title: Karaoke

text: Many VCD players in Southeast Asia have a built-in karaoke function. On stereo recordings, one speaker will play the music with the vocal track, and the other speaker will play the music without the vocal track. So, to sing karaoke, users play the music-only track through both speakers. In the past, there were only pop-song karaoke VCDs. Nowadays, different types of karaoke VCDs are available. Cantonese opera karaoke VCD is now a big hit among the elderly in China.


title: Karaoke

text: In 2003, several companies started offering a karaoke service on mobile phones, using a Java MIDlet that runs with a text file containing the words and a MIDI file with the music. More usual is to contain the lyrics within the same MIDI file. Often the file extension is then changed from .mid to .kar, both are compatible with the standard for MIDI files.


title: Karaoke

text: Researchers have also developed karaoke games for cell phones to boost music database training. In 2006, the Interactive Audio Lab at Northwestern University released a game called Karaoke Callout for the Nokia Series 60 phone. The project has since then expanded into a web-based game and will be released soon as an iPhone application.


title: Karaoke

text: Karaoke is now available for the Android, iPhone and other playback devices at many internet storefronts.


title: Karaoke

text: Since 2003, much software has been released for hosting karaoke shows and playing karaoke songs on a personal computer. Instead of having to carry around hundreds of CD-Gs or laserdiscs, KJs can "rip" their entire libraries onto their hard drives and play the songs and lyrics from the computer.


title: Karaoke

text: Karaoke devices in the 2000s saw a shift towards the use of hard drives to store large collections of karaoke tracks and touch screen devices that allows users to select their songs. This trend was driven by the declining cost of hard drive storage and improvement in touchscreen technology in the consumer space.


title: Karaoke

text: In 2010, a new concept of home karaoke system through the use of live streaming from a cloud server emerged. The earliest cloud based streaming device, KaraOK!, was released by StarHub on 14 January 2010, licensing songs from RIMMS. The use of cloud streaming allows for smaller devices with over the air updates compared to costly and bulky hard drive-based systems.


title: Karaoke

text: In August 2017, ROXI home music system launched in the UK, and later that year in the US, providing on-demand music streaming and a karaoke singalong feature called Sing with the Stars. ROXI matches songs in its cloud based licensed music streaming catalogue to a lyrics database to provide real time scrolling on-screen lyrics. The music system also uses a hand-held Wii style point and click controller with built-in microphone allowing users to select and sing along to thousands of songs from its catalogue.


title: Karaoke

text: In July 2019, YouTube channel Sing King Karaoke reached 6 million subscribers, making it the largest karaoke channel on the platform.


title: Karaoke

text: Chinese automobile maker Geely Automobile received much press in 2003 for being the first to equip a car, their Beauty Leopard, with a karaoke machine as standard equipment. Europe's first commercial "karaokecab" which was a London TX4 taxi with a karaoke machine inside for occupants of the cab to use to sing whilst in the cab. The idea and installation were made by Richard Harfield of karaokeshop.com and was featured on Channel 4's Big Breakfast and several German TV stations featured the karaokecab. Granada TV also featured the cab, which is now in its 4th vehicle and operates in Bolton, Greater Manchester as Clint's Karaoke Cab. Karaoke is often also found as a feature in aftermarket in-car DVD players.


title: Karaoke

text: In 2010, karaoke taxis were available in London, England in the 'Kabeoke' fleet of private hire vehicles.


title: Karaoke

text: The CD+G format of a karaoke disc, which contains the lyrics on a specially encoded subcode track, has heretofore required special—and expensive—equipment to play. Commercial players have come down in price, though, and some unexpected devices (including the Sega Saturn video game console and XBMC Media Center on the first Xbox) can decode the graphics; in fact, karaoke machines, including video and sometimes recording capability, are often popular electronics items for sale in toy stores and electronics stores.


title: Karaoke

text: Additionally, there is software for Windows, Pocket PC, Linux, and Macintosh PCs that can decode and display karaoke song tracks, though usually these must be ripped from the CD first, and possibly compressed.


