title: MC Ren

text: In 2000, he appeared on the song "Hello", which featured Dr. Dre and Ice Cube on Ice Cube's "War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)" album. He joined the "Up In Smoke Tour" that same year to rap his verse on the track. He also appeared on the posse cut "Some L.A. Niggaz" from Dr. Dre's "2001" album.


title: MC Ren

text: Patterson's recent work has appeared on some more politically oriented projects with Public Enemy, specifically Paris's album "Hard Truth Soldiers Vol. 1" as well as on Public Enemy's album "Rebirth of a Nation". Paris stated in an interview with rapstation.com that: "MC Ren is retired and won't be doing a full-length album as far as I know. I get at him for verses, that's about it."


title: MC Ren

text: In 1992, Patterson was offered the role for A-Wax in "Menace II Society". Despite accepting the role, Patterson later changed his mind and the role was given to MC Eiht.


title: MC Ren

text: In 2004, Patterson released the straight-to-DVD film "Lost in the Game". The movie was produced, written and directed by Patterson, with Playboy T assisting. It was an independent movie released by Patterson's company "Villain".


title: MC Ren

text: In June 1993, he married Yaasamen Alaa, with whom he has five children. His oldest son, Anthony, is an aspiring rapper under the name "Waxxie", and has collaborated with other sons of N.W.A members.


title: MC Ren

text: In April 1993, Patterson began attending a mosque, and by July he was a fully registered member of the Nation of Islam, known as Lorenzo X. Two years later he left the organization and converted to Sunni Islam.


title: MC Ren

text: Patterson stated that KRS-One, Chuck D, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Run-DMC are his biggest influences. MC Ren also stated "Criminal Minded" by Boogie Down Productions as his all-time favorite hip hop album.


title: MC Ren

text: Together with N.W.A., Patterson popularized the sub-genre of the Gangsta rap and West Coast Hip Hop, while also being credited by many as one of the seminal groups in the history of hip hop music. He also endured controversy due to his music's explicit lyrics that many viewed as being disrespectful of women, as well as its glorification of drugs and crime.


title: MC Ren

text: Patterson is noted as a proficient lyricist and storyteller and is regarded for his honesty, as he often includes his political views in his music. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics. The views expressed in his lyrics are largely commentary on issues such as class struggle, socialism, poverty, religion, government, imperialism and institutional racism.


title: Patton (film)

text: Patton is a 1970 American epic biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II. It stars George C. Scott as Patton and Karl Malden as General Omar Bradley, and was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner from a script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, who based their screenplay on "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph" by Ladislas Farago and Bradley's memoir, "A Soldier's Story".


title: Patton (film)

text: "Patton" won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Scott also won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of General Patton, but declined to accept the award. The opening monologue, delivered by Scott as General Patton with an enormous American flag behind him, remains an iconic and often quoted image in film. In 2003, "Patton" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The Academy Film Archive also preserved "Patton" in 2003.


title: Patton (film)

text: General George S. Patton addresses an unseen audience of American troops, emphasizing the importance Americans place upon victorious role models as well as his own demands that his men defeat the enemy by working and fighting as a team.


title: Patton (film)

text: In its first encounter with the German Afrika Korps at Kasserine, the II Corps is humiliatingly defeated by General Erwin Rommel, whom Patton places in high regard as a well respected rival. As a consequence, Patton is placed in command of II Corps and immediately begins instilling discipline amongst his untested troops. Alongside the poor condition of American soldiers in the II Corps, Patton also identifies the stubbornness of his British counterpart; General Bernard Montgomery constantly undermines American forces in order to monopolize the war glory. Patton's chance to prove his worth comes at the subsequent Battle of El Guettar where Patton defeats the advancing German forces.


title: Patton (film)

text: The eventual Allied victory in North Africa prompts both Patton and Montgomery to come up with competing plans for the Sicily invasion. Patton's plan, drawn from reference to the Peloponnesian War highlights the strategic importance of Syracuse; if it fell to an occupying force, the Italians would surely withdraw. Patton proposes that Montgomery captures Syracuse, whereas he will land near Palermo then capture Messina to cut off the withdrawal. Though the plan initially impresses General Alexander, to whom Patton and Montgomery report, General Eisenhower turns it down in favor of Montgomery's more cautious plan that the two armies land side-by-side in the south-east, essentially relegating Patton to guarding the left flank of the British advance. Angered by the lack of progress being made, Patton thrusts west and captures Palermo, before beating Montgomery to Messina. Patton's blunt aggression sits poorly with his subordinates Omar Bradley and Lucian Truscott. During a visit to a field hospital, Patton notices a soldier, crying out of shell shock. Surmising that the soldier isn't actually physically injured, Patton slaps the soldier and threatens to shoot him for his cowardice and demands he return to the frontline. Eisenhower demands Patton apologize to his entire command for the altercation. Though Patton obliges, he is stunned to find out that Bradley, not he, has been given command of American forces preparing for the invasion of France.


title: Patton (film)

text: With the Invasion of Normandy due to start, Patton is placed in charge of the fictional First United States Army Group as a decoy in London, the Allied consensus believing that his presence in England will tell the Germans that he will lead the invasion of Europe. At a war drive in Knutsford, Patton openly remarks that the post-war world will be dominated by British and American influence, seen as a slight to the Soviet Union. Though Patton objects to having done anything wrong, the situation has already spiraled from his control. The decision to send him home or keep him in England rests upon General George Marshall. Though he is not present during the D-Day landings, Patton is given command of the Third Army by General Bradley, now his superior. Under Patton's leadership, the Third Army sweeps brilliantly across France but is unexpectedly brought to a halt when the supplies are diverted to Montgomery's ambitious Operation Market Garden.


title: Patton (film)

text: During the Battle of the Bulge Patton devises a plan to relieve the trapped 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, which he does before smashing through the Siegfried Line and into Germany.


title: Patton (film)

text: Germany eventually capitulates, though Patton's outspokenness lands him in trouble once again when he compares American politics to Nazism. Though he loses his command once again, Patton is kept on to see the rebuilding of Germany in the post war period. In a final scene Patton is seen walking Willie, his bull terrier. Patton's voice is heard:


title: Patton (film)

text: ""For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph - a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory ... is fleeting.""


title: Patton (film)

text: Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and Rod Steiger all turned down the role of Patton; Steiger later said it was his greatest mistake. Charlton Heston was considered for the role of Omar N. Bradley before Karl Malden was cast.


title: Patton (film)

text: Attempts to make a film about the life of Patton had been ongoing since he died in 1945, but his widow, Beatrice, resisted. After her death in 1953, producer Frank McCarthy began the project and, the day after Beatrice was buried, the producers contacted the family for help in making the film, requesting access to Patton's diaries, as well as input from family members, but the family refused to provide any assistance to the film's producers. McCarthy also sought co-operation from The Pentagon; they also initially refused, as Patton's son, George Patton IV, was in the Army, and Patton's second daughter, Ruth, was married to an officer. By 1959, McCarthy had convinced the Army to co-operate.


title: Patton (film)

text: 20th Century Fox bought "A Soldier's Story," the 1951 autobiography of General of the Army Omar Bradley (who features prominently in the film, played by Karl Malden). Francis Ford Coppola wrote the film script in 1963 based largely on Ladislas Farago's 1963 biography "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph," and on "A Soldier's Story". Edmund H. North was later brought in to help work on the script. The film was originally to be called "Blood & Guts" and William Wyler was originally scheduled to direct. However, Wyler quit before the planned starting date of January 1969.


title: Patton (film)

text: Bradley, the only surviving five-star general officer in the United States after the death of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1969, served as a consultant for the film though the extent of his influence and input into the final script is largely unknown. While Bradley knew Patton personally, it was also well known that the two men were polar opposites in personality, and there is evidence to conclude that Bradley despised Patton, both personally and professionally. As the film was made without access to General Patton's diaries, it largely relied upon observations by Bradley and other military contemporaries when they attempted to reconstruct Patton's thoughts and motives. In a review of the film, Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall, who knew both Patton and Bradley, stated, "The Bradley name gets heavy billing on a picture of [a] comrade that, while not caricature, is the likeness of a victorious, glory-seeking buffoon... Patton in the flesh was an enigma. He so stays in the film... Napoleon once said that the art of the general is not strategy but knowing how to mold human nature... Maybe that is all producer Frank McCarthy and Gen. Bradley, his chief advisor, are trying to say."


title: Patton (film)

text: The film started shooting February 3, 1969 and was shot at seventy-one locations in six countries, mostly in Spain, which had a lot of the U.S. Army's World War II surplus equipment.


title: Patton (film)

text: Francoist Spain had sustained a currency control for decades and filming in the country was the only way to indirectly recover the profits of the box office from American films.


title: Patton (film)

text: One scene, which depicts Patton driving up to an ancient city that is implied to be Carthage, was shot in the ancient Roman Mauretanian city of Volubilis, Morocco. The early scene, where Patton and Muhammed V are reviewing Moroccan troops including the Goumiers, was shot at the Royal Palace in Rabat. One unannounced battle scene was shot the night before, which raised fears in the Royal Palace neighborhood of a "coup d'état". One paratrooper was electrocuted in power lines, but none of this battle footage appears in the film. The scene at the dedication of the welcome centre in Knutsford, Cheshire, England, was filmed at the actual site. The scenes set in Tunisia and Sicily were shot in Almeria in the south of Spain; Pamplona in the north was used for France and Germany; while the winter scenes in Belgium, including for the Battle of the Bulge sequence, were shot near Segovia (to which the production crew rushed when they were informed that snow had fallen). Interior shots were filmed in Seville.


title: Patton (film)

text: The film was shot by cinematographer Fred J. Koenekamp in 65 mm Dimension 150, only the second film to be shot in that format after "" (1966).


