations, as the studio credits for "Dawson's Creek" were shown afterwards instead of the WB's standard credits scheme, which had been used on the other pilots that aired during the night.


title: The WB

text: That evening, after the WB shut down, some affiliates that would join The CW when it launched the following night acknowledged the pending switchover within their newscasts, with most adopting their new CW station brands immediately. New York City affiliate WPIX (channel 11) aired a montage of all of the logos used throughout the station's history leading up to the introduction of its new "CW11" logo before the start of its 10:00 p.m. newscast, while KHCW (channel 39) in Houston aired a retrospective of the station's history during its 9:00 p.m. news. In Dallas, KDAF (channel 33) had retitled its primetime newscast to "CW33 News at Nine" immediately following the end of WB programming, and featured a video clip of the signage being changed outside the station's studios (however, the old "WB33 News at Nine" bumper aired upon returning from the first commercial break that night).


title: The WB

text: The WB had limited marketing for this one last program on their network. Commercials mainly aired on the network itself.


title: The WB

text: Major themes for the show included "Faces you'll always remember", "Names you'll never forget", "The faces that touched our hearts", "The WB says goodbye", "A Network that defined a generation says goodbye." and "Join us one last time". The music playing in all the flashbacks and other promos for the event was "Crawl" by Thisway (which was heard on the network's 1999-2000 campaign).


title: The WB

text: Over the next few days, there were many discussions about the night on The CW's forums, most of which expressed sadness. The actual Nielsen ratings for the night were poor, as it rated a 0.9 household rating and 2 share. The main reason for this primarily lies in certain areas where former WB affiliates became MyNetworkTV affiliates, thus leaving the WB's last two weeks of programming unavailable in the markets whose WB affiliates switched to MyNetworkTV. Overall, the vast majority of WB affiliates moving onto The CW preferred to market their future network instead, leading to low promotion of the last night of the WB, while those stations which had taken neither network had long stopped promoting their network's programming outside of contractual obligations.


title: The WB

text: The final night of WB programming netted relatively low ratings. The network scored a 1.0 household rating (amounting to 1% of all U.S. television households) and a share of 2, meaning just 2% of viewers were tuned into the WB on its final night of programming. This is mostly due to the fact that some WB affiliates in certain areas had recently joined MyNetworkTV, which debuted on September 5, two weeks before The CW's launch, leaving the WB's last two weeks of programming unavailable in those areas. After its closure, the network's URLs were redirected to The CW's website, cwtv.com. By March 30, 2008, the URLs redirected to the Warner Bros. Studios homepage, before being redirected to the TheWB.com beta website one month later on April 28.


title: The WB

text: The CW maintained many operational and scheduling elements from the WB. When it launched on September 18, 2006, The CW initially maintained the WB's scheduling model; the WB had carried 30 hours of network programming each week (13 of which were devoted to primetime shows) in comparison to UPN's weekly programming total of 12 hours (10 hours of which were allocated to primetime shows). It also inherited the WB 100+ Station Group – which became The CW Plus – though the distribution model of The CW Plus started to differ from the WB 100+ by mixing digital subchannel affiliations, along with the cable-only affiliates and few conventional affiliate stations that were part of the predecessor group at the end of the WB's run. The CW continued the Daytime WB block – which became The CW Daytime (and was reduced from two hours to one in 2010), although two blocks that moved to The CW from the WB would eventually be discontinued: Kids' WB continued on The CW until May 17, 2008, when it was replaced with The CW4Kids after 4Kids Entertainment began programming The CW's Saturday morning block through a time-lease agreement (Kids' WB was later relaunched as an online portal); The CW discontinued its Sunday primetime schedule in September 2009, effectively ending the EasyView block in the process.


title: The WB

text: Warner Bros.' television arm planned on resurrecting the WB brand in the form of a website at TheWB.com, the website domain used for the official site of the broadcast network. The site streamed episodes of series that were broadcast during the WB's 1995–2006 run, including "Gilmore Girls", "Smallville", "Everwood", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Dawson's Creek", "One Tree Hill", "Roswell", and "What I Like About You". The new incarnation of the TheWB.com began in beta testing on April 28, 2008, and officially launched on August 27. The site – whose business model resembled that of free-to-stream services such as Hulu – was ad-supported and geared primarily to women ages 15–39. In addition to older full-length series (among which also included "All of Us", "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper", "Martin", "Jack & Bobby", and "Veronica Mars"), the website featured original serialized web content including short series and vignettes from such well-known television producers as Josh Schwartz and McG, including "Sorority Forever", "Pushed", "Rockville, CA", "The Lake", and "Children's Hospital" (the latter's popularity was sustained enough to receive a run and eventual move to cable television as a regular series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim). Each of these 10-episode programs ran for five minutes.


title: The WB

text: Many other well-known Warner Bros.-produced series that did not air on the WB, including "Friends" and "The O.C.", were also made available on the site. However, the website did not include episodes of two of the WB's most popular shows, "Charmed" and "Felicity", as the distribution rights to "Charmed" are owned by CBS Television Distribution and "Felicity"s rights are owned by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Comcast offers over 1,000 episodes from the Warner Bros. Television library on its video on demand service. While Warner Bros. Entertainment did not promote the site in any multimedia ads, it had drawn about 250,000 unique viewers a month, according to Mindshare's Mr. Chapman, who had been tracking the site. Some of its original material had been offered on partner sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Data compiled by "comScore Video Metrix" showed that 62% of visitors to the site were female.