title: Karaoke

text: In addition to CD+G and software-based karaoke, microphone-based karaoke players enjoy popularity mainly in North America and some Asian countries such as the Philippines. Microphone-based karaoke players only need to be connected to a TV—and in some cases to a power outlet; in other cases they run on batteries. These devices often support advanced features, such as pitch correction and special sound effects. Some companies offer karaoke content for paid download to extend the song library in microphone-based karaoke systems.


title: Karaoke

text: CD+G, DVD, VCD and microphone-based players are most popular for home use. Due to song selection and quality of recordings, CD+G is the most popular format for English and Spanish. It is also important to note that CD+G has limited graphical capabilities, whereas VCD and DVD usually have a moving picture or video background. VCD and DVD are the most common format for Asian singers due to music availability and largely due to the moving picture/video background.


title: Karaoke

text: In Asia, a karaoke box is the most popular type of karaoke venue. A karaoke box is a small or medium-sized room containing karaoke equipment rented by the hour or half-hour, providing a more intimate atmosphere. Karaoke venues of this type are often dedicated businesses, some with multiple floors and a variety of amenities including food service, but hotels and business facilities sometimes provide karaoke boxes as well. In South Korea, karaoke boxes are called "norebangs". In Taiwan and China, a karaoke establishment is called a KTV.


title: Karaoke

text: In some traditional Chinese restaurants, there are so-called "mahjong-karaoke rooms" where the elderly play mahjong while teenagers sing karaoke. The result is fewer complaints about boredom, but more noise. Noise regulations can be an issue, especially when karaoke is brought into residential areas.


title: Karaoke

text: Violent reactions to karaoke singing have made headlines in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, with reports of killings by listeners disturbed by the singing. In the Philippines, at least half a dozen killings of people singing "My Way" caused newspapers there to label the phenomenon "My Way killings"; some bars refuse to allow the song, and some singers refrain from vocalizing it among strangers.


title: Karaoke

text: Prostitution has been an issue in certain karaoke boxes in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia despite being illegal in these countries. In Thailand, "karaoke girls" are brought in not only from Thailand but from neighboring countries and are sent to other parts of the world.


title: Karaoke

text: Asian karaoke establishments are often fronts for gentlemen's clubs, where men pay for female hosts to drink, sing, and dance with them. In Japan, such a business is called a piano bar.


title: Karaoke

text: After the COVID-19 outbreak, karaoke bars in Japan reopened with rules such as mask wearing, mic covers, and singer must face same direction as onlookers.


title: Karaoke

text: In Taiwan, karaoke bars similar to those in Japan and South Korea are called KTVs, which stands for karaoke television. Karaoke is a highly popular form of recreation in Taiwan. The biggest KTV chains in Taiwan are Partyworld Cashbox, Holiday KTV and NewCBParty.


title: Karaoke

text: A noraebang (Hangul: 노래방) refers to a singing venue in South Korea where private sound-proof rooms are available for rent, equipped for singing – typically microphones, remote controls, a large video screen, couches, and mood décor such as disco lights and tambourines. The term noraebang is a Korean compound word, blending norae (Hangul: 노래, English: song) and bang (Hangul: 방, English: room). It is the regional equivalent to the Karaoke box in Japan.


title: Karaoke

text: Singing is an important part of social life in Korea, where people will perform, and be persuaded to perform, an impromptu song at virtually any social occasion. As such, noraebangs are popular and widespread, often identifiable by bright neon signs with musical notes or microphones.


title: Karaoke

text: Often the last stop after a night of alcohol-lined entertainment for youths and businesspeople alike, noraebangs are also a favorite family pastime, and many are surprisingly dry venues. People also frequent noraebangs as a form of stress relief, and some noraebangs cater to those who seek to sing alone.


title: Karaoke

text: Karaoke (Filipino: "videoke") has become a pastime activity in the Philippines especially when entertaining friends at home. Instrumental music (also widely called "minus-one") on tapes during the late 1960s particularly with the dominance of pop hits from the Beatles had become favorites. Singing contests during town or barangay festivals and fiestas would attract contestants who carry with them cassette tapes with these instrumentals to perform in their own rendition.