title: Patton (film)

text: A sizeable amount of battle scene footage was left out of the final cut of "Patton", but a use was soon found for it. Outtakes from "Patton" were used to provide battle scenes in the made-for-TV film "Fireball Forward", which was first broadcast in 1972. The film was produced by "Patton" producer Frank McCarthy and Edmund North wrote the screenplay. One of the cast members of "Patton", Morgan Paull, appeared in this production.


title: Patton (film)

text: The film opens with Scott's rendering of Patton's speech to the Third Army, set against a huge American flag. Coppola and North had to tone down Patton's actual words and statements in the scene, as well as throughout the rest of the film, to avoid an R rating; in the opening monologue, the word "fornicating" replaced "fucking" when he was criticizing "The Saturday Evening Post". Also, Scott's gravelly and scratchy voice is the opposite of Patton's high-pitched, nasal and somewhat squeaky voice, a point noted by historian S.L.A. Marshall. However, Marshall also points out that the film contains "too much cursing and obscenity [by Patton]. Patton was not habitually foul-mouthed. He used dirty words when he thought they were needed to impress."


title: Patton (film)

text: When Scott learned that the speech would open the film, he refused to do it, as he believed that it would overshadow the rest of his performance. Director Schaffner assured him that it would be shown at the end. The scene was shot in one afternoon at Sevilla Studios in Madrid, with the flag having been painted on the back of the stage wall.


title: Patton (film)

text: All the medals and decorations shown on Patton's uniform in the monologue are replicas of those actually awarded to Patton. However, the general never wore all of them in public and was in any case not a four-star general at the time he made the famous speeches on which the opening is based. He wore them all on only one occasion, in his backyard in Virginia at the request of his wife, who wanted a picture of him with all his medals. The producers used a copy of this photo to help recreate this "look" for the opening scene.


title: Patton (film)

text: The critically acclaimed score for "Patton" was composed and conducted by the prolific composer Jerry Goldsmith. Goldsmith used a number of innovative methods to tie the music to the film, such as having an echoplex loop recorded sounds of "call to war" triplets played on the trumpet to musically represent General Patton's belief in reincarnation. The main theme also consisted of a symphonic march accompanied by a pipe organ to represent the militaristic yet deeply religious nature of the protagonist. The music to "Patton" subsequently earned Goldsmith an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score and was one of the American Film Institute's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. The original soundtrack has been released three times on disc and once on LP: through Twentieth-Century Fox Records in 1970, Tsunami Records in 1992, Film Score Monthly in 1999, and a two-disc extended version through Intrada Records in 2010.


title: Patton (film)

text: The film had its premiere on Wednesday, February 4, 1970 at the Criterion Theatre in New York before its roadshow release starting the following day.


title: Patton (film)

text: "Patton" was first telecast by ABC as a three hours-plus color film special on Sunday, November 19, 1972, only two years after its theatrical release. That was highly unusual at the time, especially for a roadshow release which had played in theatres for many months. Most theatrical films at that time had to wait at least five years for their first telecast. Another unusual element of the telecast was that almost none of Patton's profanity-laced dialogue was cut (only two sentences, one of which contained no profanity, were cut from the famous opening speech in front of the giant US flag). The film was the fourth highest-rated film broadcast on television in the United States at the time, with a Nielsen rating of 38.5 and an audience share of 65%.


title: Patton (film)

text: In 1977, "Patton" was among the first 50 VHS and Betamax releases from Magnetic Video. The film would be released on Laserdisc in 1981, also by Magnetic Video. A widescreen version was released in 1989, which includes four newsreels about the real Patton. A THX-certified Laserdisc would be released on July 9, 1997, trading the newsreels for many new features. A THX-certified widescreen VHS was also released in 1998 by the same distributor, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.


title: Patton (film)

text: "Patton" was first released on DVD in 1999, featuring an audio commentary by Charles M. Province, the founder of The George S. Patton, Jr. Historical Society, and again in 2006, with a commentary by screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola and extra bonus features.


title: Patton (film)

text: The film made its Region A (locked) Blu-ray debut in 2008 to much criticism, for its excessive use of digital noise reduction on the picture quality. In 2012, a remaster was released with much improved picture quality. In June 2013, Fox UK released the film on Region B Blu-ray but reverted to the 2008 transfer.


title: Patton (film)

text: The film grossed an estimated $51,000 in its first week. According to Fox records the film required $22,525,000 in theatrical rentals to break even and by 11 December 1970 had made $27,650,000 so made a profit to the studio. Eventually, it returned worldwide rentals of $45 million, including $28.1 million from the United States and Canada from a gross of $61.8 million.


title: Patton (film)

text: Roger Ebert said of George C. Scott, "It is one of those sublime performances in which the personalities of the actor and the character are fulfilled in one another." Gene Siskel gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that George C. Scott "has created an acting tour de force," but found it "repetitive – the second half doesn't tell us anything more than the first." Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" wrote, "The most refreshing thing about 'Patton' is that here—I think for the first time—the subject matter and the style of the epic war movie are perfectly matched ... Although the cast is large, the only performance of note is that of Scott, who is continuously entertaining and, occasionally, very appealing." Charles Champlin of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote, "'Patton' has, like "Lawrence of Arabia", done the near-impossible by creating a finely detailed portrait despite all the tuggings toward simplification which are inevitable in the big budget, long, loud roadshow production desperate to attract mass audiences. As Patton, George Scott gives one of the great and unforgettable screen characterizations." Gary Arnold of "The Washington Post" wrote that the film "eventually shares the dramatic limitations, as well as the visual triumphs, of "Lawrence of Arabia": yet another fascinating but inconclusive portrait of a mercurial military leader. The camera focus is sharp, but the dramatic focus is blurred. We never quite understand Patton in historical context, in relation to the other generals of the period, and to the entire Allied war effort." Pauline Kael of "The New Yorker" wrote that "technically the movie is awesomely impressive," but went on to state that "I'm sure it will be said that the picture is 'true' to Patton and to history, but I think it strings us along and holds out on us. If we don't just want to have our prejudices greased, we'll find it confusing and unsatisfying, because we aren't given enough information to evaluate Patton's actions." John Gillett of "The Monthly Film Bulletin" wrote, "While communicating a relish for the man with all his warts, [Schaffner] also pinpoints the monstrous prejudices which lay beneath the surface. And, of course, he chose the right actor. Karl Malden's Bradley is neatly observed and the German players are good, but Scott's performance rightly dwarfs all the rest."


title: Patton (film)

text: Online film critic James Berardinelli has called "Patton" his favorite film of all time and "to this day one of Hollywood's most compelling biographical war pictures."


title: Patton (film)

text: According to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's book "The Final Days", it was also Richard Nixon's favorite film. Nixon first viewed "Patton" with his family at a private screening in the White House Family Theater on April 5, 1970. Nixon became obsessed with the film, repeatedly watching it with Henry Kissinger over the next month. He screened it several times at the White House and during a cruise on the presidential yacht USS "Sequoia" in the Potomac River. Kissinger sarcastically wrote of Nixon's insistence that he see the film on the cruise: "It was the second time he had so honored me. Inspiring as the film no doubt was, I managed to escape for an hour in the middle of it to prepare for the next day’s NSC meeting." Before the 1972 Nixon visit to China, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai watched this film in preparation for his meeting with Nixon.


title: Patton (film)

text: Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 90% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 52 reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10. Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the critical consensus as, "George C. Scott's sympathetic, unflinching portrayal of the titular general in this sprawling epic is as definitive as any performance in the history of American biopics."


title: Patton (film)

text: In 1971, the film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards at 1971 ceremony, winning seven awards (including Best Picture). George C. Scott also won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, but he famously refused to accept it, citing a dislike of the voting process and the concept of acting competitions. (The film's producer, Frank McCarthy, accepted the award on Scott's behalf.) He was the first actor to do so.


title: Patton (film)

text: The Best Picture statuette is on display at the George C. Marshall Museum at the Virginia Military Institute, courtesy of Frank McCarthy.


title: Patton (film)

text: In 2006, the Writers Guild of America selected Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North's adapted screenplay as the 94th best screenplay of all time.


title: Patton (film)

text: A made-for-television sequel, "The Last Days of Patton", was produced in 1986. Scott reprised his title role. The film was based on Patton's final weeks after being mortally injured in a car accident, with flashbacks of Patton's life.


title: Puscifer

text: Puscifer () is an American rock group formed in Los Angeles by Maynard James Keenan, known as the lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. As Keenan was the only permanent member, he considered the project to be his "creative subconscious". Later, frequent collaborators Mat Mitchell and Carina Round have become permanent members.


title: Puscifer

text: Puscifer's original name was Umlaut, "a premiere improvisational hardcore band". The name "Puscifer" was first publicized as a fictional band in the first episode of "Mr. Show", including Keenan and Adam Jones as members. Jones is not associated with Puscifer otherwise, although artwork by Jones has been featured on Puscifer apparel (the "Your Mom's a Bitch" shirt, specifically). Keenan describes Puscifer as "simply a playground for the various voices in my head, [...] a space with no clear or discernible goals, [...] where my Id, Ego, and Anima all come together to exchange cookie recipes." Keenan also worked on short films with Ford Englerth and Jeffrey Brooks from Red Rock Entertainment Development; these shorts were done in a similar manner to that of "Mr. Show" and Tom Waits' "Big Time".


title: Puscifer

text: Puscifer is "as much a clothing line as it is a band", with the clothing items produced in limited numbers. Keenan collaborated on a leather jacket with Paul Frank. On September 16, 2008, Keenan updated the puscifer.com blog, revealing that the first ever Puscifer store would be opening "hopefully" by October 1 in Jerome, Arizona. Occupying a small space above a tattoo parlor, the store opened on October 3, 2008. In addition to the merchandise available on the band's online store, Keenan has also made available locally roasted coffee, art, and an ever-changing list of limited edition collectibles.


title: Puscifer

text: On April 10, 2007, Keenan posted on the official website that a release would be aimed for mid-October. A newer post on June 25, 2007, stated that Joe Barresi mixed the first song, which had a music video made for it, as well as an alternate version of "Cuntry Boner", and that it would likely be released as a CD single with bonus tracks. Further mixing was done by Keenan and Alan Moulder by August.