title: The WB

text: The McG-produced original series "Sorority Forever" premiered on the site on September 8, 2008. By 2012, it had accrued more than 7.3 million views from TheWB.com and partner sites. An original reality series, "Rich Girl, Poor Girl" from "" and "" executive producer Gary Auerbach, in which two teenagers from different economic and social backgrounds swap lives (similar in format to "Wife Swap" and "A Walk In Your Shoes"), had ranked among the top 100 programs in the teenage category on iTunes since its October 20, 2008, debut. With the full replacement of the CW's original Internet programming efforts with their CW Seed portal, the WB website was shut down in December 2013. The closure of the WB website ended, after more than eighteen years, the usage of the brand name "the WB". However, the legacy of the WB still lives on as of 2019. Various programs that aired on the network air reruns on various cable networks such as MTV2 and TNT. Also, WMJF, a small student-run television station at Towson University just outside Baltimore, Maryland, still uses the same call letters (WMJF – Michigan J. Frog) from when the station was a WB affiliate. A neon likeness of Michigan J. Frog also adorns the facade of former WB affiliate WBNX-TV's studio complex in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Similarly, a large Hollywood lights-style sign of the network's logo that was used in the network's "backlot"-themed idents, promos, and bumpers is still located near storage facilities at the Warner Bros. Ranch Facilities in California.


title: The WB

text: The clothing retailer H&M, not a traditional television advertiser in the United States, sponsored "Sorority Forever" and had some of its clothing worn by characters in the series. Unilever's Axe brand has sponsored "Children's Hospital". Warner Horizon Television executive vice president Craig Erwich, who oversaw TheWB.com, said in regards to these tie-ins "If an advertiser has an interest in a series we have in production, we can work in their products or even adjust our launch dates if they want to tie it in to a special promotion."


title: The WB

text: Many, though not all, of the WB's programming during its eleven-year run as a television network was produced by corporate cousin Warner Bros. Television. The network's schedule during its first two seasons – the 1995 midseason (when it inaugurated its initial Wednesday lineup) and the first half of the 1995–96 season (when the network expanded its programming to Sundays) – consisted entirely of sitcoms; the first drama series to debut on the network was the primetime soap "Savannah", which debuted in February 1996 and ran for two seasons until its cancellation in February 1997. The WB's first reality series was the U.S. adaptation of "Popstars", which ran for two seasons from 2001 to 2003.


title: The WB

text: In addition to live-action programs, the network has experimented with primetime animated series; "Pinky and the Brain" was the first such series, airing as part of the network's Sunday lineup from September 1995 to July 1996, before moving exclusively to the Kids' WB Saturday lineup due to low ratings in its prime time slot. Most of the animated projects that aired afterward were adult animation series; the last such attempts being "The Oblongs" (running for one season in 2001, and was later revived on corporate sister Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block) and "The PJs" (which moved to the network in 2000 following its cancellation by Fox, and ran for only one additional season on the WB).


title: The WB

text: The WB also occasionally aired regularly scheduled repeat episodes of first-run series airing on other nights throughout the television season intermittently throughout its history; "Sister, Sister" was the first WB series to receive this treatment, with repeats of the sitcom's first two seasons (which originally aired on ABC) from August 1995 to August 1996, in addition to the first-run episodes it aired on Wednesday nights (this marked the first time that a network aired reruns as part of its regular schedule – outside of the summer months – since December 1993, when NBC removed repeats of "Classic Concentration" from its daytime lineup two years after that program's cancellation). From 1998 to 2000, the network also aired episode repeats from the first two seasons of "7th Heaven" during the first hour of its Sunday lineup under the title "7th Heaven Beginnings"; this concept was revived during the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons with "Smallville" and "Gilmore Girls" (which aired repeats from their early seasons under the respective titles "Smallville: Beginnings" and "Gilmore Girls: Beginnings"). Furthermore, from September 2002 until the WB ceased operations, the network ran a two-hour extension of its Sunday lineup (from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time), known as "EasyView", a block featuring week-behind episode rebroadcasts of select shows from the network's primetime schedule.


title: The WB

text: Out of all the network's series, "7th Heaven" – which by the time it ended, had become the longest-running family drama in television history – was the longest-running series ever to have aired on the WB, having run on the network for ten seasons from 1996 to 2006. The program was beaten by "Supernatural" as the longest-running series to originate on the WB in the 2017–18 season, when the latter series began its thirteenth season ("7th Heaven" ran for an additional season on The CW from 2006 to 2007; while "Supernatural" aired on the WB for one season from 2005 to 2006, before moving to The CW in September 2006, ending in 2020).


title: The WB

text: The WB debuted the Kids' WB children's program block in September 1995; the lineup initially featured a mix of Warner Bros.' most popular children's shows (such as "Tiny Toon Adventures", "Animaniacs", and later "", all of which originated either on Fox Kids or in syndication) and newer series (such as "Freakazoid!", "Histeria!", "", "Road Rovers", "Pinky and the Brain", and "Batman Beyond"). After the Turner Broadcasting System was acquired by Time Warner in 1996, Kids' WB formed an alliance with Cartoon Network, resulting over time in an increasing number of programs being shared between the block and the cable channel.


