title: The Croods

text: In August 2021, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison compared the plot of the film to the process of easing COVID-19 restrictions. His comments were mocked on social media, with Courtney Fry of "Pedestrian.TV" noting the film as an odd reference, due to its mixed reception and lack of cultural impact.


title: The Croods

text: Alan Silvestri, who previously worked with co-director Chris Sanders on "Lilo & Stitch" (2002), composed the film's original score, which was released digitally on March 15, 2013, by Relativity Music Group, and on CD on March 26, 2013, by Sony Classical. The soundtrack also includes "Shine Your Way", an original song performed by Owl City and Yuna.


title: The Croods

text: A video game based on the film, titled "The Croods: Prehistoric Party!", was released on March 19, 2013. Developed by Torus Games, Bandai Namco, and published by D3 Publisher, it was adapted for Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo DS. The game enables players to take the members of the Croods family on an adventure through 30 party style mini games. It received mainly negative reviews.


title: The Croods

text: A mobile game, titled "The Croods", which is a village building game, was developed and published by Rovio, the creator of "Angry Birds". It was released on March 14, 2013 for the iOS and Android platforms.


title: The Croods

text: On April 17, 2013, DreamWorks Animation had started developing a sequel to the film, with Sanders and DeMicco set to return as directors. According to DeMicco, the sequel would focus on Ugga and motherhood, making it "the first chapter of society," expanding on the first film, which is about "the last chapter of the caveman."


title: The Croods

text: On September 9, 2013, it had been confirmed that Cage, Stone, and Reynolds would reprise their roles in the sequel. On June 12, 2014, it was announced that the sequel would be released on November 3, 2017. On September 21, 2014, the film's release date was delayed to December 22, 2017. On May 21, 2015, Leslie Mann and Kat Dennings had joined the voice cast. Mann would lend her voice to Hope Betterman, an upscale mother of the rival family, while Dennings would voice her daughter, Dawn. It was also confirmed that Keener and Duke would also reprise their roles. On August 9, 2016, nearing NBCUniversal/Comcast's impending acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Fox removed the film from its release schedule. The film would be instead released by Universal Pictures sometime in 2018. On August 23, 2016, it was announced that "The Lego Movie" and "Hotel Transylvania" co-writers Kevin and Dan Hageman will rewrite the script.


title: The Croods

text: On November 11, 2016, DreamWorks announced that production for the sequel was cancelled. According to reports, there had been doubts about proceeding with the project before Universal's acquisition of DreamWorks, and it was DreamWorks' decision to cancel the film. Following this, DeMicco, the co-director of the first film, left DreamWorks to work as director on "Vivo" for Sony Pictures Animation. On September 19, 2017, DreamWorks and Universal announced that the film was back in production with a release date of September 18, 2020. It was also confirmed that the original actors would reprise their roles. On October 18, 2017, it was announced that Joel Crawford will direct the film, replacing Sanders following his departure from DreamWorks to direct "The Call of the Wild" for 20th Century Fox, with Mark Swift serving as producer. This marks as Crawford's directorial debut. On October 5, 2018, it was announced that Peter Dinklage had joined the cast to voice Phil Betterman. On April 12, 2019, the film's release date was delayed to December 23, 2020. On October 29, 2019, DreamWorks announced that Kelly Marie Tran had replaced Dennings as Dawn while Mann was still confirmed to be part of the cast.


title: The Croods

text: Production continued remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic with on-site work at the DreamWorks lot suspended.


title: The Croods

text: A traditionally-animated television series based on the film, titled "Dawn of the Croods", debuted on December 24, 2015 on Netflix. As none of the original cast members that voiced the Croods family in the film reprise their roles in the series, the voice cast consists of Dan Milano as Grug, Stephanie Lemelin as Eep, Cree Summer as Ugga, A.J. Locascio as Thunk, Laraine Newman as Gran, and Grey Griffin as Sandy.


title: The Croods

text: A second animated series, this time cg-animated, was announced titled "The Croods: Family Tree", set to be released simultaneously on Peacock and Hulu on September 23, 2021. Tran reprises her role as Dawn from the sequel while Locascio reprises his role as Thunk from the previous series. The new voice cast features, Amy Landecker as Ugga, Kiff VandenHeuvel as Grug, Ally Dixon as Eep, Artemis Pebdani as Gran, Darin Brooks as Guy, Matthew Waterson as Phil, and Amy Rosoff as Hope.


title: The Croods

text: The film was referenced in 2021 by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison after his comparison between his government's COVID-19 lockdown exit roadmap strategy and the film, stating "we can't stay in the cave".


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Veer-Zaara () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Yash Chopra, who co-produced it with his son Aditya Chopra. It stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta as the eponymous star-crossed lovers: Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) is an Indian Air Force officer, and Zaara Hayaat Khan (Zinta) is the daughter of a Pakistani politician. Veer is imprisoned on false charges, and a young Pakistani lawyer, named Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji), fights his case. Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Divya Dutta, Manoj Bajpayee, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher play supporting roles.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Chopra wanted to make his return to cinema after 7 years; he was dissatisfied with the scripts he received. Aditya then narrated a few scenes of a story he had written, which interested Chopra and prompted him to direct it. Chopra intended the film to be a tribute to Punjab; it was to be titled "Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum," based on an eponymous song from Yash Chopra's "Silsila" (1981). Set in India and Pakistan, principal photography took place in Punjab and various locations in Mumbai; parts of the film were also shot in Pakistan. The soundtrack album, based on old compositions by Madan Mohan with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, was the highest-selling album of the year in India.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: "Veer-Zaara" was released on 12 November 2004 during the Diwali festival. The film earned over 976.4 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of the year in both India and overseas territories. It received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise directed to the story, screenplay, dialogues, soundtrack, performances and sensitive portrayal of India-Pakistan relations. It was described by analysts as having themes pertaining to a shared Punjabi culture, secularism and feminism, among others. The film is considered as one of the greatest romantic films of Indian film history.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: At the 52nd National Film Awards, "Veer-Zaara" won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. At the 50th Filmfare Awards, the film received a leading 15 nominations, and won 4 awards, including Best Film and Best Story (Aditya Chopra). At the 6th IIFA Awards, it won a leading 7 awards of its 11 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Yash Chopra), Best Actor (Khan), Best Supporting Actress (Mukerji) and Best Music Director (Mohan).


title: Veer-Zaara

text: In 2004, the Government of Pakistan decides to review unsolved cases pertaining to Indian prisoners as a goodwill gesture. Saamiya Siddiqui, a budding Pakistani lawyer, is given prisoner 786's defense as her first case. The prisoner has not spoken to anyone for 22 years. After addressing him by his name, Veer Pratap Singh, Veer opens up to Saamiya and narrates his story.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: 1982 – Zaara Hayaat Khan is a lively Pakistani woman whose family is of the political background and high standing in Lahore. Zaara's Sikh governess (whom she addresses as her grandmother) Bebe asks Zaara to scatter her ashes in the Sutlej river among her ancestors as her last wish. While traveling to India, Zaara's bus meets with an accident. Veer, an Indian Air Force pilot and a Punjabi Hindu, rescues her, and she completes Bebe's final rites. Veer convinces Zaara to return with him to his village to spend a day together on account of Lohri. Zaara meets Veer's uncle Choudhary Sumer Singh and his aunt Saraswati Kaur. Veer realises that he is falling in love with Zaara.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: The next day, Veer takes Zaara to the train station for her train back to Lahore, planning to confess. However, he ends up meeting Zaara's fiancé Raza Sharazi. Before she leaves, he confesses his love to her, accepting that they cannot be together. Zaara boards in silence and bids him goodbye; both believe they will never meet again.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Back home in Pakistan, Zaara realises she too is in love with Veer but that she must keep her family's honour and marry Raza, a wedding that will further the political career of her father Jehangir. Seeing Zaara breaking down, her maid and friend Shabbo calls Veer, asking him to take Zaara away before her wedding. Veer quits the Indian Air Force and travels to Pakistan. When he arrives, Zaara runs into his arms in tears, causing her father to fall sick in shock. Mariyam begs Veer to leave Zaara because Jehangir's high-profile reputation and health will be too bad if news gets out that Zaara is in love with an Indian. Veer respects this request and decides to leave but Raza, outraged by the shame Zaara has brought upon him, has him wrongly imprisoned under the name of Rajesh Rathore on charges of being an Indian spy. Meanwhile, the bus Veer was supposed to be on going back to India falls off a cliff, killing all the passengers. When Veer hears this in jail, he believes the amulet Zaara's mother gave him just protected his life.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Veer requests Saamiya not to mention either Zaara or her family whilst fighting the case, believing Zaara is happily married by now and he will only ruin her life. Due to this, Saamiya decides to cross the border and find someone in Veer's village who can prove his true identity. In Veer's village, she is shocked to meet Zaara and Shabbo instead. Zaara had thought that Veer died in the bus accident 22 years ago. After news of his death, she broke off the marriage with Raza, and her father agreed, getting them divorced himself. Afterward, Zaara and Shabbo left Pakistan and settled in Veer's village in India, so that Zaara could keep Veer's dream of running a girls' school alive. Saamiya takes Zaara back to Pakistan, and she shares an emotional reunion with Veer. Her statement and evidence prove Veer's innocence and his identity as Veer and not as Rajesh Rathore, and the judge frees him, apologising on behalf of Pakistan. Veer and Zaara, finally reunited, get married, say goodbye to Saamiya at the Wagah border crossing, and return to their village, living happily ever after.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Yash Chopra was due to return to directing after 7 years since "Dil To Pagal Hai" (1997). After his son Aditya completed filming for "Mohabbatein" (2000), they started to look for a new script for Chopra's return as a director. None of the new scripts excited Chopra; he expressed his disdain at the new trend of the films of the time, stating, "I was tired of television promos. All the semi-clad girls look the same." Chopra stated he was as nervous of his return as he was while directing his debut "Dhool Ka Phool" (1959). He then finalized another script and began casting for roles. Aditya then provided a narration of a few scenes of a new script, but conveyed that he would be unable to direct it. Chopra was interested and began to work on the new project.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: According to Aditya, the story of "Veer-Zaara" was written as a medium for his father to return to his Punjabi roots. Chopra was born in Lahore, Punjab (present-day Pakistan) and later moved with his family to Jalandhar when he was young. He travelled to Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in 1951, when he was introduced to the film industry. Speaking about the film's theme, Chopra said, ""Veer-Zaara" is a humble tribute to my home in Punjab. It is my tribute to the oneness of people on both sides of the border." In preparation, Chopra watched videos of Pakistani marriages and consulted Nasreen Rehman, a professor of the Cambridge University for the film's portrayal of Pakistani culture, their courts and dialects.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: While completing the film, Chopra and Aditya had a discussion about the film's title. "Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum" was one of the contenders for the title, but "Veer-Zaara" was ultimately chosen. Chopra said, "The film's lovers are not bothered with the strife around them. For them, love is the only religion." The title "Veer-Zaara" was initially hinted to mislead audiences. The film's titled was officially confirmed by Sanjeev Kohli, CEO of Yash Raj Films, who stated that the title was chosen after "much deliberation". Chopra stated that he used to have constant arguments with Aditya while filming "Veer-Zaara".