title: Puscifer

text: Keenan announced at the end of July that the album was titled ""V" Is for Vagina" and, a few days later, he announced the first single, "Queen B.", with a video following in late September. On October 1, "Queen B." appeared on the podcast on puscifer.com. This was followed by the podcast release of "Trekka" on October 7. The album was released on October 30 and debuted at number 25 on the "Billboard" 200, as well as number 1 on the "Billboard" Independent Albums chart.


title: Puscifer

text: On October 17, 2008, an official music video for the song "Momma Sed" was released online via the official Puscifer YouTube channel. A dub remix album completely by Lustmord, entitled ""D" Is for Dubby – The Lustmord Dub Mixes", also appeared at the official website's store.


title: Puscifer

text: A remix album entitled ""V" Is for Viagra" was released on April 29, 2008. It contains ten remixes of tracks from ""V" Is for Vagina", as well as two remixes of the non-album single "Cuntry Boner". It features remixes by Dave "Rave" Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy, Lustmord, Renholder, Paul Barker from Ministry, Telefon Tel Aviv, among others.


title: Puscifer

text: Two of the tracks from the album, "Indigo Children" (JLE Dub Mix) and "Momma Sed" (Tandimonium Mix), appear on the official soundtrack for the video game "".


title: Puscifer

text: A second remix album was released in October 2009. Titled ""D" Is for Dubby", the album focuses on remixes of ""V" Is for Vagina" by artist Lustmord performed in a dub style.


title: Puscifer

text: ""C" Is for (Please Insert Sophomoric Genitalia Reference Here)" is an EP that was announced on the toolarmy.com and Puscifer websites on October 12, 2009. It was subsequently released on November 10, 2009. The EP contains six tracks; four previously unreleased songs, and two live recordings of tracks from ""V" Is for Vagina", which were recorded from the Club Nokia shows on Puscifer's 2009 tour.


title: Puscifer

text: "Man Overboard", the first single from the album, became available via iTunes and other digital service providers on July 19, 2011.


title: Puscifer

text: "Conditions of My Parole" was recorded at Jerome, Arizona, in spring 2011, with tracking done amidst the wine barrels from Keenan's Caduceus Cellars. The album was produced by Keenan, Mat Mitchell, and Josh Eustis. Contributing musicians for the album include the aforementioned Keenan, Mitchell, and Eustis as well as Carina Round, Juliette Commagere, Matt McJunkins, Jeff Friedl, Gil Sharone, and Rani Sharone, Jonny Polonsky, Tim Alexander, Devo Keenan, Alessandro Cortini, Sarah Jones, and Jon Theodore.


title: Puscifer

text: It debuted at number 27 on the "Billboard" 200 with 12,111 copies sold in its first week. With street date violations added in, it sold 12,337 copies according to SoundScan.


title: Puscifer

text: "Donkey Punch the Night" was announced November 19, 2012 and released on February 19, 2013. The EP was released in digital and CD formats, with a vinyl release following on March 12, 2013. A cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is included on the EP, as well as a cover of Accept's "Balls to the Wall".


title: Puscifer

text: "Money Shot" was announced July 29, 2015 via the release of first single "Grand Canyon". The album was released on October 30, 2015. A remix album titled "Money Shot Your Re-Load" was released on November 25, 2016.


title: Puscifer

text: On May 8, 2020, the lead single and video "Apocalyptical" were released along with an announcement of an album to be released in the fall of 2020. The fourth studio album "Existential Reckoning" was announced on September 17, 2020.


title: Puscifer

text: The release date for the album was later set to October 30, 2020, via Alchemy Recordings/Puscifer Entertainment/BMG.


title: Puscifer

text: The album was produced by Mat Mitchell and Puscifer, and recorded and mixed by Mat Mitchell at Puscifer Studios in North Hollywood. Keenan appears on the album as "Dick Merkin". This is the first album for which Mat Mitchell (guitar, bass, keyboards, programming) and Carina Round (vocals, keyboards) are credited as permanent members. Greg Edwards (bass, guitar, keyboards), Gunnar Olsen (drums), Sarah Jones (drums) and Esmé Bianco (vocals) also contributed to the album.


title: Puscifer

text: In February 2009, Keenan debuted Puscifer with shows in Las Vegas. Throughout the year, he continued to perform with a revolving lineup, but limited concerts to the Southwest. However, in a November 2009 interview, Keenan stated: "Efforts to confine our beloved enigma to the Southwestern United States have been thwarted. We are compelled beyond all reason to bring the noise Eastward and share our special sauce. Although authorities suggest you be prepared for any and all possibilities, we simply suggest you arrive happy and hungry."


title: Puscifer

text: Keenan took Puscifer on tour again in the fall and winter of 2011 in support of "Conditions of My Parole". This tour covered a larger swath of the United States than previous West Coast-only tours.


title: Puscifer

text: In 2013, Puscifer played their first dates outside of North America, with the band performing three shows in Australia, and performances at Lollapalooza Brazil and Lollapalooza Chile.


title: Puscifer

text: On February 16, 2016, Puscifer announced UK and European dates under the "Money Shot Heard Around The World" tour. The band played Manchester and London in the UK, then France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway before ending the tour in Sweden at the Cirkus.


title: Puscifer

text: In late January 2017 Puscifer and guest act Luchafer toured Australia and New Zealand as part of the Money Shot: Round Under Tour.


title: Puscifer

text: On October 30, 2020, Puscifer held a limited streaming event of a pre-recorded, pre-edited concert film featuring the band performing their newest album "Existential Reckoning" in its entirety at Arcosanti, Arizona. The film was an audio-visual adventure performed with creative light and camera effects, with songs performed in various sets in and around Arcosanti itself. The lineup for the show featured: Maynard James Keenan (vocals), Mat Mitchell (guitar), Carina Round (vocals), Greg Edwards (bass), and Gunnar Olsen (drums). It was produced by Dino Paredes and Danny Wimmer, and directed by Adam Rothlein and Dino Paredes.


title: Puscifer

text: Guest musicians include Renholdër (Danny Lohner), Milla Jovovich, Lisa Germano, Satan's Muse, Lustmord, Jonny Polonsky, Tim Alexander, Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk, Joey Jordison, Ainjel Emme, Josh Eustis, John Oliver, Omniflux, Paul Barker, Matt McJunkins, Jeff Friedl, Gil and Rani Sharone, Malhar Naik, Devo Keenan (Maynard James Keenan's son), Alessandro Cortini, Sarah Jones, Jon Theodore, Juliette Commagere, Greg Edwards as well as many other musicians.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Fraggle Rock (also known as Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock or Fraggle Rock with Jim Henson's Muppets) is a children's musical fantasy comedy puppet television series about interconnected societies of Muppet creatures, created by Jim Henson.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: An international co-production of Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, "Fraggle Rock" was co-produced by British television company Television South (TVS), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), U.S. pay television service Home Box Office (HBO), and Henson Associates. Unlike "Sesame Street", which had been created for a single market and only later adapted for international markets, "Fraggle Rock" was intended from the start to be an international production, and the entire show was constructed with this in mind. At least four different versions of the human "wraparound" segments were produced separately to air in different countries.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Following the success of the "Fraggle Rock: Rock On!" shorts which aired on Apple TV+ in April 2020, a reboot of "Fraggle Rock" was ordered by the streaming service. Known as "", it premiered on January 21, 2022.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: "Fraggle Rock" debuted in 1983 as one of the first shows involving the collaboration of Henson International Television (HiT Entertainment from 1989), the international arm of Jim Henson Productions. The co-production brought together British regional ITV franchise-holder Television South (TVS), CBC Television (Canada), and U.S. pay-TV service Home Box Office and the Jim Henson Company (then known as Henson Associates). Filming took place on a Toronto soundstage (and later at Elstree Studios, near London). The avant-garde poet bpNichol worked as one of the show's writers. In the early days of development, the script called the Fraggles "Woozles" pending the devising of a more suitable name.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Henson described the "Fraggle Rock" series as "a high-energy, raucous musical romp. It's a lot of silliness. It's wonderful." The program proved accessible to audiences of all ages, and used the fantasy creatures as an allegory to deal with serious issues such as prejudice, spirituality, personal identity, the environment, and social conflict.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In 2009, as part of the Jim Henson Foundation's donation of puppets to the Center for Puppetry Arts, the Atlanta museum displayed many of the original puppet characters from "Fraggle Rock" in their exhibition "Jim Henson: Wonders from his Workshop".


title: Fraggle Rock

text: The producers made the series with the intention of it airing in various forms internationally. That concept grew out of Jim Henson's experience adapting "Sesame Street" to the requirements of foreign markets. The human "wraparound" segments were produced separately in several countries, so the viewer could always relate to the world of the program. The series has appeared now in over 10 countries and languages. The head producer was Wesley James Tomlinson.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: There are four main intelligent anthropomorphic species in the Fraggle Rock environment: Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, and Silly Creatures. The Fraggles and Doozers live in a system of natural caves called Fraggle Rock that are filled with all manner of creatures and features and which connect to at least two different areas:


title: Fraggle Rock

text: One of the main themes of the series is that, although the three species depend on the other for their survival, they usually fail to communicate due to vast differences in their biology and culture. The series mainly follows the adventures of five Fraggles, each with their own personality: pragmatic Gobo, artistic Mokey, indecisive Wembley, superstitious Boober, and adventurous Red. Some of the characters' names are film industry in-jokes. For example, Uncle Traveling Matt is a reference to the traveling matte technique used with blue screen to give the impression a character is somewhere they are not; Gobo is named after a shaped metal grill placed over a theater light to produce interesting shadows (window shapes, leaves, etc.) and Red is a reference to a "redhead", another name for an 800w film light.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Fraggles are small anthropomorphic creatures, typically tall, that come in a variety of colors and have fur tuft tipped tails. Fraggles live a generally carefree life, spending most of their time (they have a thirty-minute work week) playing, exploring, and generally enjoying themselves. They live on mainly radishes and Doozer sticks, made of ground-up radishes and the material with which the Doozers build their constructions. The Fraggles seek wisdom from Marjory the Trash Heap, who is located in a corner of the Gorgs' garden. Marjory the Trash Heap is a large, matronly, sentient compost heap. According to her rat-like companions Philo and Gunge, the Trash Heap "knows all and sees all." By her own admission, she has "everything".