title: The WB

text: In February 1999, Kids' WB began airing the American English dub of "Pokémon". The WB acquired the U.S. rights to the Japanese animated series from TV Tokyo earlier that year (from its U.S. premiere in the fall of 1998 up to that point, the show was syndicated); the series ultimately became a widespread pop culture phenomenon with the added exposure on the network. Kids' WB also acquired the English-language dub of "Yu-Gi-Oh!", which also saw the type of viewer popularity experienced by "Pokémon". Between 2000 and 2005, Kids' WB experimented with some live-action programming, though the block continued to mainly run animated series. A television series adaptation of R. L. Stine's "The Nightmare Room" debuted on the block in 2001, it was cancelled after one season. It also aired the live-action made-for-TV movie "Zolar", as well as the JammX Kids All-Star dance specials.


title: The WB

text: With Cartoon Network now outrating Fox Kids, and the WB sharing more of its children's programming with the cable channel, the WB announced on May 31, 2005, that it would discontinue Kids' WB's weekday afternoon block as it became financially unattractive due to broadcast stations shifting their afternoon target audiences more exclusively to adults by filling the slot with talk shows and sitcom reruns, on the basis that children's viewing options in that time period had gravitated more towards cable television. Kids' WB's weekday programming continued, but with redundant programs and theme weeks until December 30, 2005 (the block began to increasingly promote Cartoon Network's afternoon Miguzi block and the Kids' WB Saturday morning lineup during the transition). The weekday block was replaced on January 2, 2006, by "Daytime WB," a block that featured repeats of sitcoms and drama series formerly aired by the WB and other networks (such as "ER", "8 Simple Rules", and "What I Like About You"); five days later on January 7, the Kids' WB Saturday morning lineup was expanded by one hour.


title: The WB

text: The Daytime WB block continued on The CW, unofficially renamed The CW Daytime (though occasional on-air promos for the block do not refer to this name); The CW also kept the Kids' WB name for the network's Saturday morning children's programming. However, on October 2, 2007, The CW announced that it would discontinue the Kids' WB block, due to competition with youth-oriented cable channels. Kids' WB aired for the last time on May 17, 2008, replaced with a new block programmed in conjunction with 4Kids Entertainment called The CW4Kids (which was replaced by Vortexx on August 25, 2012, after Saban Brands and Kidsco Media Ventures took over programming the block as part of its acquisition of much of 4Kids's program library; Vortexx continued to run until September 27, 2014, before being replaced a week later by One Magnificent Morning programmed by Litton Entertainment). As a result of its distribution deal with The CW, 4Kids produced Saturday morning blocks for two networks during the 2008–09 season, as it already programmed Fox's 4Kids TV block (which was discontinued by that network on December 27, 2008).


title: The WB

text: Like its parent network, Kids' WB was revived as an online-only network in April 2008. In addition to carrying select previous Kids' WB programs, the site also features other archived programs to which Time Warner owns or holds distribution rights, and programs seen on Cartoon Network and Boomerang.


title: The WB

text: At the time of its shutdown, the WB ran only two hours of primetime network programming on Monday through Fridays and five hours on Sundays, compared to the three Monday through Saturday and four Sunday primetime hours offered by the Big Three networks (unlike the WB, UPN never carried any weekend primetime programming, though it did offer a movie package to its affiliates on weekend afternoons until September 2000, when the latter was replaced with a two-hour repeat block of UPN programs). This primetime scheduling allowed for many of the network's affiliates to air local newscasts during the 10:00–11:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific) time period.


title: The WB

text: The WB never ran network programming on Saturday nights – despite the fact that the network maintained a children's program block on Saturday mornings – allowing affiliates to run syndicated programs, sports, movies or network programs that were preempted from earlier in the week due to special programming, in the 8:00–10:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific) time period. The network's Sunday schedule was originally three hours when the WB began programming that night in September 1995, but expanded to five hours (from 5:00–10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time) in September 2002, with the creation of the "EasyView" repeat block (that block was retained by The CW, which initially adopted the WB's scheduling model until it turned Sunday programming over to its affiliates in September 2009).


title: The WB

text: In comparison to ABC and CBS, the WB also had the fewest hours devoted to daytime programming on weekdays between September 2001 (when the network dropped the weekday morning block of Kids' WB programs) and September 2006, running only two hours of programming each weekday afternoon (compared to 4½ hours on CBS and four hours on ABC) – NBC in comparison ran only three hours of daytime programming each weekday (not counting its morning news program "Today") until September 2000, when it scaled back its daytime programming block to two hours. Because of these reasons, the schedules of the WB's affiliates were largely composed of syndicated programming.


title: The WB

text: The WB was the only English language broadcast network that historically did not have any owned-and-operated stations. Although Tribune Broadcasting maintained an ownership stake in the WB, its stations in the three largest television markets of New York City (WPIX), Los Angeles (KTLA) and Chicago (WGN-TV) were actually "affiliates" of the network since Tribune did not have a controlling ownership interest in the network to allow its stations to be constituted as O&Os (by 2005, Tribune owned 22.5% of the network, while Time Warner held the controlling 77.5% interest). Time Warner did not have a station group of its own at the time (and still does not in the present day); although its Turner Broadcasting System division did own Atlanta independent station WPCH-TV (then WTBS-TV, the local feed of then-superstation TBS) at the time, but it never carried WB programming due to the network's affiliation with WATL, which Tribune Broadcasting had owned from 1999 (when it acquired the station from Qwest Broadcasting, which was part-owned by Tribune) to 2006 (when it sold the station to the Gannett Company, now Tegna, Inc.).