title: Karaoke

text: Videoke in the Philippines is also known for the My Way killings, a number of fatal disputes which arose due to the singing of the song "My Way", popularized by Frank Sinatra, in karaoke or "videoke" bars. A "The New York Times" article estimated the number of killings to be about six up to 2010. Another source estimated at least 12 between 2002 and 2012. Opinions differ over whether the possible connection is due to the coincidence that the song was simply frequently sung amid the nation's videoke bars where violence is common or to the aggressive lyrics of the song itself.


title: Karaoke

text: A karaoke bar, restaurant, club or lounge is a bar or restaurant that provides karaoke equipment so that people can sing publicly, sometimes on a small stage. Most of these establishments allow patrons to sing for free, with the expectation that sufficient revenue will be made selling food and drink to the singers. Less commonly, the patron wishing to sing must pay a small fee for each song they sing. Both are financially beneficial for the establishment by not having to pay a professional singer or a cabaret tax which is usually applied to any entertainment of more than one person.


title: Karaoke

text: Many establishments offer karaoke on a weekly schedule, while some have shows every night. Such establishments commonly invest more in both equipment and song discs, and are often extremely popular, with an hour or more wait between a singer's opportunities to take the stage (called the "rotation").


title: Karaoke

text: Private karaoke rooms, similar to Asia's karaoke boxes, are commonplace in communities such as Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Houston, TX and San Francisco. Toronto's Koreatown is one example of an area where popularity is growing to the point that private karaoke rooms require reservations on the weekends.


title: Karaoke

text: Karaoke is very popular in Scotland with dedicated karaoke venues in most reasonably large towns. Aberdeen is home to a number of notable karaoke bars including Wagleys, The Spirit Level, Bardot's Karaoke Bar, Sing City.


title: Karaoke

text: Throughout much of North America, live band karaoke is also popular. With live band karaoke, singers sing with a live band instead of the prerecorded backing track.


title: Karaoke

text: Rock critic Rob Sheffield claims that the 1986 music video for the song "Wild Wild Life" by the Talking Heads was the first depiction of karaoke in American popular culture. The video features a variety of characters taking turns singing portions of the song to an audience at a bar. However a karaoke bar in Honolulu called "Sing Sing" is depicted in an episode of the American TV series "Magnum, P.I." entitled "The Man from Marseilles" first broadcast on March 14, 1985.


title: Karaoke

text: In Italy, karaoke had become popular by early 1994, popularized by television personality Rosario Fiorello who had a karaoke program that appeared weekly on national television.


title: Karaoke

text: Also popular among the international performing arts community in Europe, a group of Finnish producers organized an international karaoke competition called KWC (Karaoke World Championships). Their 2011 international karaoke competition has attracted ABC producers to help host America's karaoke competition in Las Vegas Nevada called Karaoke Battle USA. The competition is promised to select 1 male and 1 female contestant to represent the U.S. in the international arena. Largely supported by the Broadway community in Times Square, Pulse Karaoke Lounge sponsored 2011's New York state karaoke finals to select individuals representing New York in the eastern finals.


title: Karaoke

text: According to "The New York Times", the dozens of karaoke bars in Portland, Oregon make it not just "the capital of karaoke" in the United States, but "one of the most exciting music scenes in America."


title: Karaoke

text: In Australia, karaoke was gradually popularized in the late 1980s. A number of Filipino migrants brought with them their own 'minus-one' music from cassette music tapes and video tapes purchased mainly in the Philippines. A number of Philippine-imported karaoke units with two cassette drives were used in private households. Video TV tapes, mainly consisted of popular and contemporary songs rendered by Filipino artists, and with a mix of English and Tagalog songs were soon used. Projected lyrics on TV screens became very common as the main source of karaoke renditions. These tapes were soon replaced by CD+Gs, but a plug-n-play karaoke microphone that housed a factory built-in songchip loaded with hundreds of karaoke songs quickly became a favourite. This unit would usually be purchased in the Philippines and brought into Australia, becoming a common household item and is popularly used during gatherings.