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Within Fraggle Rock lives a second species of small humanoid creatures, the pudgy, green, and industrious Doozers. Standing about tall ("knee-high to a Fraggle"). Doozers are in a sense the opposite of Fraggles; their lives are dedicated to working and industry. Doozers spend much of their time busily constructing all manner of scaffolding throughout Fraggle Rock, using miniature construction equipment and wearing hardhats and work boots. Doozers build their constructions out of an edible candy-like substance (manufactured from radishes) which is greatly enjoyed by Fraggles. This is essentially the only interaction between Doozers and Fraggles; Doozers spend most of their time building just for the sake of it, and Fraggles spend much of their time eating Doozer buildings which they consider delicious. The Doozers say in an early episode that "architecture is meant to be enjoyed", and in "The Preachification of Convincing John" Mokey prevents the other Fraggles from eating the building work, believing it to be insensitive to the Doozers. As a result, the Doozer building eventually takes over Fraggle Rock, and once full the Doozers plan on moving out as they have nowhere left to build. They explain that they want the Fraggles to eat their work to create space for more building work to go up again. Despite this co-dependence, the Doozers generally maintain a low opinion of Fraggles, considering them frivolous. The Doozers also seem to have little knowledge of the universe outside Fraggle Rock; early in the series, they are unaware of the existence of the Gorgs or their garden. However, there was also one time when Doc found, in his workshop an ancient-looking Doozer helmet, indicating that the Doozers may have explored outside Fraggle Rock into "Outer Space" at some time in their forgotten past.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Adolescent Doozers come of age with a "taking the helmet" ceremony, in which they proudly accept their Doozer helmet from the Doozer Architect, after swearing to live a life of hard work. Rarely, a Doozer will refuse to "take the helmet"; a once in a generation occurrence that is generally met with shock and disbelief in the Doozer community. Such non-conformist Doozers can, however, find places of high regard in Doozer society, due to the advantages of their more creative way of thinking.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Outside another exit from Fraggle Rock live a small family of Gorgs, fat furry humanoids standing about . The husband and wife of the family, Pa, and Ma, consider themselves the King and Queen of the Universe, with their son Junior Gorg as its prince and heir-apparent, but to all appearances, they are simple farmers with a rustic house and garden patch. In "The Gorg Who Would Be King", Pa says he has ruled for 742 years.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Fraggles are considered pests by the Gorgs, as they often steal radishes from the garden. The Fraggles do not consider it stealing. The Gorgs use the radishes to make anti-vanishing cream, without which they disappear headfirst.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In the North American, French, and German versions of Fraggle Rock (along with most other foreign dubs), the connection between Fraggle Rock and Outer Space is a small hole in the wall of the workshop of an eccentric inventor named Doc and his (Muppet) dog Sprocket. In the British version, the situation is much the same, except that the hole leads into the living quarters of a lighthouse where the keeper lives with his dog, Sprocket.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Gobo must go out into Doc's workshop to retrieve the postcards from his uncle Matt from the wastebasket where Doc throws them, assuming they are misdelivered. Traveling Matt (a pun on traveling matte, the film compositing technique used in his segments) is exploring the wider world, observing humans, and reporting humorously false conclusions about their everyday behavior.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Sprocket often sees and chases Gobo, but can't convince Doc anything lives beyond the wall. Sprocket and Doc have many similar miscommunications throughout the series, given the language barrier, but overall, they understand each other quite well.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In the final episode arc of the original North American version of the show, Doc himself finally meets Gobo and befriends him. Gobo tells Doc that Fraggles refer to humans as "silly creatures", and apologizes. Doc tells him that he thinks that it is a very good name for humans. Unfortunately in the final episode, Doc and Sprocket have to move to another state, but the Fraggles discover a magic tunnel that allows them to visit Doc and Sprocket's new home easily at any time.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: The CBC/HBO version of the series has been broadcast and dubbed in 95 countries. The series airs on Channel 7, TV One, Doordarshan, and Workpoint TV. Others were broadcast on Coub as an uploaded video, and others broadcast on TVtropolis (Canada), Bolivision (Bolivia), and CNC3 (Trinidad and Tobago).


title: Fraggle Rock

text: After the show ended on HBO in 1987, the channel started to rerun the series. In 1988, it ran on TNT. The show aired on Disney Channel from October 1, 1992 to September 30, 1996. From 1999 to 2001, the show moved to Odyssey Network, which had recently been purchased by Henson and Hallmark. After Hallmark took full control, it discontinued the reruns. From October 10, 2010 to October 4, 2014, reruns aired on The Hub as part of the channel's launch.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In 2007, "Fraggle Rock" reruns aired on television internationally. On July 23, 2007, Boomerang and Cartoonito started repeating episodes of the original North American production of "Fraggle Rock" in the UK, as they were unable to use the UK edits. In January 2013, ITV broadcast two episodes of this version as part of its Old Skool Weekend feature on the CITV channel.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: On December 12, 2015, the remastered "The Bells of Fraggle Rock" episode debuted alongside Henson's remastered "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" on ABC Family in its "25 Days of Christmas" programming block. "Fraggle Rock" was available on HBO Now in HD and in 2016 the series began to air reruns on HBO Family.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In 2019, "Fraggle Rock" debuts along with the Henson classic content on Amazon Prime Video in North America, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Finland, and Iceland.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: On May 26, 2020, Apple TV+ announced that, alongside a series order for a reboot, they had acquired the exclusive streaming rights to the previous seasons of "Fraggle Rock" in the 100 countries the service is available in, making the series the first piece of non-original content available on the service.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Magna Pacific published the American version of "Fraggle Rock" on Region 4 DVD in 2007. The DVD set "Fraggle Rock: The Complete Fourth Season" actually includes seasons four and five. The DVDs have no special features.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: A set of plush dolls of Gobo, Wembley, Boober, and Red were released by Sababa Toys, each accompanied by a DVD featuring two episodes of the show, and one episode of the animated series.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Twelve UK episodes were released on VHS and DVD by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment in April 2004. TVS, the original ITV broadcaster, has passed through several owners since dropping out of the ITV network in 1992 and it was believed only these 12 episodes had survived. The research found more episodes, but many of the original 95 remained lost. HiT Entertainment has tried unsuccessfully to locate the missing episodes, including extensive inquiries with The Jim Henson Company both in the UK and the US. When UK television channels wish to broadcast the show, they used the US versions; such was the case with Boomerang and Cartoonito in 2007. In addition to the unknown fate of the physical master material, much of the original TVS production paperwork and sales documentation has been lost during the intervening years. This problem affects the majority of the TV program archive, preventing any commercial exploitation. As of December 2017, search efforts and returned episodes from private collectors - mostly home recordings on VHS - have raised the number of episodes to 95, with only one episode - "Gobo’s School For Explorers", missing.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In December 2020 TV preservation company Kaleidoscope announced via their Facebook page that VHS copies of all episodes had been located and transferred from the collection of producer Victor Pemberton. In 2010, Lionsgate Home Entertainment the UK began releasing complete season box sets. These releases are the same as the American box sets, except without bonus features.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: HBO Video, previously known as HBO/Cannon Video and Thorn EMI/HBO Video, released a collection of single-episode VHS tapes during the 1980s through Jim Henson Video.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In 1993, Buena Vista Home Video, under their "Jim Henson Video" label released five "Fraggle Rock" VHS tapes with two episodes each.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: HIT Entertainment released several single-disc DVDs with three episodes each (two in the VHS counterparts) plus bonus episodes which could be unlocked by completing a trivia game before releasing the first three seasons of "Fraggle Rock" on DVD in Region 1 between September 2005 and September 2007. It released a complete series box set on November 4, 2008, but did not release the final season in a separate release. Season 4 had originally been scheduled to be released on the same day as the complete series set but at the last minute, it was scrapped and was never released.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In 2009, Lionsgate Home Entertainment reached a deal with The Jim Henson Company to release "Fraggle Rock" on DVD. It subsequently released the final season on DVD for the first time on November 3, 2009. On the same day, the "Complete Series" collection was re-released with new packaging (due to numerous complaints about the previous release).


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In 2013, Vivendi Visual Entertainment acquired the license to release Jim Henson Company DVDs, including Fraggle Rock. Season 1 was re-released on March 12, 2013, followed by Season 2 on April 16, Season 3 on May 14, and Season 4 on June 18. A complete series set was also released on May 14 as "Fraggle RockThe 30th Anniversary Collection". This 22-disc set features all 96 episodes of the series as well as bonus features. A six-episode DVD was released with the title "Meet the Fraggles".


title: Fraggle Rock

text: On July 11, 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they would be releasing a complete series set of "Fraggle Rock" on Blu-ray in honor of the show's 35th anniversary. The 12-disc set includes remastered versions of all 96 episodes of the series in high-definition, and includes all features from the previous DVD season releases as well as adding new material such as a 1993 "Today Show" segment featuring Uncle Traveling Matt, a series of on-set videos with creator Jim Henson, and all 13 episodes of "". It was released on September 25, 2018.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: An animated "Fraggle Rock" series aired for one season on NBC's Saturday morning lineup in 1987. The cartoon series introduced some Fraggles, Doozers, and other cave creatures exclusive to the series.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Doc, Sprocket the Dog, Gobo Fraggle, Wembley Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, Mokey Fraggle, Red Fraggle, and Uncle Traveling Matt appear in "A Muppet Family Christmas". Doc and Sprocket rent the farmhouse of Fozzie Bear's mother while she plans to go to Malibu until Fozzie shows up with his friends. Doc and Sprocket end up adjusting to the Muppets and the characters from "Sesame Street". Kermit the Frog and his nephew Robin find a Fraggle hole in the basement and enter Fraggle Rock where they encounter the five main Fraggles. Large Marvin Fraggle and other background Fraggles make appearances as well. During the finale, the five Fraggles come up where Uncle Traveling Matt is seen sitting near Doc and Sprocket. In the final scenes, Jim Henson washes the dishes while Sprocket dries them.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In 2012, The Jim Henson Company and DHX Media announced a computer animated spin-off to Fraggle Rock, titled "The Doozers", targeted at children between ages 4 and 7. It focuses on four young Doozers named Spike, Mollybolt, Flex and Daisy Wheel, who live at Doozer Creek.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In September 2005, The Jim Henson Company announced it was working on a film adaptation of "Fraggle Rock", known as "Fraggle Rock: The Movie", with the aim of a release in 2009. The story allegedly involves the original Fraggle characters.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In October 2006, Darkhorizons.com reported "Henson's company has hired executive producer Ahmet Zappa ("The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless") to write a treatment for the film which will be a full-length live-action musical fantasy starring the underground dwellers who venture out into the human world. Henson Co. co-topper Lisa Henson is producing, whilst Brian Henson will exec produce."