title: The WB

text: Unlike the other major networks, the WB distributed its programming in markets that did not have enough commercial television stations to support a standalone WB affiliate to cable-only outlets: the superstation feed of WGN-TV (now known as NewsNation and since converted into a general news cable channel) carried the network's programming from January 1995 to October 1999 to make the WB available primarily to areas where it did not yet have a full-time affiliate. While viewers in the Chicago area saw primetime and Kids' WB programming on separate stations until September 2004 (primetime shows on WGN-TV and children's programs on WCIU-TV), the WGN superstation feed carried the WB's entire schedule during the four-year period that it carried the network.


title: The WB

text: On September 21, 1998, the WB launched the WB 100+ Station Group, an alternate national feed for small and certain mid-sized U.S. markets (generally those within the bottom 110 Nielsen media markets). The service – which transmitted its content via an IBM-developed data server network that digitally transmitted local and national advertisements, promos, station identifications and customized logo bugs to each individual affiliate, with the programming feeds and accompanying data being relayed via satellite and stored to a wireless PC-based system (known as a "station in a box") – was primarily affiliated with cable-only television channels (which were mainly operated by area cable providers), though it was also carried on full-power or low-power stations in some markets. The WB 100+ offered its own master schedule with programs available on the syndication market that were acquired by the WB (including some feature films and infomercials) airing outside of network programming hours; the addition of local advertisements and newscasts were at the discretion of the local distributor. Most of the stations that were part of the WB 100+ Station Group joined The CW Plus after The CW's September 2006 launch, though most of the cable-only affiliates that became part of The CW Plus have since been replaced by or converted into digital subchannels carried by major network affiliates.


title: The WB

text: WT05 in Toledo, Ohio, was the only cable-exclusive WB affiliate that was not part of the WB 100+ Station Group; owner Block Communications (which operates area cable provider Buckeye CableSystem) handled programming for WT05, running its own schedule of syndicated programs during non-network hours – a model the channel maintained as a CW affiliate until its shutdown and replacement by WTVG-DT2 in October 2014. In certain mid-sized and smaller markets, some of the WB's stations held dual affiliations with another major network – most commonly, UPN (with the WB often serving as the primary affiliation) – if there were not enough television stations to allow both networks to maintain separate affiliates (though this was also the case in a few markets where enough stations were available for a standalone affiliate).


title: The WB

text: News programming on the WB's affiliates was similar to Fox stations at the time in that the quantity of newscasts varied from station to station. Roughly half of the WB's approximately 200 affiliates aired a local newscast in the 10:00–11:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific (9:00–10:00 p.m. Central/Mountain) time slot at some point during or throughout their affiliations with the network. Fundamentally, the newscast schedules on WB affiliates varied considerably between stations compared to those affiliated with ABC, CBS, NBC and especially Fox. Most WB affiliates generally ran a two-hour morning newscast on weekdays and/or a half-hour or hour-long 10:00 p.m. newscast on Monday through Fridays only or all seven nights of the week; although there were a few larger market stations that maintained in-house news departments that also produced midday newscasts and had morning newscasts that began in the then-traditional 5:00–7:00 a.m. timeslot; early evening newscasts were largely absent on most of these stations.


title: The WB

text: The WB affiliate body had fewer news-producing stations in comparison to stations aligned with the Big Three television networks (NBC, ABC and CBS) and considerably fewer than Fox (which has only around 70 stations with in-house news departments, with most of its stations outsourcing their news programming to a competitor). When the network launched in January 1995, the WB automatically gained five affiliates with functioning news departments through the initial agreement with Tribune Broadcasting, all of whom founded their news operations as either independent stations or during early affiliations with other networks, such as the DuMont Television Network: WGN-TV in Chicago, WPIX in New York City, KTLA in Los Angeles, KWGN-TV in Denver and WLVI-TV in Boston (a fifth news-producing station owned by Tribune at the time, WGNX in Atlanta, was to become a WB charter affiliate but instead affiliated with CBS after WAGA-TV dropped that network to join Fox in December 1994, through a groupwide affiliation deal between Fox and WAGA owner New World Communications). KPLR-TV in St. Louis (which would not be acquired by Tribune until 2003, when it bought the station from ACME Communications) also continued to produce a 9:00 p.m. newscast as a WB affiliate; while Phoenix, Arizona's KTVK began running expanded newscasts shortly before joining the WB at the network's launch (it had earlier lost the ABC affiliation to KNXV-TV, the WB affiliation moved to KASW, which KTVK began managing under a local marketing agreement upon its sign-on, in September 1995).