title: Karaoke

text: Commercially, karaoke was first introduced into Australia in 1989 by Robin Hemmings who had seen karaoke operating in Fiji. Prior to this, karaoke was generally unknown to the broader population. Hemmings, of Adelaide, South Australia, offered systems manufactured by Pioneer which used 12in (30 cm) double-sided laser discs containing a maximum of 24 songs with accompanying video track and subtitled lyrics.


title: Karaoke

text: Despite some initial resistance, Adelaide hoteliers The Booze Brothers offered limited access to their hotels and the karaoke phenomenon was born. Hemmings business, Karaoke Hire Systems, operated seven machines on a casual rental basis to numerous hotels, clubs and private parties in and around Adelaide with an additional machine on snow-season lease at Jindabyne, NSW. Each system came complete with up to 24 discs containing a maximum of 576 music video tracks. In Adelaide, karaoke reached its zenith in 1991 with virtually every hotel offering at least one karaoke night per week with many having undertaken alterations to their premises with the addition of purpose built stages and sound systems. Karaoke rental suppliers had proliferated during this period and Hemmings is known to have sold his business in late 1991 as a going concern.


title: Karaoke

text: Karaoke's popularity in Adelaide waned from mid 1992 and was virtually extinguished by early 1993. Despite periodic attempts by hoteliers and clubs to revitalise karaoke, it has never managed to re-establish its former popularity.


title: Karaoke

text: In the mid-2000s, a number of karaoke bars sprouted in Sydney with karaoke boxes frequented by Japanese students and tourists and a few locals, especially on Thursday nights and weekends. A number of clubs such as RSL, League Clubs and restaurants and bars mainly feature karaoke nights to entice more customers and to entertain guests. Sunfly Karaoke is probably the major karaoke brand in Australia as well as the UK.


title: Karaoke

text: Karaoke is very popular in Asian countries, and many artists distribute a karaoke track at the same time the song is released. The most common form of karaoke nowadays is released in MIDI format with on-screen lyrics on a DVD background video.


title: Karaoke

text: In Europe and North America, karaoke tracks are almost never done by the original artist, but are re-recorded by other musicians.


title: Karaoke

text: South Korean firms T.J. Media, Magic Sing, Kumyoung produce digital music content in MIDI format and manufacture computer music players for the Asian market.


title: Karaoke

text: Since the rise of karaoke around the world, karaoke contests have become a phenomenon of mainstream culture, giving non-professional singers opportunity to showcase their talent, win prizes, and at times, travel the world. Contest participants are usually rated 50% by customer votes and 50% by judges' votes, but this may vary, depending on the venue and the level of competition.


title: Karaoke

text: Karaoke World Championship is one of the most popular karaoke contests and has been around since 2003. In September 2011, Karaoke World Championships took place in Killarney, Ireland.


title: Karaoke

text: As of 2009, the world record for the most people singing karaoke was at Bristol Motor Speedway in the United States. Over 160,000 people began to sing Garth Brooks' song "Friends in Low Places" before the NASCAR Sharpie 500 race began.


title: Karaoke

text: Hungary holds the record for the longest Karaoke marathon with multiple participants for an event organized in the Honey Grill Restaurant by Gabor Dániel Szabó (REVVOX Music). It lasted for 1,011 hours, 1 minute, between 20 July 2011, and 31 August 2011. Each song was over 3 minutes long and the gap between songs was no longer than 30 seconds. No song was repeated in any two-hour period.


title: Karaoke

text: The record for the longest Karaoke solo marathon is held by the Italian Leonardo Polverelli, who sang 1,295 songs in 101 hours, 59 minutes, and 15 seconds.


title: Han Solo

text: Han Solo is a fictional character in the "Star Wars" franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film "Star Wars" portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983). Ford returned to the role for "" (2015), as well as a brief cameo in "" (2019). In the spin-off film "" (2018), a younger version of the character is portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich.