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Shah Rukh Khan was cast in the lead role of Veer. Khan shortly played a 60-year-old man in the film, which he felt was a difficult role for him.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Zaara's role was first offered to Kajol, upon her rejection, the role went to Zinta. According to Chopra, Zinta was a person whose "looks and personality could be transformed." He wanted to break the Western stereotype characters played by Zinta. Zinta was interested in being a part of the film due to Chopra's finesse as a director. She also felt that it was time to move on from war-oriented films with Pakistan, saying, "I thought that was a great message to have in a film and I think what our governments can't do... what our government cannot do, our cinema can do and this film is truly doing that." Zinta had to attend various lessons for improving her diction for speaking Urdu. Though excited at first, she later "got knots in her stomach" worrying about her performance, but Chopra assured her.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Based on the Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jehangir, the role of Saamiya Siddiqui was initially offered to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Pakistani actress Nadia Jamil, but upon their refusal, it went to Rani Mukherji. Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini were cast as Veer's foster parents. Manoj Bajpayee was cast as Zaara's fiancé, a role which was originally offered to Ajay Devgn. In 2017, while promoting "Aiyaary", Bajpayee revealed that Chopra used to often worry about the film's possible failure. Boman Irani was cast in the supporting role of Zaara's father. Real-life couple Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher appear in the film as Saamiya's mentor and Zaara's mother respectively, though they do not share the same frame. Other cast members included Divya Dutta, Zohra Sehgal, Akhilendra Mishra, and Tom Alter. Chopra denied the existence of a rivalry between the co-actors in the film, when asked about it in an interview with "The Quint".


title: Veer-Zaara

text: In addition to writing the story and screenplay, Aditya co-produced the film along with his father under the banner Yash Raj Films. The film's costumes were handled by Manish Malhotra. Khan's costumes were specifically designed by Karan Johar. Mandira Shukla was the film's costume designer. Anil Mehta, the cinematographer, was requested by Chopra to give the scenes a feel of olden times, in contrast with other films of the time like "Kal Ho Naa Ho" (2003). Sharmishta Roy, daughter of art director Sudhendu Roy, was chosen as the art director. Saroj Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant were the choreographers. Allan Amin was the action director.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: In October 2004, "Rediff.com" published an exclusive "On The Sets" report for "Veer-Zaara". The website reported that the cast members wore expensive costumes, one being Zinta, who wore a flurocent green lungi outfit; Khan was late for the shot. Parts of the film were shot in various locations in Mumbai. In 2004, the National Geographic reported that a folk festival sequence was being shot in Film City, Mumbai. An set that represented Punjab was created and Sikh dancers were brought in, whom, according to the report, look like peacocks due to their colorful turbans. All scenes which featured Khan in a prison were shot in a single day, at a jail in Pakistan. The court scenes were shot in a Pakistani law court.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: While filming for an action sequence with Khan, Zinta had a near-fatal experience when she was hanging from a harness for nearly six hours. Zinta labeled it "one of the most humbling experiences of [her] life" and stated that it made her realize the difficulties male actors have to go through. For a sequence involving Khan's character calling Mukherji's character 'daughter', over 10 retakes were taken, and a pack-up was also announced by an "infuriated" Chopra, according to Khan. According to Mukherji, Chopra usually used to refrain from taking retakes as these would make the actors "mechanical".


title: Veer-Zaara

text: "Veer-Zaara" was filmed entirely in sync sound. Khan stated that although he did not have to dub lines for the film separately, he did dub a few dialogues for the film. Saif Ali Khan's palace in Pataudi served as Zaara's mansion. A shoot was carried out in Punjab during a particular season, after which the indoor shooting was completed. Most of the filming was done in secrecy and no official announcements were made. Initially planned to be filmed over a period of 102 days, the film's filming was completed in 72 days. The film's reel length was 17757.61 ft (5412.52 m).


title: Veer-Zaara

text: In her book "Violent Belongings: Partition, Gender and National Culture in Postcolonial India", Kavita Daiya, associate professor of English at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences feels that Zaara represents secularism in Pakistan. She refers to the encounter between Zaara and Choudhary Sumer Singh, where Zaara persuades Singh to promote women's education as an instance of the theme. Daiya notes that no person faces animosity by being either Indian or Pakistani in the film. Meenakshi Bharat and Nirmal Kumar, authors of the book "Filming the Line of Control: The Indo–Pak Relationship through the Cinematic Lens", concur with Daiya and feels this shows maturity on Chopra's part, who ignores the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and was able to "overcome the phobia of Pakistan" usually present in Indian films. They compare it to Chopra's earlier films, where "hate-filled encounters" are generally avoided. Philip Lutgendorf agrees and also notes the influence of Sufi tradition, where Veer's ultimate reward is union with Allah, much like a Sufi pir. Kush Varia, author of the book "Bollywood: Gods, Glamour, and Gossip", whilst agreeing with Bharat and Kumar about Chopra, notes that the lovers are reunited as compared to Chopra's earlier romances, where they remain separated.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Daiya establishes that Veer's "Indian masculinity" is shown through his sacrifice of spending 22 years in jail. Nandini Bhattacharya, author of the book "Hindi Cinema: Repeating the Subject", differs and instead feels that Veer's character is "partially feminized""men are meant to be captors, not captives." Sangita Gopal, associate professor of English at the University of Oregon and author of the book "Conjugations: Marriage and Form in New Bollywood Cinema", notes that Veer's identity dies after 22 years and even after reuniting with Zaara, they are too old to reproduce. She perceives this as the transition from "living death to fruitless life". Daiya feels that the Punjabi village in "Veer-Zaara" acts as a model for India, and Zaara's positive to a song describing India, feeling similarities with Pakistan, exposes an incomplete "utopian" affiliation between the two lovers. Daiya further feels that Veer's poem challenges the differences between the nations of India and Pakistan and establishes resemblance between the nations and citizens. Varia too agrees that the shared heritage of the Punjabis is one of the film's themes, explored in the song "Aisa Des Hai Mera".


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Bharat and Kumar feel that "Veer-Zaara" and "Main Hoon Na" (2004), also starring Khan, accepts Pakistan's status as a separate entity from India. Rajinder Dudrah, senior lecturer at the University of Manchester, contrasts "Veer-Zaara" with "Main Hoon Na", writing that while the former "explores the pleasures and trials of border crossing", the latter "extols the virtues of overcoming the border through diplomacy and personal actions." He notes that they show different depictions of borders that the protagonists need to overcome. He feels that the central aestic pleasures of the films, especially "Veer-Zaara", is the emphasis on border crossing as a "potentially radical act". Bharat and Kumar also compare "Henna" (1991) with "Veer-Zaara"; they say that the "urbane, educated, professional characters" of "Veer-Zaara" replace "Henna"'s village people referring to "religion straight from the heart" and "responding to [Pakistan] in an unencumbered manner." Henna's brother died in helping Chander across the border; this is contrasted with Saamiya helping Veer in court. Dudrah notes that the ease with which the protagonists move across borders without going through legal procedurings could be a source of criticism.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Gopal feels that the film's dual time and use of old music was the reason for its appeal to masses and its commercial success. She compares the last segment of the title song in which Zaara is shot to the climax of Mani Ratnam's "Dil Se.." (1998); both films suggest that the lovers cannot be united. She also feels that the extended ending with the song "Tere Liye" was for a realistic approach. In her book "Dreaming in Canadian: South Asian Youth, Bollywood, and Belonging", Faiza Hirji feels that cultural and religious differences were not acknowledged in the film, while noting Pakistani and Muslim traditions were highlighted. She felt that the universality of the maternal habit was highlighted in a sequence between Zaara's mother and Veer. She contrasts the love to "Bombay" (1995), where religion is an obstacle to love, which is not the case in "Veer-Zaara". Comparing the film with "" (2001), Rini Bhattacharya Mehta and Rajeshwari V. Pandharipande (authors of the book "Bollywood and Globalization: Indian Popular Cinema, Nation, and Diaspora") state that while "Veer-Zaara" manipulates the state's critique to make it appear "progressive" at first glance, "Gadar" does not. Both "Gadar" and "Veer-Zaara" feature a double recovery; only that the latter adopts "similarly duplicitous modes of writing political structures as individual destined whose triumph over nation-state politics drives aground more completely any redemptive plot of neighborly understanding". Bhattacharya agrees and also equates it with "Gadar" and others like "Mother India" (1957), where the "identity of the normative citizen" is established.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: "Veer-Zaara"s soundtrack features 11 songs with music based on old and untouched compositions by the late Madan Mohan, as revised by his son Sanjeev Kohli. The vocals are provided by Lata Mangeshkar, Jagjit Singh, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Gurdas Mann, Roop Kumar Rathod, Ahmed and Mohammed Hussain and Pritha Mazumder. The lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar. Kohli found Mohan's unused recordings in his cupboard shortly after his death, which was then used for "Veer-Zaara" upon Chopra's insistence. Mangeshkar used to sing with Madan Mohan; according to Chopra, upon coming for the recording, with tears in her eyes, Lata Mangeshkar told him, "Madan Mohan was like my brother. You [Chopra] are like my brother. I feel I have gone back in the past". The soundtrack of "Veer-Zaara" was released on CD, LP record and on Audio DVD. Yash Raj Music also released complete background music of "Veer-Zaara" titled "The Love Legend Themes – Instrumental". After the soundtrack release, Chopra did not allow radio-stations to air its songs to generate curiosity.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: In a soundtrack review, Syed Firdaus Ashraf of "Rediff.com" states, "It will disappoint you at first, but if you listen to it repeatedly, the music will grow on you." Ashraf felt that "Kyon Hawa", sung by Sonu Nigam, was the best song in the album. Derek Elley of "Variety" agrees with Ashraf on the first point, writing, "While not instantly hummable, they do the job effectively." In a review of "Tere Liye", a "Sify" editor writes, "Madan Mohan's mastery with tunes is quite apparent in this number, parts of which are used often in the movie." Joginder Tuteja of "Bollywood Hungama" rated it 4 stars out of 5, writing, ""Veer-Zaara" is a mixed bag varying from a rich collection of love songs to emotional tracks to a patriotic number, a qawwali, a folk song and a ghazal. While the first half of the album is instantly appealing the second half will slowly grow on you." A reviewer for the "BBC" applauded the album, calling it "unique and special".