title: The WB

text: In the late 1990s, Tribune asked the company's remaining WB-affiliated stations that did not run newscasts to develop their own news departments; the only stations to do this were KDAF in Dallas–Fort Worth, KHWB in Houston, KSWB-TV in San Diego and WPHL-TV in Philadelphia – the first three debuted their newscasts in 1999, while WPHL had debuted a 10:00 p.m. newscast that was produced in conjunction with "The Philadelphia Inquirer" in 1994, before WPHL took over production of the program in 1996. KSWB and WPHL would both shutter their news departments in 2005, outsourcing production of their 10:00 p.m. newscasts to NBC owned-and-operated stations in their respective markets (KSWB restored in-house newscasts after it switched from WB successor The CW to Fox in August 2008). KNTV in San Jose became the largest news-producing WB affiliate by market size to be owned by a company other than Tribune (and the only other affiliate of the network to produce early evening newscasts, after KTVK) after it terminated its ABC affiliation, and began carrying WB programming (in a partial simulcast with then-sister station KBWB-TV) in 2000, before affiliating with – and then ultimately being purchased by – NBC in 2002.


title: The WB

text: Sinclair Broadcast Group also operated several WB affiliates with local news departments: Raleigh's WLFL was the only WB affiliate that the company owned which had an existing news operation at the time it joined the network (WLFL began producing a 10:00 p.m. newscast as a Fox affiliate in 1992, six years before it joined the WB); Sinclair's Tampa, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Norfolk WB affiliates began producing their own newscasts through Sinclair's local/national hybrid news format News Central in the early 2000s. The news departments of all seven of those stations were shut down in 2006 due to companywide cutbacks in Sinclair's news operations and the discontinuance of News Central. Of the former WB affiliates that produced newscasts during their affiliation with the network, only WGN-TV, WPIX, KTLA, KDAF and KIAH (all of whom became affiliates of The CW) continue to maintain self-supporting news departments (KPLR and KWGN respectively merged their news departments with those of Fox affiliates KTVI and KDVR through a 2008 management agreement between Tribune and Local TV, while WLVI's news department was shut down after Tribune sold the station to Sunbeam Television in 2006, with production of its 10:00 p.m. newscast taken over by new sister station WHDH).


title: The WB

text: In most markets, the local WB affiliate either outsourced news programming to an NBC, ABC or CBS station in the market (either due to insufficient funds for production of their own newscasts or in later years after the FCC permitted duopolies in markets with at least eight unique station owners in 2000, the station being operated through a legal duopoly or operational agreement with a major network affiliate) or opted to carry syndicated programming in the hour following the WB's primetime programming. As with Fox affiliates, WB-affiliated stations whose newscasts were produced by a same-market competitor tended to have fewer programming hours devoted to news than the station producing the broadcasts.


title: The WB

text: In 2005, the WB had an estimated audience reach of 91.66% of all U.S. households (equivalent to 90,282,480 households with at least one television set); the network was carried by 177 VHF and UHF stations in the United States. The WB was also available in Canada on cable and satellite providers through affiliates that are located within proximity to the Canada–US border (whose broadcasts of WB shows were subject to simultaneous substitution rules imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to protect program rights held by a domestically based network), and through two affiliates owned by Tribune Broadcasting (WPIX in New York City and KTLA in Los Angeles) that are classified in that country as superstations, as well as the superstation feed of Chicago affiliate WGN-TV.


title: The WB

text: When the WB launched in 1995, the network began branding most of its affiliates with a combination of "WB" or "the WB," and the station's channel number. This meant that, for example, New York City affiliate WPIX and St. Louis affiliate KPLR-TV were both referred to as "the WB11" and "WB11" respectively (though WPIX branded as "the WB, Channel 11" until 1996, and KPLR as its pre-affiliation brand "St. Louis 11" until 1998). Fox originated such naming schemes, and CBS uses similar on-air branding for most of its owned-and-operated stations (NBC and ABC also utilize similar, but less extreme, naming schemes). While Fox and UPN mandated their respective branding schemes on all of their stations, the WB did not. Therefore, other WB affiliates opted to use non-standardized brandings: WGN-TV in Chicago branded as "WGN Channel 9" (or simply "WGN") with the WB's logo placed within the right curve of the station's "9 as an upside-down G" logo after the network launched, and next to a boxed "9" from 2002 to 2006.


title: The WB

text: Most of the Tribune Company's WB affiliates only used the network's logo within the logos of each station or used the "WB" name after the callsign in its on-air branding (an example was Los Angeles affiliate KTLA, which branded as "KTLA, the WB", after dropping its longstanding and genericized "Channel 5" brand in 1997). Many WB affiliates used another form of standardized branding: the network's Lakeland, Florida, affiliate (serving Tampa) acquired the WWWB call letters and branded on-air as "the WB 32" (it is now known as WMOR-TV). Other stations would take on a 'by city' branding approach (for example, KHWB in Houston was called "Houston's WB" and WLVI-TV in Boston was called "Boston's WB" – both used the "WB (channel number)" branding prior to incorporating the station's city of primary service during the final years of the network's run); some stations which followed this scheme used a regional name instead of a specific city (such as "Capital Region's WB" for WEWB in Albany, New York, or "Hawaii's WB" for KFVE in Honolulu, Hawaii), while others also incorporated the channel number (such as Philadelphia affiliate WPHL-TV as "Philadelphia's WB17", or Mobile, Alabama, affiliate WBPG as "The Gulf Coast's WB55"). Many stations affiliated with the WB 100+ Station Group also followed either one of these variations on "The City/Region's WB" scheme (though the group's cable-only affiliates also used fictional call signs).


title: Theo Rossi

text: John Theodore Rossi (born June 4, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series "Sons of Anarchy" (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in "Luke Cage" (2016–2018). His film roles include Tino Hull in "Red Sands" (2009), Todd in "Bad Hurt" (2015), Francisco "Ghost" Alvarez in "Lowriders" (2017), and Deuce in "Vault" (2019).