title: Han Solo

text: First appearing in the original trilogy, Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca are smugglers who are hired by Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker to transport them to Alderaan so they can deliver the stolen plans for the Death Star. Although initially unwilling to join the Rebel Alliance in their fight against the Galactic Empire, he eventually does so and in the process falls in love with Princess Leia, whom he eventually marries, becoming Luke's brother in-law. In the sequel trilogy set decades later, Solo joins forces with scavenger Rey and former stormtrooper Finn to help them and the Resistance in their fight against the First Order, whose forces are led by Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren, the latter of whom is his and Leia's son, Ben Solo who fell to the dark side of the Force, which caused him and Leia to separate. Han is killed by his son but eventually returns as a memory to his son and helps redeem him back to the light side of the Force.


title: Han Solo

text: The American Film Institute has named Solo as the 14th best film hero. Mythologist Joseph Campbell has described the character, "He thinks he's an egoist; but he really isn't. ... there's something else pushing [him]." In 1997, Lucas described Han as "a cynical loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good".


title: Han Solo

text: Ever since his debut, Han Solo has remained one of the most famous characters from the "Star Wars" series. In addition to the character being hailed as one of cinema's greatest heroes, Harrison Ford's performances in the franchise have received significant acclaim from critics and fans. Alden Ehrenreich's performance in "Solo" was also well received. Ford received two nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Actor, winning for his performance in "The Force Awakens".


title: Han Solo

text: In the earliest version of the initial draft for "Star Wars", Solo was an alien of the 'Ureallian' race with green skin, no nose and enormous gills, also being a member of the Jedi Bendu and being acquainted with General Skywalker. The following draft saw Solo as a bearded, flamboyant pirate, franchise creator George Lucas settling on making him a human to better develop the relationship between the three central characters (Luke, Leia and Han) and Chewbacca instead being used for the part of the alien sidekick. By the time of the third draft, Solo had developed into the "tough James Dean style starpilot" that would appear in the finished film. Lucas also used Humphrey Bogart as a point of reference in his development notes. Mythologist Joseph Campbell said of Han, "He thinks he's an egoist; but he really isn't. ... there's something else pushing [him]." In 1997, Lucas described him as "a cynical loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good". In 2004, Lucas explained that Han is the selfish sidekick of protagonist Luke, who is selfless.


title: Han Solo

text: Harrison Ford was not immediately cast for the role of Han Solo, as Lucas had already used him in the film "American Graffiti" and wanted somebody new for the role. He hired Ford to rehearse lines with other actors and he was so impressed by the actor's performance that he eventually gave him the role. Other actors that were considered for the role include Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, James Caan, Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Robert Englund, Nick Nolte, Burt Reynolds, Chevy Chase, and Perry King (who later played Han Solo in the radio plays).


title: Han Solo

text: Solo appeared in early drafts of "". The character would have been revealed as having been raised by Chewbacca on Kashyyyk, and would help Yoda locate General Grievous. Some concept art of a 10-year-old Han Solo was made, but Lucas decided to omit the character's appearance from the film before any actor was cast or considered for the role.


title: Han Solo

text: Ford, believing his character should die, was reluctant to sign onto the sequels of "Star Wars". Han Solo's death in "The Force Awakens" came about when writer/director J. J. Abrams felt the character was not evolving or contributing to the story's development; he believed that Kylo Ren killing his own father would give him a chance to develop into a worthy successor for Darth Vader. Solo's appearance in the film was influenced by that of Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) in "True Grit" (2010) during early concept development.


title: Han Solo

text: Han Solo is first introduced in "Star Wars" (1977), when he and his co-pilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) accept a charter request to transport Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO, and R2-D2 from Tatooine to Alderaan on their ship, the "Millennium Falcon". Han owes gangster Jabba the Hutt a great deal of money and has a high price on his head. Bounty hunter Greedo (Paul Blake) tries to deliver Solo to Jabba, dead or alive, but after a failed attempt to extort the money as a bribe for letting him go, Han shoots and kills Greedo. Han then prepares to leave Tatooine.


title: Han Solo

text: He and his passengers are attacked by Imperial stormtroopers, but escape by accelerating to light speed. When they arrive at Alderaan, however, they discover that the planet has been destroyed by the Empire. The "Falcon" is then captured and held within the Death Star, a moon-sized battle station constructed by the Empire. Han and company hide from detection inside the "Falcon"s smuggling bays, and infiltrate the station disguised as stormtroopers. They discover that Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) is a prisoner on board, and Luke convinces Han to help rescue her by promising him a huge reward. They rescue Leia and escape, though Obi-Wan is killed by Sith Lord Darth Vader (portrayed by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones).