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Mohan was nominated for the Best Music Director at the 50th Filmfare Awards, and won the Best Music Director at the 6th IIFA Awards. Akhtar got nominated for the Best Lyricist at the 50th Filmfare Awards for "Aisa Des Hai Mera", "Main Yahaan Hoon" and "Tere Liye", winning for "Tere Liye"; he also received a nomination for the IIFA Award for Best Lyricist for "Tere Liye". It was the highest-selling music album of the year in India, with sales of around 3 million units.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: "Veer-Zaara" was released on 12 November 2004 and promoted with the tagline, ""A Love Legend"". A special screening was conducted in Punjab, Pakistan for Pakistani audiences. Apart from that, it was screened at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was received well. On 26 April 2006, "Veer-Zaara" had its French premiere at The Grand Rex, the biggest theatre in Paris. It is the first Hindi film to premiere in such a large and luxe venue. It was released in 60 prints in the United Kingdom. It was released in the United States in 88 prints. In 2017, "Veer-Zaara" was restrained at the Best of Bollywood series in the United States.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: On 6 June 2005, Yash Raj Films released the DVD of "Veer-Zaara". The film was released on Blu-ray in December 2009. In September 2007, a book based on the making of the film, titled "They Said It... The Memoirs of a Love Legend Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara", was released. The book contains testimonials from members of the film's cast and crew and follows the production stages of the film.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: "Veer-Zaara" was highly acclaimed by critics, who praised the film's story, screenplay, dialogues, music, performances and sensitive portrayal of India-Pakistan relations.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Taran Adarsh of "Bollywood Hungama" gave it 4.5 stars out of five and comments, "There's romance, there's a strong dose of emotions, there're songs aplenty, there's drama... But, most important, it has soul, which has been lacking in most movies of late". Writing for "India Today", Kaveree Bamzai gave a positive review and compliments Khan's performance, writing, "Khan strides across Aditya Chopra's screenplay with assured ease." Subhash K. Jha gave "Veer-Zaara" a positive review for Indo-Asian News Service, praising the performances of the leads as "old yet passionate, frail yet sublime" and writes, "The surge of love between two people belonging to entirely different cultures and lands is collected into a quaint and quivering collage of memory and melody."


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Jitesh Pillai of "The Times of India" rates it 3.5 stars out of five, crediting Aditya's writing and its execution. He writes, "Yash Chopra's "Veer-Zaara" may be woefully long and meandering. But... this one works and grabs us where it matters. "VZ" is one from the heart." Also writing for "Times of India", Nishtha Bhatnagar called it a "must-watch". Deepu Madhavan of "NDTV" praised the execution of the plot and writes, "the love story of Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh and Zaara Hayaat Khan is an ode to ageless romance and timeless love." Avijit Ghosh gave the film 7/10 in "The Telegraph" and writes, "The film works because the stars shine. Preity's Zaara is both restrained and dignified. This is her most nuanced performance to date." He criticized the film's length and excessive use of Punjabi, but finally writes, "We have an honest-to-the-heart film that remarkably bypasses the bitterness of Indo-Pak relations in a cross-border love story... "Veer-Zaara" is for all seasons and every reason." Namrata Joshi of "Outlook" described it as "a good-hearted film wherein the underlying theme is the all-embracing goodness of 'people'."


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Chitra Mahesh of "The Hindu" writes, ""Veer-Zaara" is inordinately long and sentimental. Certain things like fabulous camera work, art direction, and sensuousness of the moods, are a given. And you would overlook the cliches simply because there are such good performances, especially from Zinta and Mukherji," while also appreciating that Khan "looks good and performs most creditably." Sukanya Varma of "Rediff.com" criticizes Chopra for repeating content from his previous films, while appreciating the performances and finally writes, "if you are a fan of the Chopra factory of filmmaking and looking for plenty of eye-candy, "Veer-Zaara" promises to make your Diwali a happy one." In another review for "The Times of India", Teena Malik heavily criticized it in agreement with Verma for repetition of content, and labelled the film "horrifying".


title: Veer-Zaara

text: On "Metacritic", which assigns a weighted average to films, it has a score of 67 based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The film featured in the British Film Institute's list of 10 Great Bollywood Romances, with commentary by Rachel Dwyer. Dwyer feels that the film represents the "much-shared culture and history" of the Punjab. She writes, "Their dramatization in the film shows Chopra’s skill with film and music."


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Anita Gates of "New York Times" writes that "Veer-Zaara" "would be embraced as fabulously trashy" had it been an American film but credits the cultural impact, writing, "the cultural assumptions of Veer and Zaara add a welcome element of freshness for American audiences. When Zaara's mother reminds her daughter that women always love fully, with heart and soul, she casually adds, "Men don't have the strength to love like that." Derek Elley of "Variety" observes that while it does not have "technique and production sheen" as recent Hindi films, "Veer-Zaara"s "in-depth star casting and thorough entertainment values" make it a "must-see" for Indian filmgoers. Maitland McDonagh of "TV Guide" wrote, "Though Chopra's film is emotionally extravagant even by the standards of India's epically unrestrained cinema, the star-crossed lovers bear the weighty metaphorical significance of their travails surprisingly lightly, particularly Zinta's radiantly lovely Zaara." Jonathan Curiel of "San Francisco Chronicle" was particularly fond of the film, finding the movie experience "so arresting, its scenes so full of beauty and colors, that the three hours go by almost too fast". He further noted that unlike other Hindi films, it deserves a wider audience for portraying "the humanity in characters who represent 'the other'", done "in a way that's dramatic, funny, fun, silly, musical, stylish, romantic and redemptive".


title: Veer-Zaara

text: Carrie R. Wheadon of "Common Sense Media" gives it four stars out of five and rates it as 11+, writing, "Those who watch can't miss the pleas for understanding and peace between India and Pakistan or the film's strong support of equality for women." She compliments the picturization of the songs, opening, "Even the slower love songs will hold viewers, especially as Zaara dreams about seeing Veer everywhere while she prepares for her wedding." Manish Gajjar of "BBC" commented, ""Veer-Zaara" has a great storyline with some unpredictable twists and emotions, keeping you engrossed throughout."


title: Veer-Zaara

text: "Veer-Zaara" was commercially successful at the box office. Prior to the film's release, Adarsh predicted that the film would be a commercial success. It was released in 625 screens in India and grossed 24.6 million nett on its opening day, the year's second highest-opening for a film in India. "Veer-Zaara" topped the week's highest-grossing films in India in the first week, grossing an average of 6,85,948 per print. It earned 175.7 million nett in its first week, the highest first week collection of an Indian film. Since its release, it topped the weekly charts 39 times in India. It also had the highest weekend collection of the year, earning 97.8 million over the weekend. The film remained at the first position in its second week of release, grossing an average of 1,89,502 per print. At the end of its theatrical run, it collected 580 million in India, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year.


title: Veer-Zaara

text: The film earned 357 million in the overseas markets 152.5 million from the United Kingdom, 140 million from the United States and 65 million from other territoriesmaking it 2004's highest-grossing Indian production overseas. In its first week in the United Kingdom, the film collected $900,000, for the fourth position on the local box office chart. The film collected the same amount in North America, 15th on the local box office chart. The film was a blockbuster, with regard to its overseas collection. "Veer-Zaara" grossed a total of worldwide, becoming the highest grossing Indian film of the year.


title: Highest temperature recorded on Earth

text: The highest temperature recorded on Earth measured in three major ways: air, ground, and via satellite observation. Air measurements are used as the standard measurement due to persistent issues with unreliable ground and satellite readings. Air measurements are noted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Guinness World Records among others as the standard to be used for determining the official record. The current official highest registered air temperature on Earth is , recorded on 10 July 1913 at Furnace Creek Ranch, in Death Valley in the United States. For ninety years, a former record that was measured in Libya had been in place, until it was decertified in 2012 based on evidence that it was an erroneous reading. This finding has since raised questions about the legitimacy of the 1913 record measured in Death Valley, with several meteorological experts asserting that there were similar irregularities. The WMO has stood by the record as official pending any future investigative results. If the current record were to be decertified then the holder would be a tie at , recorded both at Furnace Creek, and in Kuwait.


title: Highest temperature recorded on Earth

text: Several unverified temperatures of all three readings have also been recorded that exceed the current record holder. These include historical claims that were never authenticated due to the equipment available at the time and unverified scientific claims. There are also disproven amateur readings that have been posted on social media showing evidence of extreme temperature.