title: Theo Rossi

text: Rossi was born in Staten Island, New York City, New York. He is of Italian, Spanish, Syrian, and North African descent. Growing up, he loved to ride dirt bikes. He has openly admitted to dealing drugs for years before moving to California. He studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York, where he appeared in several theatre productions.


title: Theo Rossi

text: Rossi played Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series "Sons of Anarchy". His production company, "Dos Dudes Pictures", produced its first feature film in 2014, "Bad Hurt", Rossi acting alongside Karen Allen and Michael Harney.


title: Theo Rossi

text: Rossi has appeared in television shows such as "", "Hawaii Five-O", "Las Vegas", "The Unit", "Jericho", "Bones", "Without a Trace", "Veronica Mars", "NYPD Blue", "", "Lie to Me" and "Lost". He has had recurring roles on "Heist", "American Dreams", and "". His film credits include "Cloverfield", "Code Breakers", "", "Red Sands", "The Informers", "Kill Theory", "Fencewalker" and "Meth Head".


title: Theo Rossi

text: In 2019, Rossi joined the Advisory Board of the Harlem Film House, which presents the Hip Hop Film Festival, an annual event that focuses on filmmakers from the global culture of hip hop, and promotes financial sustainability for independent filmmakers from marginalized communities.


title: Theo Rossi

text: Rossi gets involved with the men and women of the military, with fellow "Sons of Anarchy" actors Kim Coates, Dayton Callie and Ron Perlman. An Ambassador to the Boot Campaign, Rossi works with multiple organizations that raise money for wounded soldiers and those returning with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Throughout the off-season, Rossi has often traveled to different bases to visit US military personnel. He has helped to organize the yearly Boot Ride event that benefits the Boot Campaign, giving fans a chance to spend a day riding with the "Sons of Anarchy" cast while raising money for U.S. military veterans.


title: Theo Rossi

text: Shortly after Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island, Rossi, with friends and family, founded Staten Strong, a program administered by the Boot Campaign. Staten Strong rebuilt three homes for Hurricane Sandy victims on Staten Island.


title: Theo Rossi

text: Rossi is a supporter of animal welfare and has been vegan since 1997. He launched a campaign with The Humane Society of the United States to protect street dogs. He appeared in a PETA ad promoting pet adoption.