title: Han Solo

text: After delivering Luke, Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to the Rebel Alliance, Han and Chewbacca receive a payment for their services and prepare to leave. Luke asks Han to stay and help the Rebels attack the Death Star, but he refuses, not wanting to get involved. Han has a change of heart and returns to save Luke's life during the film's climactic battle scene, ultimately enabling Luke to destroy the Death Star. In the film's final scene, Leia presents Han with a medal of honor alongside Luke and Chewbacca.


title: Han Solo

text: Three years later, Han is still with the Rebel Alliance, and serving on the Rebels' base on the frozen planet of Hoth. While out on patrol with Luke, they witness a meteor strike the surface. Han returns to base while Luke decides to investigate. Han informs Leia that he must leave in order to clear his debt with Jabba the Hutt. Before he can depart, it is discovered that Luke has not returned from his investigation. Han rides out alone into the frozen Hoth wastelands, soon finding Luke near death from exposure. Using his friend's lightsaber, Han cuts open his tauntaun, providing Luke warmth while he builds a shelter until they can be rescued the next morning.


title: Han Solo

text: Later, Han and Chewbacca go to check on another meteor strike. They discover that the 'meteor' is actually an Imperial Probe Droid. The two succeed in destroying the probe, but not before the Empire is alerted to the location of the Rebel base. When the Empire attacks, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and C-3PO narrowly escape on board the "Millennium Falcon". Han evades a squad of Imperial TIE fighters by flying through an asteroid field, and unwittingly flies into the mouth of a giant worm. Han and Leia fall in love during the long journey. They manage to hide from the Imperial fleet long enough to escape, but not entirely unnoticed; bounty hunter Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch), working for Vader, picks up their trail and follows them.


title: Han Solo

text: Han and company eventually end up at the Bespin system's Cloud City seeking repairs and shelter from his old friend Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), the city's administrator. However, Fett had arrived first and alerted the Empire. Lando betrays Han to the Empire, and Vader has Han tortured as part of his plan to lure Luke to Bespin. Vader wishes to capture Luke by freezing him in carbonite, and subjects Han to the freezing process first to test its lethality. Han survives, and Fett leaves for Tatooine with his frozen body in tow to collect the bounty from Jabba.


title: Han Solo

text: A year later, Han, still imprisoned in carbonite, is Jabba's favorite decoration at his palace on Tatooine. Luke attempts a rescue operation aided by Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and a repentant Lando, but they are caught. Jabba sentences Han, Luke and Chewbacca to die in the sarlacc pit. Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca overpower their captors and Leia kills Jabba, enabling their escape.


title: Han Solo

text: Returning to the Rebel fleet, they discover that the Empire is building the second Death Star, which orbits the forest moon of Endor. Following his return, Han is made a general in the Rebel Alliance, along with Leia. Reuniting with Luke after his return from Dagobah, Han leads a Rebel strike team to Endor to take down the force field surrounding the battle station, which is still under construction. The Empire captures them, but with help from the native Ewoks, Han and his team destroy the Death Star's shield generator, allowing Lando and his strike team to destroy the Death Star. Han then reunites with Leia and Luke on Endor to celebrate the defeat of the Empire.


title: Han Solo

text: In "", set approximately 30 years after "Return of the Jedi", Han has returned to his old life as a smuggler. Before the events of the film, he and Chewbacca had lost the "Millennium Falcon" to thieves, but they reclaim the ship after it takes off from the planet Jakku, piloted by the scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the renegade stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega). As mercenaries close in on them, Han takes the "Falcon" into light speed, and they get away.


title: Han Solo

text: When Han learns that Rey is looking for Luke, who disappeared years before, he takes them to his old friend Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o), who can deliver the droid BB-8 to the Resistance against the tyrannical First Order. They are forced to flee when First Order troops descend upon them. Han is impressed with Rey's piloting skills, and offers her a job on the "Falcon", but she declines. When Rey is kidnapped by the First Order, Han sees her being carried off by First Order enforcer Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), whom Han seems to recognize.