title: Highest temperature recorded on Earth

text: The standard measuring conditions for temperature are in the air, above the ground, and shielded from direct sunlight. Global surface temperatures as a whole have been monitored since the 1880s when record keeping began. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the highest registered air temperature on Earth was in Furnace Creek Ranch, California, located in Death Valley in the United States, on 10 July 1913. This record was surpassed in 1922 by a reading of , registered on 13 September 1922, in ʽAziziya, Libya. Ninety years later, this record was decertified, making the former reading in Death Valley the world's highest official temperature again. The decertification of the former record in Libya has since cast doubt on the validity of the 1913 recording. If the 1913 record were to be decertified, the highest established recorded air temperature on Earth would be , also recorded in Death Valley on 20 June 2013, and in Mitribah, Kuwait on 21 July 2016. There have since been higher readings of in August 2020 and July 2021, both at Furnace Creek, that are pending validation.


title: Highest temperature recorded on Earth

text: Measurements have also been taken in two other ways via ground and satellite readings. Temperatures measured directly on the ground may exceed air temperatures by . The theoretical maximum possible ground surface temperature has been estimated to be between for dry, darkish soils of low thermal conductivity. While there is no "highest confirmed ground temperature", a reading of was allegedly recorded in Furnace Creek Ranch on 15 July 1972. Temperature measurements via satellite also tend to capture the occurrence of higher records but, due to complications involving the satellite's altitude loss (a side effect of atmospheric friction), these measurements are often considered less reliable than ground-positioned thermometers. Satellite measurements of ground temperature taken between 2003 and 2009, taken with the MODIS infrared spectroradiometer on the Aqua satellite, found a maximum temperature of , which was recorded in 2005 in the Lut Desert, Iran. The Lut Desert was also found to have the highest maximum temperature in 5 of the 7 years measured (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009). These measurements reflect averages over a large region and so are lower than the maximum point surface temperature.


title: Highest temperature recorded on Earth

text: In the early 21st century, prior recordings for the highest temperature on Earth were investigated as probable misreadings. From 1922 until 2012, the WMO record for the highest official temperature on Earth was , registered on 13 September 1922, in ʽAziziya, Libya. This record was decertified by the WMO in January 2012 as persuasive evidence led to a faulty reading recorded in error by an inexperienced observer. The decertification of this former record led researchers to also investigate the former and current recordings made in Death Valley in 1913. One of the earliest objections came in 1949 by Dr. Arnold Court, who concluded that the temperature may have been the result of a sandstorm that occurred at the time. Court stated that "such a storm may have caused superheated surface materials to hit upon the temperature in the shelter." Modern weather historians such as Christopher C. Burt and William Taylor Reid have also claimed that the 1913 Death Valley reading is "a myth", and is at least too high. The WMO has come out in support of the current record stating that "We accept that Death Valley temperature extreme record. If any new materials on it surface, we will be prepared to open an investigation, but at this time all available evidence points to its legitimacy."


title: Highest temperature recorded on Earth

text: The following are unverified claims of extreme heat "over" the current world record of . These include historical claims that were never authenticated due to the equipment available at the time and unverified scientific claims. Amateur readings have also been done through social media that claimed extreme temperatures which were later discredited. Videos were posted in one instance that allegedly showed street lights melting or trees bursting into flames. These were later disproven by meteorologists who tied the "evidence" to other unrelated prior events that had taken place. All of the recordings listed before 1972 were allegedly caused by a sudden localized increase in air temperature near the surface, known as a heat burst.


title: VO2 max

text: VO max (also maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity) is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption attainable during physical exertion. The name is derived from three abbreviations: "V̇" for volume (the dot appears over the V to indicate "per unit of time"), "O" for oxygen, and "max" for maximum. A similar measure is VO peak (peak oxygen consumption), which is the measurable value from a session of physical exercise, be it incremental or otherwise. It could match or underestimate the actual VO max. Confusion between the values in older and popular fitness literature is common.


title: VO2 max

text: The measurement of V̇O max in the laboratory provides a quantitative value of endurance fitness for comparison of individual training effects and between people in endurance training. Maximal oxygen consumption reflects cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance capacity in exercise performance. Elite athletes, such as competitive distance runners, racing cyclists or Olympic cross-country skiers, can achieve V̇O max values exceeding 90 mL/(kg·min), while some endurance animals, such as Alaskan huskies, have V̇O max values exceeding 200 mL/(kg·min).


title: VO2 max

text: V̇O max/peak is widely used as an indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness. In 2016, the American Heart Association (AHA) published a scientific statement recommending that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), quantifiable as V̇O max/peak, be regularly assessed and used as a clinical vital sign; ergometry (exercise wattage measurement) may be used if VO is unavailable. This statement was based on mounting evidence that lower fitness levels are associated with high risk of cardiovascular disease, all-cause mortality, and mortality rates stemming from various types of cancers. In addition to risk assessment, the AHA recommendation cited the value measuring fitness for validating exercise prescription, physical activity counseling, and improving both patient management and patient health.


title: VO2 max

text: The recommendation should be valid even with the ambiguity between V̇O max and peak, as both measures are internally consistent so long as the same protocol is used.


title: VO2 max

text: V̇O max is expressed either as an absolute rate in (for example) litres of oxygen per minute (L/min) or as a relative rate in (for example) millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute (e.g., mL/(kg·min)). The latter expression is often used to compare the performance of endurance sports athletes. However, V̇O max generally does not vary linearly with body mass, either among individuals within a species or among species, so comparisons of the performance capacities of individuals or species that differ in body size must be done with appropriate statistical procedures, such as analysis of covariance.


title: VO2 max

text: Accurately measuring V̇O max involves a physical effort sufficient in duration and intensity to fully tax the aerobic energy system. In general clinical and athletic testing, this usually involves a graded exercise test (either on a treadmill or on a cycle ergometer) in which exercise intensity is progressively increased while measuring:


title: VO2 max

text: The classic V̇O max, in the sense of Hill and Lupton (1923), is reached when oxygen consumption remains at a steady state ("plateau") despite an increase in workload. The occurrence of a plateau is not guaranteed and may vary by person and sampling interval, leading to modified protocols with varied results.


title: VO2 max

text: The Fick equation may be used to measure VO in critically ill patients, but its usefulness is low even in non-exerted cases. Using a breath-based VO to estimate cardiac output, on the other hand, seems to be reliable enough.


title: VO2 max

text: The necessity for a subject to exert maximum effort in order to accurately measure V̇O max can be dangerous in those with compromised respiratory or cardiovascular systems; thus, sub-maximal tests for "estimating" V̇O max have been developed.


title: VO2 max

text: This equation uses the ratio of maximum heart rate (HR) to resting heart rate (HR) to predict V̇O max. The researchers cautioned that the conversion rule was based on measurements on well-trained men aged 21 to 51 only, and may not be reliable when applied to other sub-groups. They also advised that the formula is most reliable when based on actual measurement of maximum heart rate, rather than an age-related estimate.


title: VO2 max

text: In around 40-year-old normal weight never-smoking men with no cardiovascular diseases, bronchial asthma, or cancer, the HR to HR ratio should be multiplied by approximately 14 to estimate V̇O max.


title: VO2 max

text: Every 10 years of age reduces the coefficient by one, as well as does the change in body weight from normal weight to obese or the change from never-smoker to current smoker. Consequently, V̇O max of 60-year-old obese current smoker men should be estimated by multiplying the HR to HR ratio by 10.


title: VO2 max

text: Kenneth H. Cooper conducted a study for the United States Air Force in the late 1960s. One of the results of this was the Cooper test in which the distance covered running in 12 minutes is measured. Based on the measured distance, an estimate of V̇O max [in mL/(kg·min)] is:


title: VO2 max

text: There are several other reliable tests and V̇O max calculators to estimate V̇O max, most notably the multi-stage fitness test (or "beep" test).


title: VO2 max

text: Estimation of V̇O max from a timed one-mile track walk incorporating duration in minutes and seconds (, e.g.: 20:35 would be specified as 20.58), gender, age, body weight in pounds (), and heart rate in 10 sec () at the end of the mile. The constant is 6.3150 for males, 0 for females. BW is in lbs, time is in minutes.


title: VO2 max

text: The average untrained healthy male has a V̇O max of approximately 35–40 mL/(kg·min). The average untrained healthy female has a V̇O max of approximately 27–31 mL/(kg·min). These scores can improve with training and decrease with age, though the degree of trainability also varies widely.


title: VO2 max

text: In sports where endurance is an important component in performance, such as road cycling, rowing, cross-country skiing, swimming, and long-distance running, world-class athletes typically have high V̇O max values. Elite male runners can consume up to 85 mL/(kg·min), and female elite runners can consume about 77 mL/(kg·min).


title: VO2 max

text: High values in absolute terms for humans may be found in rowers, as their greater bulk makes up for a slightly lower V̇O max per body weight. Elite oarsmen measured in 1984 had V̇O max values of 6.1±0.6 L/min and oarswomen 4.1±0.4 L/min. New Zealand sculler Rob Waddell has one of the highest absolute V̇O max levels ever tested.


title: VO2 max

text: V̇O max has been measured in other animal species. During loaded swimming, mice had a V̇O max of around 140 mL/(kg·min). Thoroughbred horses had a V̇O max of around 193 mL/(kg·min) after 18 weeks of high-intensity training. Alaskan huskies running in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race had V̇O max values as high as 240 mL/(kg·min). Estimated V̇O max for pronghorn antelopes was as high as 300 mL/(kg·min).


title: VO2 max

text: The factors affecting V̇O may be separated into supply and demand. Supply is the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the mitochondria (combining pulmonary function, cardiac output, blood volume, and capillary density of the skeletal muscle) while demand is the rate at which the mitochondria can reduce oxygen in the process of oxidative phosphorylation. Of these, the supply factors may be more limiting. However, it has also been argued that while trained subjects are probably supply limited, untrained subjects can indeed have a demand limitation.


title: VO2 max

text: General characteristics that affect V̇O max include age, sex, fitness and training, and altitude. V̇O max can be a poor predictor of performance in runners due to variations in running economy and fatigue resistance during prolonged exercise. The body works as a system. If one of these factors is sub-par, then the whole system's normal capacity is reduced.