title: Theo Rossi

text: Rossi resides in Austin, Texas. He is married to Meghan McDermott. The couple's first child was born in 2015, and their second in 2017.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cushing's syndrome is a collection of signs and symptoms due to prolonged exposure to glucocorticoids such as cortisol. Signs and symptoms may include high blood pressure, abdominal obesity but with thin arms and legs, reddish stretch marks, a round red face, a fat lump between the shoulders, weak muscles, weak bones, acne, and fragile skin that heals poorly. Women may have more hair and irregular menstruation. Occasionally there may be changes in mood, headaches, and a chronic feeling of tiredness.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cushing's syndrome is caused by either excessive cortisol-like medication, such as prednisone, or a tumor that either produces or results in the production of excessive cortisol by the adrenal glands. Cases due to a pituitary adenoma are known as Cushing's disease, which is the second most common cause of Cushing's syndrome after medication. A number of other tumors, often referred to as ectopic due to their placement outside the pituitary, may also cause Cushing's. Some of these are associated with inherited disorders such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and Carney complex. Diagnosis requires a number of steps. The first step is to check the medications a person takes. The second step is to measure levels of cortisol in the urine, saliva or in the blood after taking dexamethasone. If this test is abnormal, the cortisol may be measured late at night. If the cortisol remains high, a blood test for ACTH may be done.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Most cases can be treated and cured. If due to medications, these can often be slowly decreased if still required or slowly stopped. If caused by a tumor, it may be treated by a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation. If the pituitary was affected, other medications may be required to replace its lost function. With treatment, life expectancy is usually normal. Some, in whom surgery is unable to remove the entire tumor, have an increased risk of death.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: About two to three people per million are affected each year. It most commonly affects people who are 20 to 50 years of age. Women are affected three times more often than men. A mild degree of overproduction of cortisol without obvious symptoms, however, is more common. Cushing's syndrome was first described by American neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing in 1932. Cushing's syndrome may also occur in other animals including cats, dogs, and horses.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Symptoms include rapid weight gain, particularly of the trunk and face with sparing of the limbs (central obesity). Common signs include the growth of fat pads along the collarbone, on the back of the neck ("buffalo hump" or lipodystrophy), and on the face ("moon face"). Other symptoms include excess sweating, dilation of capillaries, thinning of the skin (which causes easy bruising and dryness, particularly the hands) and mucous membranes, purple or red striae (the weight gain in Cushing's syndrome stretches the skin, which is thin and weakened, causing it to hemorrhage) on the trunk, buttocks, arms, legs, or breasts, proximal muscle weakness (hips, shoulders), and hirsutism (facial male-pattern hair growth), baldness and/or extremely dry and brittle hair. In rare cases, Cushing's can cause hypocalcemia. The excess cortisol may also affect other endocrine systems and cause, for example, insomnia, inhibited aromatase, reduced libido, impotence in men, and amenorrhoea, oligomenorrhea and infertility in women due to elevations in androgens. Studies have also shown that the resultant amenorrhea is due to hypercortisolism, which feeds back onto the hypothalamus resulting in decreased levels of GnRH release.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Many of the features of Cushing's are those seen in metabolic syndrome, including insulin resistance, hypertension, obesity, and elevated blood levels of triglycerides.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cognitive conditions, including memory and attention dysfunctions, as well as depression, are commonly associated with elevated cortisol, and may be early indicators of exogenous or endogenous Cushing's. Depression and anxiety disorders are also common.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Other striking and distressing skin changes that may appear in Cushing's syndrome include facial acne, susceptibility to superficial fungus (dermatophyte and malassezia) infections, and the characteristic purplish, atrophic striae on the abdomen.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Other signs include increased urination (and accompanying increased thirst), persistent high blood pressure (due to cortisol's enhancement of epinephrine's vasoconstrictive effect) and insulin resistance (especially common with ACTH production outside the pituitary), leading to high blood sugar and insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes mellitus. Insulin resistance is accompanied by skin changes such as acanthosis nigricans in the axilla and around the neck, as well as skin tags in the axilla. Untreated Cushing's syndrome can lead to heart disease and increased mortality. Cortisol can also exhibit mineralocorticoid activity in high concentrations, worsening the hypertension and leading to hypokalemia (common in ectopic ACTH secretion) and hypernatremia (increased Na+ ions concentration in plasma). Furthermore, excessive cortisol may lead to gastrointestinal disturbances, opportunistic infections, and impaired wound healing related to cortisol's suppression of the immune and inflammatory responses. Osteoporosis is also an issue in Cushing's syndrome since osteoblast activity is inhibited. Additionally, Cushing's syndrome may cause sore and aching joints, particularly in the hip, shoulders, and lower back.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Brain changes such as cerebral atrophy may occur. This atrophy is associated with areas of high glucocorticoid receptor concentrations such as the hippocampus and correlates highly with psychopathological personality changes.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cushing's syndrome due to excess ACTH may also result in hyperpigmentation. This is due to melanocyte-stimulating hormone production as a byproduct of ACTH synthesis from pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). Alternatively, it is proposed that the high levels of ACTH, β-lipotropin, and γ-lipotropin, which contain weak MSH function, can act on the melanocortin 1 receptor. A variant of Cushing's disease can be caused by ectopic, i.e. extra pituitary, ACTH production from, for example, a small-cell lung cancer.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: When Cushing's syndrome is caused by an increase of cortisol at the level of the adrenal glands (via an adenoma or hyperplasia), negative feedback ultimately reduces ACTH production in the pituitary. In these cases, ACTH levels remain low and no hyperpigmentation develops.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cushing's syndrome may result from any cause of increased glucocorticoid levels, whether due to medication or internal processes. Some sources however do not consider the glucocorticoid medication-induced condition as "Cushing's syndrome" proper, instead using the term "Cushingoid" to describe the medication's side effects which mimic the endogenous condition.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cushing's disease is a specific type of Cushing's syndrome caused by a pituitary tumor leading to excessive production of ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). Excessive ACTH stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce high levels of cortisol, producing the disease state. While all Cushing's disease gives Cushing's syndrome, not all Cushing's syndrome is due to Cushing's disease. Several possible causes of Cushing's syndrome are known including the taking of herbal supplements over-the-counter that do not list glutocoticoids in their ingredients.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: The most common cause of Cushing's syndrome is the use of prescribed glucocorticoids to treat other diseases (iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome). Glucocorticoids are used in treatment of a variety of disorders, including asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, and also used for immunosuppression after organ transplants. Administration of synthetic ACTH is also possible, but ACTH is less often prescribed due to cost and lesser utility. Rarely, Cushing's syndrome can also be due to the use of medroxyprogesterone acetate. In exogenous Cushing's, the adrenal glands may often gradually atrophy due to lack of stimulation by ACTH, the production of which is suppressed by glucocorticoid medication. Abruptly stopping the medication can thus result in acute and potentially life-threatening adrenal insufficiency and the dose must hence be slowly and carefully tapered off to allow internal cortisol production to pick up. In some cases, patients never recover sufficient levels of internal production and must continue taking glucocorticoids at physiological doses for life.