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In May 2008, The Weinstein Company announced it would distribute the "Fraggle Rock" movie. The film was written as a live-action musical by Cory Edwards, who would also direct. The film was to be produced by The Jim Henson Company; Ahmet Zappa was executive producing along with Brian Inerfeld. The film would involve all of the core characters from the series. The story would take the characters "outside of their home in Fraggle Rock, where they interact with humans, which they think are aliens." Karen Prell and Dave Goelz were slated to return for the film as Red Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, and Uncle Traveling Matt, respectively.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In 2011, Weinstein's deal with Henson expired, leaving the production of the film in doubt. The Scissor Sisters were announced to write music for the film. In October 2011, New Regency acquired the rights to the movie to be produced by The Jim Henson Company and The Montecito Picture Company, with 20th Century Fox distributing. New Regency and the producers were in discussion of whether to use puppets or CGI as well as a mix of live-action. Once this has been decided, it will look to a writer for the movie.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In March 2015, "Variety" said Joseph Gordon-Levitt would star in and produce the film. On July 28, 2018, Gordon-Levitt revealed that the film is still in early stages of development.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In December 2017, The Walt Disney Company (the current owners of The Muppets) announced that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including 20th Century Fox. The acquisition was completed in March 2019, thus granting Disney the distribution rights to the film.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: "Fraggle Rock: Rock On!" is a series of weekly live-action shorts, first broadcast on the Apple TV+ streaming service starting on April 21, 2020. Episodes follow the Fraggles living in separate caves during a period of social distancing, and interacting with each other using a video chat system that was installed by the Doozers. Footage for the series is shot using smartphones in the production teams' and artists' own homes. A total of six episodes have aired. Original cast members Karen Prell and Dave Goelz reprise their roles as Red Fraggle, and the voices of Boober Fraggle and Uncle Traveling Matt (they were puppeteered by John Tartaglia, who also performs Gobo Fraggle and puppeteers Wembley Fraggle). Other cast members include Donna Kimball as Mokey Fraggle and Frankie Cordero as the voice of Wembley.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In January 2021, The Jim Henson Company announced that production officially started on a reboot of the show, titled "". This new show is distinct from the "Fraggle Rock: Rock On!" shorts that were released in April 2020, and consists of full-length episodes. The show would be produced at the Calgary Film Centre. The series was released on January 21, 2022. Most of the cast from "Fraggle Rock: Rock On" returns for the series, with the exceptions of Wembley Fraggle, now performed by Jordan Lockhart, and Boober Fraggle and Traveling Matt, puppeteered by Frank Meschkuleit and Kevin Clash, respectively (Dave Goelz still provides their voices).


title: Fraggle Rock

text: Music played a central part in "Fraggle Rock". Every episode featured two or three original songs co-written by Canadian poet Dennis Lee and Philip Balsam, as well as incidental music. Several episodes (usually involving Cantus and the Minstrels) focused primarily on music—such as Red Fraggle's attempt to find "her song" for the Fraggle Medley, or the effect of music on the breaking of winter or the presence of light in Fraggle Rock.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: During the show's original run, a re-recorded, extended version of its opening theme was released as a single that reached number 33 on the British chart in March 1984. Writers included Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, and Jocelyn Stevenson, with songs by Philip Balsam and Dennis Lee.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: KOCH Records released "", a three-disc box set of "Fraggle Rock" music, on October 30, 2007. The collection featured "restored and remastered" versions of three original "Fraggle Rock" LPs. The collection also included "special liner notes featuring rarely seen photos, contributions from the original composers and even sheet music for select songs". The main portion of these liner notes, called "Getting Down at Fraggle Rock", features an interview with Philip Balsam and Lawrence S. Mirkin and is written by Mike Petersen and Saul Pincus.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: The Star Comics imprint of Marvel Comics published two separate "Fraggle Rock" comic-book series in 1985 and 1988 respectively. Originally, the first series was to be drawn by Marty Taras, the creator of Baby Huey, and the cover of the first published issue of the "Fraggle Rock" comic is done by him. Also, at least one penciled page of his Fraggle work for that first issue has been preserved in print. However the art assignment for the series finally went to Marie Severin, who illustrated all eight-issue interiors and the other seven covers. The second series lasted six issues.


title: Fraggle Rock

text: In early 2010, Archaia Studios Press published its first three-issue series of "Fraggle Rock." A second three-issue series was followed in January 2011. Both series were collected into hardcover editions shortly after their respective publications. A four-issue miniseries "Fraggle Rock: Journey to the Everspring" was published in 2014. A third three-issue miniseries was published in 2018.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Polylactic acid, also known as poly(lactic acid) or polylactide (PLA), is a thermoplastic polyester with backbone formula or , formally obtained by condensation of lactic acid with loss of water (hence its name). It can also be prepared by ring-opening polymerization of lactide , the cyclic dimer of the basic repeating unit.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA has become a popular material due to it being economically produced from renewable resources. In 2021, PLA had the highest consumption volume of any bioplastic of the world, although it is still not a commodity polymer. Its widespread application has been hindered by numerous physical and processing shortcomings. PLA is the most widely used plastic filament material in 3D printing. Its low melting point, high strength, low thermal expansion, good layer adhesion, and high heat resistance when annealed make it an ideal material for this purpose. Without annealing, however, PLA has the lowest heat resistance of the common 3D printing plastics.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Although the name "polylactic acid" is widely used, it does not comply with IUPAC standard nomenclature, which is "poly(lactic acid)". The name "polylactic acid" is potentially ambiguous or confusing, because PLA is not a polyacid (polyelectrolyte), but rather a polyester.


title: Polylactic acid

text: The monomer is typically made from fermented plant starch such as from corn, cassava, sugarcane or sugar beet pulp.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Several industrial routes afford usable (i.e. high molecular weight) PLA. Two main monomers are used: lactic acid, and the cyclic di-ester, lactide. The most common route to PLA is the ring-opening polymerization of lactide with various metal catalysts (typically tin octoate) in solution or as a suspension. The metal-catalyzed reaction tends to cause racemization of the PLA, reducing its stereoregularity compared to the starting material (usually corn starch).


title: Polylactic acid

text: The direct condensation of lactic acid monomers can also be used to produce PLA. This process needs to be carried out at less than 200 °C; above that temperature, the entropically favored lactide monomer is generated. This reaction generates one equivalent of water for every condensation (esterification) step. The condensation reaction is reversible and subject to equilibrium, so removal of water is required to generate high molecular weight species. Water removal by application of a vacuum or by azeotropic distillation is required to drive the reaction toward polycondensation. Molecular weights of 130 kDa can be obtained this way. Even higher molecular weights can be attained by carefully crystallizing the crude polymer from the melt. Carboxylic acid and alcohol end groups are thus concentrated in the amorphous region of the solid polymer, and so they can react. Molecular weights of 128–152 kDa are obtainable thus.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Another method devised is by contacting lactic acid with a zeolite. This condensation reaction is a one-step process, and runs about 100 °C lower in temperature.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Due to the chiral nature of lactic acid, several distinct forms of polylactide exist: poly--lactide (PLLA) is the product resulting from polymerization of ,-lactide (also known as -lactide).


title: Polylactic acid

text: Progress in biotechnology has resulted in the development of commercial production of the enantiomer form.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Polymerization of a racemic mixture of - and -lactides usually leads to the synthesis of poly--lactide (PDLLA), which is amorphous. Use of stereospecific catalysts can lead to heterotactic PLA which has been found to show crystallinity. The degree of crystallinity, and hence many important properties, is largely controlled by the ratio of to enantiomers used, and to a lesser extent on the type of catalyst used. Apart from lactic acid and lactide, lactic acid "O"-carboxyanhydride ("lac-OCA"), a five-membered cyclic compound has been used academically as well. This compound is more reactive than lactide, because its polymerization is driven by the loss of one equivalent of carbon dioxide per equivalent of lactic acid. Water is not a co-product.


title: Polylactic acid

text: The direct biosynthesis of PLA, in a manner similar to production of poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s, has been reported.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA polymers range from amorphous glassy polymer to semi-crystalline and highly crystalline polymer with a glass transition 60–65 °C, a melting temperature 130-180 °C, and a Young's modulus 2.7–16 GPa. Heat-resistant PLA can withstand temperatures of 110 °C. The basic mechanical properties of PLA are between those of polystyrene and PET. The melting temperature of PLLA can be increased by 40–50 °C and its heat deflection temperature can be increased from approximately 60 °C to up to 190 °C by physically blending the polymer with PDLA (poly--lactide). PDLA and PLLA form a highly regular stereocomplex with increased crystallinity. The temperature stability is maximised when a 1:1 blend is used, but even at lower concentrations of 3–10% of PDLA, there is still a substantial improvement. In the latter case, PDLA acts as a nucleating agent, thereby increasing the crystallization rate. Biodegradation of PDLA is slower than for PLA due to the higher crystallinity of PDLA. The flexural modulus of PLA is higher than polystyrene and PLA has good heat sealability.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Several technologies such as annealing, adding nucleating agents, forming composites with fibers or nano-particles, chain extending and introducing crosslink structures have been used to enhance the mechanical properties of PLA polymers. Polylactic acid can be processed like most thermoplastics into fiber (for example, using conventional melt spinning processes) and film. PLA has similar mechanical properties to PETE polymer, but has a significantly lower maximum continuous use temperature.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Racemic PLA and pure PLLA have low glass transition temperatures, making them undesirable because of low strength and melting point. A stereocomplex of PDLA and PLLA has a higher glass transition temperature, lending it more mechanical strength.