title: VO2 max

text: The drug erythropoietin (EPO) can boost V̇O max by a significant amount in both humans and other mammals. This makes EPO attractive to athletes in endurance sports, such as professional cycling. EPO has been banned since the 1990s as an illicit performance-enhancing substance. But by 1998 it had become widespread in cycling and led to the Festina affair as well as being mentioned ubiquitously in the USADA 2012 report on the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team. Greg LeMond has suggested establishing a baseline for riders' V̇O max (and other attributes) to detect abnormal performance increases.


title: VO2 max

text: British physiologist Archibald Hill introduced the concepts of maximal oxygen uptake and oxygen debt in 1922. Hill and German physician Otto Meyerhof shared the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their independent work related to muscle energy metabolism. Building on this work, scientists began measuring oxygen consumption during exercise. Key contributions were made by Henry Taylor at the University of Minnesota, Scandinavian scientists Per-Olof Åstrand and Bengt Saltin in the 1950s and 60s, the Harvard Fatigue Laboratory, German universities, and the Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Clayton Holmes Aiken ("né" Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of "American Idol" in 2003, and his debut album, "Measure of a Man", went multi-platinum. He released four more albums on the RCA label, "Merry Christmas with Love" (2004), "A Thousand Different Ways" (2006), the Christmas EP "All is Well" (2006), and "On My Way Here" (2008). Since then he has released two more albums, both with Decca Records: "Tried and True" (2010) and "Steadfast" (2012). Aiken has also had eleven tours in support of his albums. In all, he has sold over 5 million albums, and is the fourth-highest-selling "American Idol" alumnus.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken co-wrote a bestselling memoir in 2004, "Learning to Sing". In 2004 he also had a televised Christmas special, "A Clay Aiken Christmas". During much of 2008 he appeared on Broadway in the musical comedy "Spamalot", in the role of Sir Robin. In 2010 he hosted the PBS special "Tried & True Live!" He has also had numerous cameo and guest appearances on TV shows. In 2012 he competed in the fifth season of "The Celebrity Apprentice", coming in second to Arsenio Hall.


title: Clay Aiken

text: With Diane Bubel, Aiken created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation in 2003, which was later renamed the National Inclusion Project. In 2004 he became a UNICEF ambassador, a position he held until 2013 when he gave it up in order to run for Congress. He traveled extensively in this role. In 2006, he was appointed for a two-year term to the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In 2014, Aiken ran for the United States House of Representatives in North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. He won the Democratic primary, but lost to Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers in the general election. In January 2022, he announced a run for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina's 4th congressional district, but he lost in the primary to Valerie Foushee.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Clay Aiken was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a young boy, Aiken sang in the Raleigh Boychoir; and, as a teenager, he sang in school choirs, church choir, musicals and local theatre productions. After high school, he sang lead with a local band, Just By Chance, co-hosting and performing with the band at "Just by Chance and Friends" shows in Dunn, North Carolina. He was also MC and performer at the Johnston Community College Country Showcase in Smithfield and at the North Carolina Music Connection and Hometown Music Connection shows in Garner, and Benson. He performed the national anthem numerous times for the Raleigh IceCaps and the Carolina Hurricanes hockey teams, and performed it at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Three demo albums of Aiken's vocals were created before "American Idol" with the aid of studio time given as a birthday gift by his mother: a cassette called "Look What Love Has Done" (by Clayton Grissom), a cassette and CD entitled "Redefined" (by Clayton Aiken), and a CD that combined some songs from each of the previous demos:" "Look What Love Has Done, Vol 2"" (by Clay Aiken). Estranged from his abusive birth father Vernon Grissom and with his mother's and grandfather Alvis Aiken's permission, at the age of 19 he legally changed his surname from Grissom to his mother Faye's maiden name, Aiken.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken attended Raleigh's Leesville Road High School and took courses at Campbell University before enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In 1995, Aiken started working at the YMCA. Still in high school, Aiken learned quickly that he could make a difference in the lives of young people. He found his interest in special education while directing YMCA children's camps as a teenager, and at age 19, he served as a substitute teacher for a classroom of autistic students at Brentwood Elementary School in Raleigh. It was during that experience that he decided to finish college and become a special education teacher. While attending college in Charlotte, he took a part-time job as an assistant to a boy with autism, and it was this child's mother, Diane Bubel, who urged him to audition for "American Idol". Although his "American Idol" activities temporarily delayed his academic pursuits, Aiken completed his course work while on tour and graduated with a bachelor's degree in special education in December 2003.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On August 8, 2008, Aiken announced, on his personal blog, the birth of his son in North Carolina: "My dear friend, Jaymes, and I are so excited to announce the birth of Parker Foster Aiken." The child's mother, Jaymes Foster, is the sister of record producer David Foster, executive producer of Aiken's last three albums on the RCA label. "The little man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy", Aiken wrote. "Mama Jaymes is doing quite well also." In his book, "", Aiken said, "It's a Southern tradition to be given your first name from your grandmama's maiden name." Aiken's middle name came from his paternal grandmother's maiden name; he and Foster used the married surnames of their mothers to name their son.


title: Clay Aiken

text: After several years of public speculation, Aiken came out as gay in a September 2008 interview with "People" magazine. In April 2009, Aiken was honored by the Family Equality Council advocacy group at its annual benefit dinner in New York City.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On November 18, 2010, Aiken went to Washington, D.C., on behalf of Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) at a Capitol Hill briefing talking about anti-gay bullying.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken was born into a Baptist family. As a toddler, in 1980, he attended Leesville Baptist Church every week. According to his book, "", he was involved in Bible school, choir, and the youth group. The book made "The New York Times Best Seller List" in 2004, debuting at number two. It was written with Allison Glock and published by Random House. Barely mentioning "American Idol", Aiken instead turned his focus to the people who had the most influence in his life – his mother, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and friends – and to the importance of religion in his life. He describes himself as a proud Southern Baptist who journeyed away from those roots in his late teens in search of a religion with more liberal social policies. He then returned to that church because of family and social ties although he remains at odds with the church on some issues.


title: Clay Aiken

text: When asked in a "PBS Kids" interview to name his idols, he responded, "When people ask me what three people I'd like to have dinner with, living or dead, I say Jesus Christ, Mr. Rogers, and Jimmy Carter."


title: Clay Aiken

text: While not self-identified as a Christian music artist, Aiken was featured in "Christian Music Planet" as an "American Idol Christian" in 2004, and in a cover story, "Clay Aiken's Balancing Act", in the January/February 2005 issue. His pre-"Idol" demo albums included several selections of Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM) and gospel songs. A performance of the Commodores' "Jesus is Love" at the American Music Awards in 2003 earned Aiken and Ruben Studdard a standing ovation. Aiken has sung a few CCM songs at his pop concerts and has made Christmas albums, Christmas television specials and performances, and Christmas tours essential elements of his career.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken makes it clear that he is aware not everyone shares his religious beliefs and it is not his intention to press these beliefs on others. When he worked as a camp counselor at the YMCA, he challenged other camp faculty by insisting that singing "overtly Christian songs" was inappropriate, as some of the kids were Jewish. "I stood firm ... no child is going to have a spiritual crisis on my watch." His public philosophy, geared towards inclusion and service to others, reflects his stance that decisions about religion should be made at home.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken had filled out an application to participate in the reality show "The Amazing Race" when a friend of his insisted that he try out for "American Idol" instead. Television viewers first glimpsed Aiken during the audition episodes at the beginning of "American Idol's" second season. The show's judges first saw Aiken as a nerdy type unlikely to be a typical pop idol, but after hearing him sing Heatwave's "Always and Forever" decided to advance him to the next round. The clip of the judges' surprise during this audition performance was replayed many times over the course of the competition.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken made it to the round of 32 before being cut from the show, but he was invited to return for the "Wild Card" round; his performance of Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" sent him on to the final 12 as the viewer's choice. While noted for his performance of ballads, such as Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire", his upbeat performances, including the Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup", were also appreciated. Aiken received enough votes every week to keep him out of the bottom three. Part of his appeal was his "geek to chic" transformation in appearance. "I looked like Opie", Aiken said to "People" magazine regarding his appearance at his "American Idol" audition in 2002. He replaced his glasses with contact lenses and agreed to let the show's stylists change his hair style. With longer, flat ironed, spiky hair and a penchant for wearing striped shirts, Aiken had established a trademark look by the final "American Idol" season 2 show.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On May 21, 2003, Aiken came in a close second to Ruben Studdard, who won the contest by 134,000 votes out of more than 24,000,000 votes cast. The result was controversial, as some hypothesized that "Idol" voting system was incapable of handling the number of attempted calls. In an interview prior to the start of the fifth season of "American Idol", Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe revealed for the first time that Aiken had led the fan voting every week from the Wild Card week to the finale, when the possibly-random voting result gave Studdard the win.


title: Clay Aiken

text: "Rolling Stone" featured Aiken on the cover of its July 2003 issue. In the cover article, Aiken said, "One thing I've found of people in the public eye, either you're a womanizer or you've got to be gay. Since I'm neither one of those, people are completely concerned about me." In subsequent interviews he expressed frustration over continued questions about his sexual orientation, telling "People" magazine in 2006, "It doesn't matter what I say. People are going to believe what they want."