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cushing's syndrome in childhood is especially rare and usually results from use of glucocorticoid medication.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Endogenous Cushing's syndrome results from some derangement of the body's own system of cortisol secretion. Normally, ACTH is released from the pituitary gland when necessary to stimulate the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Elevated levels of total cortisol can also be due to estrogen found in oral contraceptive pills that contain a mixture of estrogen and progesterone, leading to pseudo-Cushing's syndrome. Estrogen can cause an increase of cortisol-binding globulin and thereby cause the total cortisol level to be elevated. However, the total free cortisol, which is the active hormone in the body, as measured by a 24-hour urine collection for urinary free cortisol, is normal.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: The hypothalamus is in the brain and the pituitary gland sits just below it. The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which stimulates the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). ACTH travels via the blood to the adrenal gland, where it stimulates the release of cortisol. Cortisol is secreted by the cortex of the adrenal gland from a region called the zona fasciculata in response to ACTH. Elevated levels of cortisol exert negative feedback on CRH in the hypothalamus, which decreases the amount of ACTH released from the anterior pituitary gland.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Strictly, Cushing's syndrome refers to excess cortisol of any etiology (as syndrome means a group of symptoms). One of the causes of Cushing's syndrome is a cortisol-secreting adenoma in the cortex of the adrenal gland (primary hypercortisolism/hypercorticism). The adenoma causes cortisol levels in the blood to be very high, and negative feedback on the pituitary from the high cortisol levels causes ACTH levels to be very low.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cushing's disease refers only to hypercortisolism secondary to excess production of ACTH from a corticotroph pituitary adenoma (secondary hypercortisolism/hypercorticism) or due to excess production of hypothalamus CRH (Corticotropin releasing hormone) (tertiary hypercortisolism/hypercorticism). This causes the blood ACTH levels to be elevated along with cortisol from the adrenal gland. The ACTH levels remain high because the tumor is unresponsive to negative feedback from high cortisol levels.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: When Cushing's syndrome is due to extra ACTH it is known as ectopic Cushing syndrome. This may be seen in a paraneoplastic syndrome.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: When Cushing's syndrome is suspected, either a dexamethasone suppression test (administration of dexamethasone and frequent determination of cortisol and ACTH level), or a 24-hour urinary measurement for cortisol offers equal detection rates. Dexamethasone is a glucocorticoid and simulates the effects of cortisol, including negative feedback on the pituitary gland. When dexamethasone is administered and a blood sample is tested, cortisol levels >50 nmol/L (1.81 μg/dL) would be indicative of Cushing's syndrome because an ectopic source of cortisol or ACTH (such as adrenal adenoma) exists which is not inhibited by the dexamethasone. A novel approach, recently cleared by the US FDA, is sampling cortisol in saliva over 24 hours, which may be equally sensitive, as late-night levels of salivary cortisol are high in cushingoid patients. Other pituitary hormone levels may need to be ascertained. Performing a physical examination to determine any visual field defect may be necessary if a pituitary lesion is suspected, which may compress the optic chiasm, causing typical bitemporal hemianopia.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: When any of these tests is positive, CT scanning of the adrenal gland and MRI of the pituitary gland are performed to detect the presence of any adrenal or pituitary adenomas or incidentalomas (the incidental discovery of harmless lesions). Scintigraphy of the adrenal gland with iodocholesterol scan is occasionally necessary. Occasionally, determining the ACTH levels in various veins in the body by venous catheterization, working towards the pituitary (petrosal sinus sampling) is necessary. In many cases, the tumors causing Cushing's disease are less than 2 mm in size and difficult to detect using MRI or CT imaging. In one study of 261 patients with confirmed pituitary Cushing's disease, only 48% of pituitary lesions were identified using MRI prior to surgery.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Plasma CRH levels are inadequate at diagnosis (with the possible exception of tumors secreting CRH) because of peripheral dilution and binding to CRHBP.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Most cases of Cushingoid symptoms are caused by corticosteroid medications, such as those used for asthma, arthritis, eczema and other inflammatory conditions. Consequently, most patients are effectively treated by carefully tapering off (and eventually stopping) the medication that causes the symptoms.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: If an adrenal adenoma is identified, it may be removed by surgery. An ACTH-secreting corticotrophic pituitary adenoma should be removed after diagnosis. Regardless of the adenoma's location, most patients require steroid replacement postoperatively at least in the interim, as long-term suppression of pituitary ACTH and normal adrenal tissue does not recover immediately. Clearly, if both adrenals are removed, replacement with hydrocortisone or prednisolone is imperative.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: In those patients not suited for or unwilling to undergo surgery, several drugs have been found to inhibit cortisol synthesis (e.g. ketoconazole, metyrapone) but they are of limited efficacy. Mifepristone is a powerful glucocorticoid type II receptor antagonist and, since it does not interfere with normal cortisol homeostasis type I receptor transmission, may be especially useful for treating the cognitive effects of Cushing's syndrome. However, the medication faces considerable controversy due to its use as an abortifacient. In February 2012, the FDA approved mifepristone to control high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) in adult patients who are not candidates for surgery, or who did not respond to prior surgery, with the warning that mifepristone should never be used by pregnant women- although pregnancy is extremely rare during the course of Cushing's Syndrome In March 2020, Isturisa (osilodrostat) oral tablets a 11-beta-hydroxylase enzyme inhibitor was approved by FDA for treating those patients who cannot undergo pituitary surgery or for patients who underwent surgery but continue to have the disease.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Removal of the adrenals in the absence of a known tumor is occasionally performed to eliminate the production of excess cortisol. In some occasions, this removes negative feedback from a previously occult pituitary adenoma, which starts growing rapidly and produces extreme levels of ACTH, leading to hyperpigmentation. This clinical situation is known as Nelson's syndrome.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: Cushing's syndrome caused by treatment with corticosteroids is the most common form. Cushing's disease is rare; a Danish study found an incidence of less than one case per million people per year. However, asymptomatic microadenomas (less than 10 mm in size) of the pituitary are found in about one in six individuals.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: People with Cushing's syndrome have increased morbidity and mortality as compared to the general population. The most common cause of mortality in Cushing's syndrome is cardiovascular events. People with Cushing's syndrome have nearly 4 times increased cardiovascular mortality as compared to the general population.


title: Cushing's syndrome

text: About 0.9 to 1% of those with Cushing's syndrome has tendency to develop venous thrombosis. Other factors such as surgery and obesity also increases the chance of getting thrombosis.