title: Polylactic acid

text: The high surface energy of PLA results in good printability, making it widely used in 3D printing. The tensile strength for 3D printed PLA was previously determined.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA is soluble in a range of organic solvents. Ethyl acetate is widely used because of its ease of access and low risk. It is useful in 3D printers for cleaning the extruder heads and for removing PLA supports.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Other safe solvents include propylene carbonate, which is safer than ethyl acetate but is difficult to purchase commercially. Pyridine can be used, but it has a distinct fish odor and is less safe than ethyl acetate. PLA is also soluble in hot benzene, tetrahydrofuran, and dioxane.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA objects can be fabricated by 3D printing, casting, injection moulding, extrusion, machining, and solvent welding.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA is used as a feedstock material in desktop fused filament fabrication by 3D printers, such as RepRap printers.


title: Polylactic acid

text: The boiling point of ethyl acetate is low enough to smooth PLA surfaces in a vapor chamber, similar to using acetone vapor to smooth ABS.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA can be solvent welded using dichloromethane. Acetone also softens the surface of PLA, making it sticky without dissolving it, for welding to another PLA surface.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA-printed solids can be encased in plaster-like moulding materials, then burned out in a furnace, so that the resulting void can be filled with molten metal. This is known as "lost PLA casting", a type of investment casting.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA is used in a large variety of consumer products such as disposable tableware, cutlery, housings for kitchen appliances and electronics such as laptops and handheld devices, and microwavable trays. (However, PLA is not suitable for microwavable containers because of its low glass transition temperature.) It is used for compost bags, food packaging and loose-fill packaging material that is cast, injection molded, or spun. In the form of a film, it shrinks upon heating, allowing it to be used in shrink tunnels. In the form of fibers, it is used for monofilament fishing line and netting. In the form of nonwoven fabrics, it is used for upholstery, disposable garments, awnings, feminine hygiene products, and diapers.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA has applications in engineering plastics, where the stereocomplex is blended with a rubber-like polymer such as ABS. Such blends have good form stability and visual transparency, making them useful in low-end packaging applications.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA is used for automotive parts such as floor mats, panels, and covers. Its heat resistance and durability are inferior to the widely used polypropylene (PP), but its properties are improved by means such as capping of the end groups to reduce hydrolysis.


title: Polylactic acid

text: In the form of fibers, PLA is used for monofilament fishing line and netting for vegetation and weed prevention. It is used for sandbags, planting pots, binding tape and ropes .


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA can degrade into innocuous lactic acid, making it suitable for use as medical implants in the form of anchors, screws, plates, pins, rods, and mesh. Depending on the type used, it breaks down inside the body within 6 months to 2 years. This gradual degradation is desirable for a support structure, because it gradually transfers the load to the body (e.g., to the bone) as that area heals. The strength characteristics of PLA and PLLA implants are well documented.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Thanks to its bio-compatibility and biodegradability, PLA found interest as a polymeric scaffold for drug delivery purposes.


title: Polylactic acid

text: The composite blend of poly(-lactide-"co"-,-lactide) (PLDLLA) with tricalcium phosphate (TCP) is used as PLDLLA/TCP scaffolds for bone engineering.


title: Polylactic acid

text: Poly--lactic acid (PLLA) is the main ingredient in Sculptra, a facial volume enhancer used for treating lipoatrophy of the cheeks.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLLA is used to stimulate collagen synthesis in fibroblasts via foreign body reaction in the presence of macrophages. Macrophages act as a stimulant in secretion of cytokines and mediators such as TGF-β, which stimulate the fibroblast to secrete collagen into the surrounding tissue. Therefore, PLLA has potential applications in the dermatological studies.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLLA is under investigation as a scaffold that can generate a small amount of electric current via the piezoelectric effect that stimulates the growth of mechanically robust cartilage in multiple animal models.


title: Polylactic acid

text: The degradation rate is very slow in ambient temperatures. A 2017 study found that at 25 °C in seawater, PLA showed no loss of mass over a year, but the study did not measure breakdown of the polymer chains or water absorption. As a result, it degrades poorly in landfills and household composts, but is effectively digested in hotter industrial composts, usually degrading best at temperatures of over .


title: Polylactic acid

text: Pure PLA foams are selectively hydrolysed in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS) (a solution mimicking body fluid). After 30 days of submersion in DMEM+FBS, a PLLA scaffold lost about 20% of its weight.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA samples of various molecular weights were degraded into methyl lactate (a green solvent) by using a metal complex catalyst.


title: Polylactic acid

text: PLA can also be degraded by some bacteria, such as "Amycolatopsis" and "Saccharothrix". A purified protease from "Amycolatopsis" sp., PLA depolymerase, can also degrade PLA. Enzymes such as pronase and most effectively proteinase K from "Tritirachium album" degrade PLA.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: The Lockheed Martin X-35 is a concept demonstrator aircraft (CDA) developed by Lockheed Martin for the Joint Strike Fighter program. The X-35 was declared the winner over the competing Boeing X-32 and a developed, armed version went on to enter production in the early 21st century as the F-35 Lightning II.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: The Joint Strike Fighter evolved out of several requirements for a common fighter to replace existing types. The actual JSF development contract was signed on 16 November 1996. The JSF program was created to replace various aircraft while keeping development, production, and operating costs down. This was pursued by building three variants of one aircraft, with the initial goal of the variants sharing over 70% of their parts.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: The first is the F-35A, a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant. It is the smallest and lightest version, and is intended primarily to replace the U.S. Air Force's aging F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs. This is the only version with an internal gun, the GAU-22. The F-35B is the short-takeoff and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant due to replace the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8 Harrier IIs and F/A-18 Hornets, and Royal Air Force/Royal Navy Harrier GR7/GR9s beginning in 2015.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: The Royal Navy will use this to replace its Harrier GR7s and the RAF replace its Harrier GR9s. The U.S. Marine Corps will use the F-35B to replace both its AV-8B Harrier IIs and F/A-18 Hornets with a design similar in size to the Air Force F-35A, trading fuel volume for vertical flight systems. Like the Harrier, guns will be carried in a pod. Vertical flight is by far the riskiest, and in the end, a decisive factor in design. Lastly, the F-35C, a carrier-based (CV) variant, will replace the "legacy" F/A-18 Hornets and serve as a stealthy complement to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: It will have a larger, folding wing and larger control surfaces for improved low-speed control, and stronger landing gear for the stresses of carrier landings. The larger wing area provides increased range and payload, achieving much the same goal as the much heavier Super Hornet. The U.S. Navy initially planned to purchase 480 JSF; this number was eventually revised to 260 aircraft, with an additional 80 for the U.S. Marine Corps.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: The primary customers and financial backers are the United States and the United Kingdom. Eight other nations are also funding the aircraft's development. Total program development costs, less procurement, are estimated at over US$40 billion, of which the bulk has been underwritten by the United States. Production costs are estimated at US$102 million per unit for 2,400 units.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: There are three levels of international participation. The United Kingdom is the sole 'Level 1' partner, contributing slightly over US$2 billion, about 10% of the development costs. Level 2 partners are Italy, which is contributing US$1 billion, and the Netherlands, US$800 million. At Level 3 are Canada, US$440 million; Turkey, US$175 million; Australia, US$144 million; Norway, US$122 million; and Denmark, US$110 million. The levels generally reflect the financial stake in the program, the amount of technology transfer and subcontracts open for bid by national companies, and the priority order in which countries can obtain production aircraft. Israel and Singapore have also joined as Security Cooperative Participants. Due to delays in development and testing, the introduction date of the F-35 was gradually pushed from 2010 to 2015.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: Elements of the X-35 design were pioneered by the F-22 Raptor, and portions of the VTOL exhaust duct design were previously used by the Convair Model 200, a 1972 supersonic VTOL fighter requirement for the Sea Control Ship; in particular, the three-bearing swivel nozzle used in the X-35B was pioneered by the Convair design.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: Additionally, Lockheed purchased technical data from the canceled Yakovlev Yak-141 in 1991 for examination and analysis of its swivel nozzle. Although helmet-mounted display systems have already been integrated into some fourth-generation fighters such as the JAS 39 Gripen, the F-35 will be the first modern combat aircraft in which helmet-mounted displays will replace a head-up display altogether.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: During concept definition, two demonstrator airframes for each contractor team would be flight-tested. Lockheed Martin's demonstrator aircraft consisted of the X-35A (which was later converted into the X-35B), and the larger-winged X-35C. Both the X-32 and X-35 power plants were derived from Pratt & Whitney's F119, with the STOVL variant of the latter incorporating a Rolls-Royce Lift Fan module. Because these were proof of concept demonstrators for STOVL risk reduction, the demonstrator aircraft did not need to have the internal structure or most subsystems of the final aircraft as a weapon system.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: Instead of lift engines or using a direct lift engine like the Rolls-Royce Pegasus in the Harrier jump jet, the X-35B was powered by the F119-PW-611 which used the new shaft-driven lift fan system, patented by Lockheed Martin engineer Paul Bevilaqua, and developed by Rolls-Royce. In normal wing-borne flight, the F119-PW-611 was configured as a normal medium-bypass reheated turbofan. The turbofan acted somewhat like a turboshaft engine embedded into the fuselage (but with a much smaller percentage of total heat energy being extracted by the turbine stage).