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken made a surprise appearance on the final show of the fifth season of "American Idol", when failed auditioner Michael Sandecki returned to the show to receive a "Golden Idol" award for Best Impersonator for his Clay Aiken-like appearance. Aiken appeared without introduction in a well-tailored designer suit and longer, darker hair with bangs, looking so different that many did not recognize him until he began to sing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".


title: Clay Aiken

text: On October 14, 2003, Aiken released his first solo album, "Measure of a Man", which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with 613,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest-selling debut for a solo artist in 10 years. The album received RIAA Double Platinum certification on November 17, 2003 (a Double Platinum plaque was presented to Aiken by Clive Davis on October 22, 2003, during "Good Morning America"). The album spawned both the hit single "Invisible" and his first hit song, "This Is the Night" (both co-written by British songwriter Chris Braide). Later that year, Aiken won the Fan's Choice Award at the American Music Awards ceremony, and his CD single "This Is The Night/Bridge Over Troubled Water" won the Billboard award for the Best-Selling Single of 2003.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On November 16, 2004, Aiken released a holiday album titled "Merry Christmas with Love", which set a new record for fastest-selling holiday album in the Soundscan era (since 1991). The album debuted at number four on the "Billboard" 200 and tied Céline Dion's record for the highest debut by a holiday album in the history of "Billboard" magazine. "Merry Christmas with Love" sold over 1,000,000 copies retail in six weeks and was the best-selling holiday album of 2004, receiving RIAA Platinum certification on January 6, 2005.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken's second studio album, "A Thousand Different Ways", was released September 19, 2006. He worked on the album under the guidance of Canadian producer and A&R executive Jaymes Foster. The album contains ten cover songs and four new songs, one of which Aiken co-wrote. Clive Davis is credited with the cover concept. One additional song, "Lover All Alone", written by Aiken and David Foster, is included with the album on iTunes. Debuting at number two on the Billboard chart, "A Thousand Different Ways" made Aiken the fourth artist ever to have his first three albums debut in the Top 5 and scan over 200,000 in the first week.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken's second Christmas album, "All Is Well" (an EP of four Christmas songs), was released exclusively to Walmart on November 28, 2006, and was released to iTunes as a digital download in December 2007.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken stated in an April 2007 interview with "People" that he was planning a new album, and during his May 2007 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", he mentioned that he was in Los Angeles interviewing producers for the new album. Aiken found a song, "On My Way Here", written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, that struck a chord with him and became the inspiration for the album's theme in addition to the album title. For a cohesive sound, Aiken chose Mark 'Kipper' Eldridge to produce the entire album. "On My Way Here" was released May 6, 2008, on the RCA label.


title: Clay Aiken

text: According to an article posted on "Billboard", Aiken and RCA parted ways shortly after his "On My Way Here" album was released.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken's rep confirmed to "People" magazine that Aiken left RCA. Stated in the cited "People" article, "The buzz about Aiken's exit was fueled earlier this week when his picture disappeared online and Billboard, citing unnamed sources, reported Friday that Aiken, 30, had been dropped by the label. According to Billboard, Aiken's 2008 album "On My Way Here" sold just 159,000 copies in the U.S., compared to his 2003 debut album, "Measure of a Man", which sold 2.78 million copies".


title: Clay Aiken

text: A fifth album, "", was released at the end of March 2009 on Sony's Legacy Recordings Playlist Series. This album was a compilation of songs that had been included on the previous albums released by RCA. First week sales of 3000 copies placed "Playlist: The Very Best of Clay Aiken" at number 173 on the "Billboard" 200 chart and at number ten on the Top Internet Albums chart.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On August 10, 2009, it was announced on Aiken's official website that he had signed with Decca Records and he would have new music out by early 2010. Performing the songs from his new album, "Tried and True", Aiken held a one night only concert at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 12, 2010. The concert, filmed for PBS broadcast, included guest appearances by Ruben Studdard and Linda Eder. Eder joined Aiken on stage for their duet of "Crying", which they recorded for his album. The album was released on June 1, 2010 and features songs popular in the 1950s and 1960s, including two Aiken covered during his run on "American Idol", "Mack the Knife" and "Unchained Melody". In conjunction with the PBS special a companion DVD, "Tried & True Live!", was released on July 27, 2010. A tour to promote the album is planned for early 2014.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On December 20, 2011, Aiken released a new single, "Bring Back My Love" under the Decca Label. The single is his first original song since the release of his album "On My Way Here" in 2008. On March 27, 2012 Aiken released "Steadfast", a new album of previous recordings and songs only sung in concerts. The album debuted at #120 on the Billboard 200 chart with sales of 4,000 in the first week.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On Labor Day 2003, Aiken sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" at the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon" and received a standing ovation from the audience. Lewis compared Aiken with Frank Sinatra and marveled at the dedication of Aiken's fan base:


title: Clay Aiken

text: That same year, Aiken sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the opening night of the 2003 World Series and appeared in numerous television specials during the winter of 2003, including "Disney's Christmas Day Parade" and the "Nick at Nite Holiday Special", where he sang the "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" with Bing Crosby via special effects.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken starred in and executive produced his first TV special (December 2004), titled "A Clay Aiken Christmas", with special guests Barry Manilow, Yolanda Adams, and Megan Mullally; the special was released on DVD later that month. On July 4, 2004, Aiken was one of the performers in the "A Capitol Fourth" concert in Washington, D.C. and performed in the "Good Morning America" Summer Concert Series in 2004 and 2005. He also sang "Isn't She Lovely" on the popular television show "Scrubs".


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken was the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in 2004 and participated in several skits. He has appeared multiple times on "The Tonight Show", interviewing with Jay Leno as a guest in addition to singing, and has become a regular guest on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". The Kimmel appearances often feature skits: in one, Jimmy Kimmel's then girlfriend Sarah Silverman confessed to an affair with Aiken, and in another, Aiken expressed his distaste for Kimmel's jokes about him by beating him up. In May 2007, he spent the first half of his interview on horseback while talking about his recent UNICEF trip to Afghanistan. A few weeks later he appeared as a spokesperson for "Guillermo's Mustache" in Kimmel's fictional DVD informercial shown on the "Dancing With the Stars" finale. Aiken made his acting debut on "Ed" in early 2004, playing himself, and in 2005, he was interviewed by Erica Kane on "All My Children". He played the role of cafeteria worker Kenny on the "Scrubs" episode "My Life in Four Cameras". In December 2006, he made an appearance as himself on "Days of Our Lives".


title: Clay Aiken

text: After hosting and performing in the "American Idol" Christmas special in 2003, Aiken has had several subsequent hosting jobs. He was a special correspondent for "The Insider" for the 2005 Emmy Awards, and on the sets of the sitcom "Reba" with Reba McEntire and "Dancing With the Stars". He co-hosted "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet" in 2006, and on November 17, 2006, filled in for Regis Philbin as guest host on "Live with Regis and Kelly". During an interview, Aiken covered Kelly Ripa's mouth with his hand. The incident drew considerable media reaction after Ripa complained at length about the incident on her show the following Monday. Aiken made fun of the controversy on the "2006 American Music Awards" the next night with Tori Spelling. On "The Tyra Banks Show" in 2006, filmed before the Ripa incident, Aiken mentioned wanting to have his own talk show someday, and Banks switched seats with him and let him interview her for one segment of the show. Aiken was a guest judge on the April 8, 2009, segment of Banks show "America's Next Top Model"; in what the show refers to as a teach, he worked with the remaining eight contestants on their acting skills prior to the judging.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In November 2007, Aiken was a contestant on a celebrity edition of the game show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?". Playing for his charity, the National Inclusion Project, he chose to drop out after the ninth question with US$300,000, despite having a copy and a save at his disposal. If he had played the tenth question, he would have won US$500,000; Aiken and the 5th grader playing with him both had the correct answer.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In May 2009, Aiken made a guest appearance on "30 Rock" in the season 3 episode "Kidney Now!". It was revealed in this episode that he is the cousin of the show's character Kenneth.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In August 2010, Aiken guest starred in an episode of "Phineas and Ferb", called "". Aiken sang an inspirational duet with Chaka Khan, to encourage those who did not believe that Phineas and Ferb could accomplish their goal of circling the globe faster than the sun, thus creating the longest summer day of all time.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On January 30, 2011, Aiken sang the United States' national anthem at the 2011 NHL All-Star game held at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, home of the Carolina Hurricanes.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In 2012, Aiken was the runner-up on the fifth season of "The Celebrity Apprentice", raising US$361,500 for the National Inclusion Project.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken appeared in one of the last episodes of "The Office", titled "A.A.R.M.". He played himself and was one of the judges for a reality show that Andy was auditioning for.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In 2013, Aiken guest starred on an episode "" along with Taylor Hicks and Ashanti, playing themselves as judges for a singing contest on the episode called "Dissonant Voices".


title: Clay Aiken

text: On January 18, 2008, Aiken made his Broadway debut when he joined the cast of "Monty Python's Spamalot" for a four-month run, ending on May 4, 2008. He played Sir Robin, in the Tony Award-winning musical directed by Mike Nichols. In addition to Sir Robin, Aiken played the 1st Guard and the Brother Maynard roles. On August 12, 2008, it was announced that Aiken would resume his role as Sir Robin beginning on September 19 and ending on January 4, 2009. On December 23, 2008, Aiken had his caricature unveiled at world-famous Sardi's restaurant. In December 2018, Aiken and Ruben Studdard starred in "Ruben & Clay's First Annual Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Christmas Show" on Broadway.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In May 2013, Aiken starred as "Man in Chair" in North Carolina Theatre's production of "The Drowsy Chaperone", along with fellow Raleigh native and Tony Award winner Beth Leavel, who reprised her role as "The Chaperone".


title: Clay Aiken

text: During the summer of 2013, Aiken performed the role of Joseph in the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In June 2019, Aiken starred as Teen Angel in "Grease" at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "The energy level is high, but there's no question it steps up a notch when Clay Aiken struts out in the second act and gives Pittsburgh a taste of why his Claymates are hopelessly devoted to the former American Idol." "As 'Teen Angel' in the Pittsburgh CLO's production of "Grease", Aiken is only on stage for about five minutes. Those five minutes, however, are fab-u-lous."


title: Clay Aiken

text: From February through April 2004, Aiken and Kelly Clarkson embarked on the Independent Tour as co-headliners. Following this tour, he was scheduled for a few summer solo tour dates, but demand ultimately led to the booking of 50 dates across the United States, resulting in what many fans called the "Not-A-Tour". Disney (Buena Vista) was the exclusive sponsor of this unnamed summer tour, promoting their "Aladdin" Special Edition 2-Disc DVD with a preview of Aiken's rendition of "Proud of Your Boy", a song originally intended for the first release of the film but cut when the Aladdin storyline changed during production. A music video featuring Aiken is on the "Aladdin" Special Edition DVD. On this tour, he also performed a duet, "Without You", which was released on Kimberley Locke's 2004 debut album "One Love".


title: Clay Aiken

text: In November 2004, Aiken launched his third tour of the year, which revolved around a Christmas theme. "The Joyful Noise Tour", sponsored by Ronald McDonald House Charities, featured a conductor and a 30-piece orchestra. In some cities, Aiken was supported by the local philharmonic or symphony, such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Local choirs from high schools and elementary schools also participated at each concert.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In early November 2005, Aiken launched his second Christmas tour. The 2005 Joyful Noise tour featured a series of vignettes, written by Aiken, which told the story of an older woman who had lost the Christmas spirit and a young boy who helps her find it again. A cast of actors, dancers and back-up singers traveled with the tour, and members of local theater groups were added in each venue for smaller, non-speaking roles and crowd scenes. The tour opened in Vancouver, British Columbia, on November 2, and ended in Clearwater, Florida on December 30. According to Pollstar, Aiken's first five tours grossed $28 million.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In December 2006, Aiken began his third Christmas tour, comprising performances in 18 Midwest and East Coast cities. Aiken was supported by local orchestras, which also opened the concerts with a program of seasonal music.


title: Clay Aiken

text: A 23-date tour in support of his third album, "A Thousand Different Ways", began on July 4, 2007, and ended in Orlando, Florida, on August 19. On this tour Aiken hired local symphonies to back him, along with tour regulars Jesse Vargas, pianist, conductor and arranger; Sean McDaniel, drummer; and Quiana Parler and Angela Fisher, backup singers. Stops included the Greek Theatre (Los Angeles), Chautauqua Institution in New York, and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. Three days into the tour, Aiken and a woman were involved in an in-flight altercation in which she allegedly shoved him. As a result of the scuffle, Aiken and the woman were later questioned by the FBI. Aiken told "Entertainment Tonight" that he had been sleeping when the incident occurred.


title: Clay Aiken

text: His fourth annual Christmas tour, "Christmas in the Heartland", began on November 26, 2007, in Wichita, Kansas. That 21-date tour ended on December 22, 2007, in Merrillville, Indiana.


title: Clay Aiken

text: He has ended all of his Christmas tours with his signature Christmas song, "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day".


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken and Ruben Studdard brought their "Timeless" tour to cities in the US and Canada beginning in Asheville, North Carolina, on July 23, 2010, and ending in Biloxi, Mississippi, on August 14. Instead of a concert focusing on each singers recordings, Aiken and Studdard opted for a variety show format covering medleys of songs from the 1960s to the 1990s with a few solos and interspersed with comedy bits.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken announced on July 30, 2010, that he will be touring in February and March 2011 in conjunction with PBS to support his album "Tried and True" and accompanying live DVD "Clay Aiken: Tried and True – Live".


title: Clay Aiken

text: At 19, Aiken taught at Brentwood Elementary School in a class of kids with autism. It was during that experience that he decided to finish college and become a special education teacher.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken has participated in multiple benefit events and concerts, including the 2004 Rosalynn Carter Benefit, the America's Promise Benefit, and Heather Headley's Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit, "Home", where he sang a duet with Headley. He was one of the celebrity readers for the "Arthur Celebrity Audiobook (Stories for Heroes Series)", which benefits the Bubel/Aiken Foundation (now the National Inclusion Project) and other charities, and served as spokesperson for the series. He was also a spokesperson for the 2004 Toys For Tots drive, and acted as an ambassador for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Aiken worked with the Make A Wish Foundation to make one little boy's dream of singing on stage with Clay Aiken come true.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In September 2006, Aiken was appointed to the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities by President George W. Bush. Appointees serve a two-year term; Aiken was sworn on September 14, 2006, by HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families Wade F. Horn, PhD


title: Clay Aiken

text: While appearing in Spamalot, Aiken used his free time and celebrity to help raise funds for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) during their fund drives and auctions. In 2010, Aiken spoke out for gay rights at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in North Carolina. He also joined other celebrities in filming an educational video for Cyndi Lauper's web based Give a Damn campaign, a project of her True Colors Fund. In addition to UNICEF and his National Inclusion Project he is promoting GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network as one of his causes on his official website.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken's interest in autism issues led him, along with Diane Bubel (whose son Michael is diagnosed with autism and was tutored by Aiken), to found the National Inclusion Project (formerly the Bubel/Aiken Foundation), which supports the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of their non-disabled peers. The foundation runs summer camps which reflect its mission, and also presents Able to Serve awards to support the volunteer efforts of children with physical and mental disabilities. In July 2005, Raleigh's WRAL-TV reported on an internet campaign mounted by critics questioning how Aiken's foundation used its money. WRAL news hired an independent accountant who reported that program services totaled $920,000 in 2004—around 85 cents on every dollar donated—which is considered a solid percentage compared to other charities. CNN picked up the story, and Aiken appeared on "Showbiz Tonight" to provide details about the foundation's programs. In late 2004, the foundation was awarded a $500,000 grant by the US government to develop a K–12 model for inclusion in community service projects to be used in schools across the country. In addition, State Farm granted $1.5 million to the foundation to help develop a primary education curriculum focused on teaching social and life skills through service to children of all levels of ability.


title: Clay Aiken

text: On August 5, 2009, in an open letter from the founders, Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel announced that they would rename the organization as the "National Inclusion Project".


title: Clay Aiken

text: In November 2004, Aiken was appointed a U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Ambassador, with a mission to help ensure that children everywhere are afforded a primary education. After the tsunami at the end of 2004, he participated in the NBC4 telethon, which raised over $10 million, and recorded public service announcements in support of South Asian tsunami relief. He later recorded a video, featuring the song "Give A Little Bit", to be used as a public service announcement to raise money for tsunami victims. He was the 2005 spokesperson for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF drive.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In March 2005, UNICEF sent Aiken to the tsunami-stricken Banda Aceh area to raise awareness of the need to restore education quickly to the children who survived this disaster. UNICEF sent Aiken on another mission in May 2005, to northern Uganda, to witness the plight of children called "night commuters", who flee the villages each night to sleep in streets and shelters in hopes of avoiding being kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army. He was sent to Kabul and Bamyan, in Afghanistan in April 2007, where he was able to spend time with children in their classrooms; he also visited a health center for women and children where he administered oral polio vaccinations to babies. He observed that Afghani children, after being forbidden for so many years by the Taliban regime to attend school, are eager to return to school now that they are once again allowed to receive an education. Aiken spent his 2007 Christmas in Mexico with the children affected by the floods in the states of Chiapas and Tabasco. In late June and early July 2008, UNICEF sent Aiken to Somalia and Kenya.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In the 2014 midterm elections, Aiken was the Democratic Party's candidate for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. He won the Democratic primary, held on May 6, 2014, by fewer than 400 votes. His main opponent, Keith Crisco, died days after the primary vote but before the votes could be certified. In the general election, held on November 4, 2014, Aiken was defeated by incumbent Republican Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, 59 to 41 percent. North Carolina's 2nd district is considered a safe Republican seat. Aiken's campaign was captured by a filmmaking team and shown in the 2015 documentary miniseries "The Runner-Up", which aired on the Esquire Network.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Since coming out as gay in 2008, Aiken has been more politically outspoken, particularly on gay rights and same-sex marriage. He spoke out against North Carolina Amendment 1, adopted in 2012, which banned gay marriage and civil unions in the state. When he ran for Congress, however, he said he did not want to be perceived as a single-issue candidate and said gay marriage was "not the issue" he was campaigning on. He said he wanted to focus on issues that were more important to people in his district. His assertion earned him a number of critics among supporters of same-sex marriage, including Bill Maher.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Citing his appearance on "The Apprentice", Aiken defended Donald Trump against accusations of racism during the 2016 presidential race. However, following the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Aiken tweeted an apology for denying Trump was racist, going so far to say, "I'm a fucking dumbass." Aiken reiterated that he was a Democrat and did not vote for Trump.


title: Clay Aiken

text: In January 2022, Aiken released a video titled "Warming Up", in which he announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina's 4th congressional district. In this video, Aiken is quoted as saying, "If the loudest and most hateful voices think they are going to speak for us, just tell them I'm warming up the old vocal chords."


title: Clay Aiken

text: Sara Pequeño, a member of the Raleigh-based "The News & Observer" editorial board, criticized Aiken for jumping into the race when other Democratic candidates had more political experience and questioned "what has he done to serve North Carolina?"


title: Clay Aiken

text: In the Democratic primary, Aiken was overshadowed by two other Democratic candidates, state Senator Valerie Foushee and Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam and he finished third place in the eight candidate primary.


title: Clay Aiken

text: Aiken was voted the Favorite Reality Star of 2003 by "TV Guide" readers and "the most-loved reality star of all time" in a "TV Guide" poll conducted in the summer of 2005. In February 2006, "People" magazine readers voted Aiken their "Favorite American Idol".


title: Clay Aiken

text: While the origin of the term "Claymates" is unknown, Aiken trademarked the term. While in Los Angeles in September 2006 for a CD signing and appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", Aiken talked with Jann Carl of "Entertainment Tonight" about the names various sub-groups have given themselves: "Claysians" (Asian fans), "Claynadians" (Canadian fans), "Clayropeans" (European fans) and "Claydawgs" (male fans). She then teased him about having his own "Clay Nation". At the CD signing, two young fans asked Aiken to autograph their shoulderblades and then went to the local tattoo parlor to make them permanent; later that day on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" they were brought on stage to show the tattoos. Although some of his fans have been criticized at times by the media as being obsessive, he defends the group as a whole. When Kimmel said to Aiken that his fans were "crazy", Aiken stated that they were merely "enthusiastic". In 2003, in anticipation of the release of "Measure of a Man", fans all over the country decided to get together and hold parties to celebrate the release of the CD and purchase copies at midnight. In 2006, for the release of "A Thousand Different Ways", release parties were held in more than 80 cities in the United States, Canada, and Singapore.