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: A portion of engine power was extracted via a turbine, and used to drive a shaft running forward via a clutch-and-bevel gearbox to a vertically mounted, contra-rotating lift fan. This was located forward of the main engine in the center of the aircraft (this can also be viewed the same as a high-bypass turbofan but with the low-pressure fan stages mounted remotely from the engine core on an extended, clutched shaft, and creating thrust downwards rather than back around the engine core as in a conventional turbofan).


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: Bypass air from the cruise engine medium-bypass turbofan compressor stages exhausted through a pair of roll-post nozzles in the wings on either side of the fuselage, while the thrust from the lift fan balanced the thrust of the hot core stream exhausting through vectored cruise nozzle at the tail. The X-35B powerplant effectively acted as a flow multiplier, much as a turbofan achieves efficiencies by moving unburned air at a lower velocity, and getting the same effect as the Harrier's huge, but supersonically impractical main fan.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: Like lift engines, this added machinery was dead weight during flight, but the increased lift thrust enhanced take-off payload by even more. The cool fan also reduced the harmful effects of hot, high-velocity air which could harm runway pavement or an aircraft carrier deck. Though risky and complicated, it was made to work to the satisfaction of DoD officials, and flight testing of the X-35 demonstrators reduced risk to Technology Readiness Level 6.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: The X-35A first flew on 24 October 2000 and tested air vehicle performance and handling characteristics. After 28 test flights, the aircraft was converted to the X-35B, which added the shaft-drive lift fan, aft swivel nozzle, and roll posts. On 20 July 2001, to demonstrate the X-35's STOVL capability, the X-35B took off in less than , went supersonic, and landed vertically. The X-35C first flew on 16 December 2000 and tested simulated carrier recovery and power approach.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: In the fly-off between the X-32 and the X-35, the latter was judged to be the winner. As a result, a contract for System Development and Demonstration (SDD) of the F-35 was awarded on 26 October 2001 to Lockheed Martin.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: There are a number of differences between the X-35 and F-35, which was designed to be an operational weapon system. The forward fuselage was lengthened by to make room for mission avionics, while the horizontal stabilizers were correspondingly moved aft to retain balance and control. The diverterless supersonic inlet cowl shape changed from a four-sided to a three-sided shape and was moved aft. To accommodate weapons bays, the fuselage section was fuller with the top surface raised by along the centerline. Following the designation of the X-35 prototypes, the three variants were designated F-35A (CTOL), F-35B (STOVL), and F-35C (CV).


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: The X-35A was converted into the X-35B for the STOVL part of the competition. It now resides at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, near Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.


title: Lockheed Martin X-35

text: Following the end of the competition, the X-35C was transferred to the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum in St. Mary's County, Maryland.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the "Chicago Tribune". Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his death in 1999.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel started writing for the "Chicago Tribune" in 1969, becoming its film critic soon after. In 1975, he was paired with Roger Ebert to co-host a monthly show called "Opening Soon at a Theater Near You" airing locally on PBS member station WTTW. In 1978, the show, renamed "Sneak Previews", was expanded to weekly episodes and aired on PBS affiliates all around the United States. In 1982, Siskel and Ebert both left "Sneak Previews" to create the syndicated show "At the Movies". Following a contract dispute with Tribune Entertainment in 1986, Siskel and Ebert signed with Buena Vista Television, creating "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies" (renamed "Siskel & Ebert" in 1987, and renamed again several times after Siskel's death).


title: Gene Siskel

text: Known for their biting wit, intense professional rivalry, heated arguments, and their trademark "Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down" movie ratings system, Siskel and Ebert became a sensation in American pop culture. Siskel remained in the public eye as Ebert's professional partner until Siskel's death on February 20, 1999, at age 53, from complications following his May 1998 brain surgery.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel was born in Chicago, and was the son of Ida (née Kalis) and Nathan William Siskel. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. Siskel lost both of his parents as a child and, as a result, was raised by his aunt and uncle, moving with them when he was nine years old. He attended Culver Academies and graduated from Yale University with a degree in philosophy in 1967, where he studied writing under Pulitzer Prize–winning author John Hersey. Hersey's reference assisted him in gaining a job at the "Chicago Tribune" in 1969.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel's first print review, written one month before he became the "Tribune"s film critic, was for the film "Rascal". His review of the film was not favorable ("Because of the excessive gimmicky, most kids will miss the tenderness," he wrote). Prior to this he served in the US Army Reserve; he was a military journalist and public affairs officer for the Defense Information School. For a time afterwards, he was acquainted with Playboy magazine publisher, Hugh Hefner.


title: Gene Siskel

text: In 1986, the "Chicago Tribune" announced that Siskel was no longer the paper's film critic, and that his position with the paper had been shifted from that of a full-time film critic to that of a freelance contract writer who was to write about the film industry for the Sunday paper and also provide capsule film reviews for the paper's entertainment sections. The demotion occurred after Siskel and Ebert decided to shift production of their weekly movie-review show, then known as "At the Movies" (later known as "Siskel & Ebert"), from Tribune Entertainment to The Walt Disney Company's Buena Vista Television unit. Editor James Squires stated on the move, "He's done a great job for us. It's a question of how much a person can do physically. We think you need to be a newspaper person first, and Gene Siskel always tried to do that. But there comes a point when a career is so big that you can't do that." Siskel declined to comment on the new arrangement, but Ebert publicly criticized Siskel's "Tribune" bosses for punishing Siskel for taking their television program to a company other than Tribune Entertainment. Siskel remained in that freelance position until his death in 1999. He was replaced as film critic by Dave Kehr.


title: Gene Siskel

text: The last review published by Siskel for the "Chicago Tribune" was for the film "She's All That", published on January 29, 1999, in which he gave a favorable review, giving it three stars out of four and wrote that "Rachael Leigh Cook as Laney, the plain Jane object of the makeover, is forced to demonstrate the biggest emotional range as a character, and she is equal to the assignment. I look forward to seeing her in her next movie."


title: Gene Siskel

text: In 1975, Siskel teamed up with Ebert, film reviewer for the "Chicago Sun-Times", to host a show on local Chicago PBS station WTTW which eventually became "Sneak Previews". Their "thumbs-up, thumbs-down" system soon became an easily recognizable trademark, popular enough to be parodied on comedy shows such as "Second City Television", "In Living Color", "Bizarre", and in movies such as "Hollywood Shuffle" and "Godzilla". "Sneak Previews" gained a nationwide audience in 1977 when WTTW offered it as a series to the PBS program system.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel and Ebert left WTTW and PBS in 1982 for syndication. Their new show, "At the Movies", was produced and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting, the parent company of the "Chicago Tribune" and WGN-TV. "Sneak Previews" continued on PBS for 14 more years with other hosts until its cancellation in 1996. In 1986, Siskel and Ebert left Tribune Broadcasting to have their show produced by the syndication arm of The Walt Disney Company. The new incarnation of the show was originally titled "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies", but later shortened to "Siskel & Ebert". "At the Movies" also continued for a few more years with other hosts until its cancellation in 1990.


title: Gene Siskel

text: The last five movies Siskel reviewed with Ebert on the show before his death aired during the weekend of January 23–24, 1999. On the show, they reviewed "At First Sight", "Another Day in Paradise", "The Hi-Lo Country", "Playing by Heart", and "The Theory of Flight". Siskel gave thumbs up to all of them, except for "Playing by Heart".


title: Gene Siskel

text: Following Siskel's death, Ebert continued the series with rotating guest hosts, which included Martin Scorsese, Janet Maslin, Peter Bogdanovich, Todd McCarthy, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Kenneth Turan. Elvis Mitchell, and the eventual replacement for Siskel, Richard Roeper.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel and Ebert were known for their many appearances on late-night talk shows, including appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman" sixteen times and "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" fifteen times. They also appeared together on "The Oprah Winfrey Show", "The Arsenio Hall Show", "Howard Stern", "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien".


title: Gene Siskel

text: In 1982, 1983, and 1985, Siskel, along with Ebert, appeared as themselves on "Saturday Night Live". For their first two appearances, they reviewed sketches from that night's telecast and review sketches from the "SNL Film Festival" for their last appearance.


title: Gene Siskel

text: In 1991, Siskel, along with Ebert, appeared in a segment on the children's television series "Sesame Street" entitled "Sneak Peak Previews" (a parody of "Sneak Previews"). In the segment, the critics instruct the hosts Oscar the Grouch and Telly Monster on how their thumbs up/thumbs down rating system works. Oscar asks if there could be a thumbs sideways ratings, and goads the two men into an argument about whether or not that would be acceptable, as Ebert likes the idea, but Siskel does not. The two were also seen that same year in the show's celebrity version of "Monster in the Mirror".


title: Gene Siskel

text: In 1993, Siskel appeared as himself in an episode of "The Larry Sanders Show" entitled "Off Camera". "Entertainment Weekly" chose his performance as one of the great scenes in that year's television.


title: Gene Siskel

text: In 1995, Siskel and Ebert guest-starred on an episode of the animated TV series "The Critic" entitled "Siskel & Ebert & Jay & Alice". In the episode, Siskel and Ebert split and each wants protagonist Jay Sherman, a fellow movie critic, as his new partner. The episode is a parody of the film "Sleepless in Seattle".


title: Gene Siskel

text: A very early appearance of Siskel, taken from "Opening Soon at a Theater Near You", the predecessor to "Sneak Previews", is included in the 2009 documentary film, "". In the film, he is seen debating with Ebert over the merits of the film version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".


title: Gene Siskel

text: Gene Siskel had an abrasive review style, and claimed his film criticism was an individual exercise that should not be swayed by public taste. In an interview for The Academy of Television and Radio, his TV co-host said of him, "I think Gene felt that he had to like the whole picture to give it a thumbs up."