title: Age of majority

text: The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the control and legal responsibilities of their parents or guardian over them. Most countries set the age of majority at 18, but some jurisdictions have a higher age and others lower. The word "majority" here refers to having greater years and being of full age as opposed to "minority", the state of being a minor. The law in a given jurisdiction may not actually use the term "age of majority". The term typically refers to a collection of laws bestowing the status of adulthood. Those under the age of majority are referred to as minors and may be legally denied certain privileges or rights (e.g. the right to vote, buy alcohol, marry, sign a binding contract).


title: Age of majority

text: Age of majority should not be confused with the age of maturity, age of sexual consent, marriageable age, school-leaving age, drinking age, driving age, voting age, smoking age, gambling age, etc., which each may be independent of and set at a different age from the age of majority.


title: Age of majority

text: The term ""age of majority"" can be confused with the similar concept of the age of license, which also pertains to the threshold of adulthood but in a much broader and more abstract manner. As a legal term of art, "license" means "permission", which leads to implications of a legally enforceable right or privilege. Thus, an age of license is an age at which one has legal permission from a given government to participate in certain activities or rituals. The age of majority, on the other hand, is a legal "recognition" that one is gradually becoming an adult, not necessarily stating that one is legally allowed to partake in any or all activities specified for adults.


title: Age of majority

text: Many ages of license are correlated to the age of majority to recognize the transition to legal adulthood, but they are nonetheless legally distinct concepts. One need not have attained the age of majority to have permission to exercise certain rights and responsibilities. Some ages of license may be higher, lower, or match the age of majority. For example, to purchase alcoholic beverages, the age of license is 21 in all U.S. states. Another example is the voting age, which prior to 1971 was 21 in the US, as was the age of majority in all or most states. After the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, the age of majority was lowered to 18 in most states. In most US states, one may obtain a driver's license, consent to sexual activity, and gain full-time employment at age 16 even though the current age of majority is 18 in most states. In the Republic of Ireland the age of majority is 18, but one must be over 21 to stand for election to the Houses of the Oireachtas. Also, in Portugal the age of majority is 18, but one must be at least 25 years of age to run for public office and 35 to run for president. A child who is legally emancipated by a court of competent jurisdiction automatically attains to their maturity upon the signing of the court order. Only emancipation confers the status of maturity before a person has actually reached the age of majority.


title: Age of majority

text: In almost all places, minors who marry are automatically emancipated. Some places also do the same for minors who are in the armed forces or who have a certain degree or diploma. Minors who are emancipated may be able to choose where they live, sign contracts, and have control over their financial and medical decisions and generally make decisions free from parental control but are not exempt from age requirements set forth in law for other rights. For example, a minor can emancipate at 16 in the US (or younger depending on the state) but must still wait until 18 to vote or buy a firearm, and 21 to buy alcohol or tobacco.


title: Age of majority

text: The age 18 is identified as the age of adulthood in the Jewish Talmud relative to having sound judgement to make monetary decisions as a judge. Here, the Talmud says that every judgment Josiah, the sixteenth king of Judah (–609), issued from his coronation until the age of eighteen was reversed and he returned the money to the parties whom he judged liable, due to concern that in his youth he may not have judged the cases correctly. Other Jewish commentators have discussed whether age 13 or 18 is the age to make decisions in a Jewish Court.


title: Age of majority

text: The highest known age of majority historically was around age 30, during Roman times, where young males were placed under the guardianship of adults known as ""Curatores"" whose permission was needed to engage in formal acts and sign contracts until the youth reached turned 30. This was later lowered down to 25, and eventually 21 became the common age of majority. In some places historically, 23 or 27 could have also been this age. It has also gone down to as low as 14 or 15 years of age. They are somewhat arbitrarily chosen, but have rarely been designated outside of this approximate age range. It has not always been 18 or 21 but rather a variety of ages. In Medieval England, the age of majority was 15 but further raised to 21.


title: Age of majority

text: Since 2015, some countries have started to lower the voting age to 16. Some countries, like England and Wales, are even considering lowering the age of majority to 16, similar to how it already is in Cuba. The main arguments for lowering is that, on average, young people are much more educated currently (both because of better individual educational outcomes and being raised by more educated parents) than in the past (the same argument made in the 1970s when most countries lowered the age of majority from 21 to 18, which is the age still used presently for most countries). In addition, compared to the past, nowadays information is much more easily accessible as a result of the invention of the Internet, which can now be accessed through both a computer and also a smartphone.


title: Age of majority

text: In many countries minors can be emancipated: depending on jurisdiction, this may happen through acts such as marriage, attaining economic self-sufficiency, obtaining an educational degree or diploma, or participating in a form of military service. In the United States, all states have some form of emancipation of minors.


title: Age of majority

text: The following list the age of majority in countries (or administrative divisions) in the order of lowest to highest:


title: Age of majority

text: Religions have their own rules as to the age of maturity, when a child is regarded to be an adult, at least for ritual purposes:


title: Age of majority

text: In some countries, reaching the age of majority carries other rights and obligations, although in other countries, these rights and obligations may be had before or after reaching the aforementioned age.


title: French Stewart

text: Milton French-Stewart IV (born February 20, 1964), known professionally as French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for playing Harry Solomon on the NBC sitcom "3rd Rock from the Sun". He also played Marv Murchins in "Home Alone 4", Inspector Gadget in "Inspector Gadget 2", and Chef Rudy on the CBS sitcom "Mom".


title: French Stewart

text: Stewart was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His mother was a homemaker, and his stepfather was a microfilm technician. He attended Del Norte High School and also studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.


title: French Stewart

text: Stewart toured in regional theatre for seven years before breaking into television with the role of Razor Dee, a spaced-out DJ on the final season of "The New WKRP in Cincinnati" in 1992. He earned his Screen Actors Guild card while working for Hanna-Barbera's Shakey Quakey tour, but was later released for removing the head of his costume in front of children. In 1996, he was cast on "3rd Rock from the Sun", which lasted for six seasons, and where Stewart was noted for his talents at physical comedy and his characteristic "squinting" facial expression. During "3rd Rock"'s height of popularity, he appeared in numerous commercials and as a spokesperson for the beverage Clamato.


title: French Stewart

text: Stewart's major film credits include "Stargate" (1994) as Lieutenant Louis Ferretti, "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995), "The Poison Tasters" (1995), "Magic Island" (1995) "Glory Daze" (1996), "McHale's Navy" (1997), "Love Stinks" (1999), "Clockstoppers" (2002) as Earl Doppler, and "Wedding Daze" as Nathan Bennett IV. His animation credits include the voice of Bob in the short-lived animated series "God, the Devil and Bob" (2000), and Disney's animated series "" (1998) as Icarus.


title: French Stewart

text: Since "3rd Rock" ended in 2001, Stewart has appeared in a number of minor roles, mainly in situation comedies such as "Just Shoot Me!", "Becker", "The Drew Carey Show", "Less Than Perfect" and "That '70s Show" (from the creators of "3rd Rock"). He also starred in "the WB" show "Charmed" as a genie at the end of season 2, "NCIS". He has starred in comedy films, with major roles in the direct-to-video films "Home Alone 4" (2002) and "Inspector Gadget 2" (2003). He guest-starred in the "Run Away Runway" episode of Disney's animated series "Phineas and Ferb" as fashion designer Gaston Le Mode (2008).


title: French Stewart

text: Stewart has appeared on "MADtv" and guest-starred in the "Seinfeld" episode "The Opposite". He can also be seen on the "I Love The..." series on VH1. He was an executive producer for "Has Anyone Seen My Baby?", a drama on the Lifetime network that portrayed the life of a woman who lost her child on an African safari in the early 1970s. He also appeared as the "weird guy" office temp on "NewsRadio".


title: French Stewart

text: Stewart produced and costarred in the dual role of Queen Victoria and Sigmund Freud in "Watson: The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes" at the Sacred Fools Theater Company, where he is a member, and was co-artistic director of its 2012–2013 season. In May and June 2012, he appeared at Sacred Fools as Buster Keaton in the original play "Stoneface: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Buster Keaton", written by his wife, Vanessa Claire Smith. In 2011, he also voiced Richard De Longpre on "Allen Gregory".


title: French Stewart

text: On April 20, 2013, Stewart was a special guest on the NickHD television show "Marvin Marvin", playing Marvin's Uncle Steve. In 2013, he joined the CBS series "Mom" as series regular Chef Rudy. He has also guest-starred on the TV show "The Middle" as Principal Cameron (2013 to May 13, 2015).


title: French Stewart

text: Stewart married actress Katherine LaNasa on May 19, 1998, whom he met when she had a guest appearance on a 1996 episode of "3rd Rock from the Sun". They divorced in December 2009. He married actress Vanessa Claire Smith in June 2011. Their daughter, Helene Claire Stewart, was born on June 28, 2013.


title: Anarcho-syndicalism

text: Anarcho-syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionary industrial unionism or syndicalism as a method for workers in capitalist society to gain control of an economy and thus control influence in broader society. The end goal of syndicalism is to abolish the wage system, regarding it as wage slavery. Anarcho-syndicalist theory generally focuses on the labour movement. Reflecting the anarchist philosophy from which it draws its primary inspiration, anarcho-syndicalism is centred on the idea that power corrupts and that any hierarchy that cannot be ethically justified must be dismantled.


title: Anarcho-syndicalism

text: The basic principles of anarcho-syndicalism are solidarity, direct action (action undertaken without the intervention of third parties such as politicians, bureaucrats and arbitrators) and direct democracy, or workers' self-management. Anarcho-syndicalists believe their economic theories constitute a strategy for facilitating proletarian self-activity and creating an alternative cooperative economic system with democratic values and production centred on meeting human needs. Anarcho-syndicalists perceive the primary purpose of the state as the defence of private property in the forms of capital goods and thereby of economic, social and political privilege. In maintaining this "status quo", the state denies most of its citizens the ability to enjoy material independence and the social autonomy that springs from it.