title: Gene Siskel

text: In particular, he often gave negative reviews to films that became box office champs and went on to be considered mainstream classics: "Poltergeist", "Scarface", "Beverly Hills Cop", "The Terminator", "Aliens", "Predator", "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", "Thelma & Louise", and "Independence Day". This even extended to several films that went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture: "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Unforgiven".


title: Gene Siskel

text: Yet, Ebert also noted in a memoriam episode of "Siskel and Ebert" that when Siskel found a movie that he truly treasured, he embraced it as something special. Directly addressing his late colleague, Ebert said: "I know for sure that seeing a truly great movie made you so happy that you'd tell me a week later your spirits were still high." Some of Siskel's most treasured movies included "My Dinner with Andre" (1981), "Shoah" (1985), "Fargo" (1996), and the documentary "Hoop Dreams" (1994).


title: Gene Siskel

text: One of Siskel's favorite films was "Saturday Night Fever"; he even bought the famous white disco suit that John Travolta wore in the film from a charity auction. Another all-time favorite was "Dr. Strangelove". A favorite from childhood was "Dumbo", which he often mentioned as the first film that had an influence on him.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel compiled "best of the year" film lists from 1969 to 1998, which helped to provide an overview of his critical preferences. His top choices were:


title: Gene Siskel

text: From 1969 until his death in early 1999, he and Ebert were in agreement on nine annual top selections: "Z", "The Godfather", "Nashville", "The Right Stuff", "Do the Right Thing", "Goodfellas", "Schindler's List", "Hoop Dreams", and "Fargo". There would have been a tenth, but Ebert declined to rank the -hour documentary "Shoah" as 1985's best film because he felt it was inappropriate to compare it to the rest of the year's candidates. Six times, Siskel's number one choice did not appear on Ebert's top ten list at all: "Straight Time", "Ragtime", "Once Upon a Time in America", "The Last Temptation of Christ", "Hearts of Darkness", and "The Ice Storm". Six times, Ebert's top selection did not appear on Siskel's; these films were "3 Women", "An Unmarried Woman", "Apocalypse Now", "Sophie's Choice", "Mississippi Burning", and "Dark City".


title: Gene Siskel

text: In 1980, Siskel married Marlene Iglitzen, who was then a producer for CBS in New York. They had two daughters, Kate and Callie, and a son, Will. Their daughters graduated from Siskel's alma mater, Yale University.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor on May 8, 1998. He underwent brain surgery three days later. For a few weeks after the surgery he did the "Siskel & Ebert" show on the telephone (from his hospital bed) while Ebert was in the studio. Siskel eventually returned to the studio after his recovery, but was noted to appear more lethargic and mellow than usual. On February 3, 1999, he announced that he was taking a leave of absence from the show, but that he expected to be back by the fall, stating, "I'm in a hurry to get well because I don't want Roger to get more screen time than I."


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel died on February 20, 1999 from complications of his brain surgery, and his funeral was held two days later at the North Suburban Synagogue Beth El. He is interred at Westlawn Cemetery in Norridge, Illinois.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel was a Chicago sports fan, especially of his hometown basketball team, the Chicago Bulls, and would cover locker-room celebrations for WBBM-TV news broadcasts following Bulls championships in the 1990s.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel was also a member of the advisory committee of the Film Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a strong supporter of the Film Center mission. He wrote hundreds of articles applauding the Film Center's distinctive programming and lent the power of his position as a well-known film critic to urge public funding and audience support. In 2000, the Film Center was renamed The Gene Siskel Film Center in his honor.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Only once during his long association with Ebert did Siskel ever change his vote on a movie during the review. He initially gave the film "Broken Arrow" a "thumbs up", but after hearing Ebert's criticism, Siskel changed his mind to "thumbs down". However, he had changed his opinions on films years after his initial reviews, as with "Tremors", which he gave a negative review to in 1990 but later gave a glowing positive review in 1994, stating, "I wasn't sure what I missed the first time around, but it just didn't click."


title: Gene Siskel

text: Siskel said that he walked out on three films during his professional career: the 1971 comedy "The Million Dollar Duck" starring Dean Jones, the 1980 horror film "Maniac", and the 1996 Penelope Spheeris film "Black Sheep". When he mentioned walking out on "Black Sheep" in 1996, he said it was the first time he walked out on a movie he was reviewing since "Million Dollar Duck" in 1971; he later explained that he did not include "Maniac" because he did not review "Maniac" as an assignment for his newspaper or part of his and Ebert's weekly TV reviews but only as a "Dog of the Week", a feature of the TV show in which each critic would single out the very worst movie they had seen that week.


title: Gene Siskel

text: Both critics had specific sensitivities and feelings that would often vary in extremes to certain kinds of bad films. Ebert was very sensitive to films about race and ethnicity; Siskel was sensitive to films about families and family relationships, and had a special hatred for films like "House Arrest" (1996) and "Like Father Like Son" (1987), both of which were about parents and their children.


title: Gene Siskel

text: When both men appeared together on "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers", Joan Rivers conducted a "together and separately" interview with them, which at one point had each men wear Walkman-style headphones, playing loud music, while the other commented on his partner. When asked what he thought was the biggest difference between himself and Ebert, Siskel unhesitatingly replied: "I'm a better reviewer than he is", but a few moments later, he said that anyone who read an Ebert review would read "an extremely well-written review".


title: Gene Siskel

text: At the 1999 Academy Awards ceremony, after its "in memoriam" montage of deceased stars and film contributors (which did not include Siskel), host Whoopi Goldberg gave a brief impromptu tribute to Siskel:


title: Subdural hematoma

text: A subdural hematoma (SDH) is a type of bleeding in which a collection of blood—usually but not always associated with a traumatic brain injury—gathers between the inner layer of the dura mater and the arachnoid mater of the meninges surrounding the brain. It usually results from tears in bridging veins that cross the subdural space.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: Subdural hematomas may cause an increase in the pressure inside the skull, which in turn can cause compression of and damage to delicate brain tissue. Acute subdural hematomas are often life-threatening. Chronic subdural hematomas have a better prognosis if properly managed.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: In contrast, epidural hematomas are usually caused by tears in arteries, resulting in a build-up of blood between the dura mater and the skull. The third type of brain hemorrhage, known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage, causes bleeding into the subarachnoid space between the arachnoid mater and the pia mater.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: The symptoms of a subdural hematoma have a slower onset than those of epidural hematomas because the lower-pressure veins involved bleed more slowly than arteries. Signs and symptoms of acute hematomas may appear in minutes, if not immediately, but can also be delayed as much as two weeks. Symptoms of chronic subdural hematomas are usually delayed more than three weeks after Injury.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: If the bleeds are large enough to put pressure on the brain, signs of increased intracranial pressure or brain damage will be present. Other symptoms of subdural hematoma can include any combination of the following:


title: Subdural hematoma

text: Subdural hematomas are most often caused by head injury, in which rapidly changing velocities within the skull may stretch and tear small bridging veins. Much more common than epidural hemorrhages, subdural hemorrhages generally result from shearing injuries due to various rotational or linear forces. There are claims that they can occur in cases of shaken baby syndrome, although there is no scientific evidence for this.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: They are also commonly seen in the elderly and in people with an alcohol use disorder who have evidence of cerebral atrophy. Cerebral atrophy increases the length the bridging veins have to traverse between the two meningeal layers, thus increasing the likelihood of shearing forces causing a tear. It is also more common in patients on anticoagulants or antiplatelet medications, such as warfarin and aspirin, respectively. People on these medications can have a subdural hematoma after a relatively minor traumatic event. Another cause can be a reduction in cerebrospinal fluid pressure, which can reduce pressure in the subarachnoid space, pulling the arachnoid away from the dura mater and leading to a rupture of the blood vessels.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: Factors increasing the risk of a subdural hematoma include very young or very old age. As the brain shrinks with age, the subdural space enlarges and the veins that traverse the space must cover a wider distance, making them more vulnerable to tears. The elderly also have more brittle veins, making chronic subdural bleeds more common. Infants, too, have larger subdural spaces and are more predisposed to subdural bleeds than are young adults. It is often claimed that subdural hematoma is a common finding in shaken baby syndrome, although there is no science to support this. In juveniles, an arachnoid cyst is a risk factor for subdural hematoma.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: Other risk factors include taking blood thinners (anticoagulants), long-term excessive alcohol consumption, dementia, and cerebrospinal fluid leaks.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: Acute subdural hematoma is usually caused by external trauma that creates tension in the wall of a bridging vein as it passes between the arachnoid and dural layers of the brain's lining—i.e., the subdural space. The circumferential arrangement of collagen surrounding the vein makes it susceptible to such tearing.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: Intracerebral hemorrhage and ruptured cortical vessels (blood vessels on the surface of the brain) can also cause subdural hematoma. In these cases, blood usually accumulates between the two layers of the dura mater. This can cause ischemic brain damage by two mechanisms: one, pressure on the cortical blood vessels, and two, vasoconstriction due to the substances released from the hematoma, which causes further ischemia by restricting blood flow to the brain. When the brain is denied adequate blood flow, a biochemical cascade known as the ischemic cascade is unleashed, and may ultimately lead to brain cell death.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: Subdural hematomas grow continually larger as a result of the pressure they place on the brain: As intracranial pressure rises, blood is squeezed into the dural venous sinuses, raising the dural venous pressure and resulting in more bleeding from the ruptured bridging veins. They stop growing only when the pressure of the hematoma equalizes with the intracranial pressure, as the space for expansion shrinks.


title: Subdural hematoma

text: In chronic subdural hematomas, blood accumulates in the dural space as a result of damage to the dural border cells. The resulting inflammation leads to new membrane formation through fibrosis and produces fragile and leaky blood vessels through angiogenesis, permitting the leakage of red blood cells, white blood cells, and plasma into the hematoma cavity. Traumatic tearing of the arachnoid mater also causes leakage of cerebrospinal fluid into the hematoma cavity, increasing the size of the hematoma over time. Excessive fibrinolysis also causes continuous bleeding.