title: Han Solo

text: Han and Finn meet with the Resistance, which is led by Leia, whom Han hasn't seen in a couple of years. It is then revealed that Ren is actually their son, Ben Solo, who trained as a Jedi under Luke. However, he was corrupted by the First Order's Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), and turned to the dark side of the Force. As Kylo Ren, he betrayed the Republic and destroyed the Jedi—much like his grandfather, Darth Vader, had done decades before. Heartbroken by Ben's betrayal, Han and Leia became estranged to grieve in their own ways; each blaming themselves for their son's turning. Leia asks Han to find Ben and bring him home, convinced that there is still good in him.


title: Han Solo

text: Han and Chewbacca go with Finn to the First Order's planet-converted superweapon, Starkiller Base, to destroy the base and rescue Rey. There, he sees Ren walk onto the bridge above the reactor chasm. Han follows Ren onto the bridge, and calls out to him by his real name. Han pleads with him to abandon the dark side and come back with him, warning him that Snoke will kill him once he has taken control of the galaxy. Ren tells Han that he knows what he should do, but that he doesn't have the strength to do it, and asks Han to help him. Han agrees. After a moment, Ren ignites his lightsaber, impaling and fatally wounding his father. Han looks into his son's eyes and touches his face before falling off the bridge to his death.


title: Han Solo

text: "The Last Jedi" briefly pays homage to Han. The first scene includes a bomb which has "Han says hi" written on it in an alien language. Later in the film, Luke asks where Han is after reuniting with Chewie and learns of Han's death. During the climax, Luke hands Leia Han's gold dice (though this turns out to be part of an apparition).


title: Han Solo

text: Han appears briefly in "." After a near-fatal duel with Rey and the death of Leia, Ren experiences a vision of Han, who tells his son that Kylo Ren is dead, but Ben Solo is alive. Han urges his son to do the right thing and come back to the light side. In an allusion to their final interaction, Ren admits that he knows what he has to do but is not sure if he has the strength, while Han encourages his son and touches his face. Drawing his lightsaber, Ren turns and throws it away, becoming Ben Solo once again. When he turns around, Han has vanished. At the end, Chewbacca is given Han's medal from the end of the original film.


title: Han Solo

text: A film featuring Han Solo before the events of the 1977 film was released on May 25, 2018, starring Alden Ehrenreich. In the film, 19-year old Han is characterized to be an orphan on the planet Corellia. He and his lover, Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), attempt to escape from the White Worms criminal gang and bribe an Imperial officer with a stolen sample of coaxium, a powerful hyperspace fuel, in exchange for passage on an outgoing transport, but Qi'ra is apprehended before she can board. Han vows to return for her and joins the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet. He is given the surname "Solo" by the recruiting officer, apparently referencing Han's statement that he "has no people".


title: Han Solo

text: Three years later, Han has been expelled from the Imperial Flight Academy for insubordination and gets transferred to the Imperial Army. While serving as a swamp trooper in an infantry during a battle on Mimban, he encounters a gang of criminals posing as Imperial soldiers led by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson). He tries to blackmail them into taking him with them, but Beckett has him arrested for desertion and thrown into a pit to be executed by a Wookiee outcast, Chewbacca. Able to speak Chewbacca's language, Han persuades Chewbacca to escape with him. In need of extra hands, Beckett rescues the two and enlists them in the gang's plot to steal a shipment of coaxium, which goes awry. Han and Chewbacca then accompany Beckett to explain their failure to Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), a powerful crime lord in the Crimson Dawn syndicate and Beckett's boss. They also find Qi'ra, who is now Vos' top lieutenant. Han suggests a risky plan to steal unrefined coaxium from the mines on the planet Kessel; Vos approves, but insists that Qi'ra should accompany the team.


title: Han Solo

text: Qi'ra leads them to Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), an accomplished smuggler and pilot who she hopes will lend them his ship. Han challenges Lando to a game of sabacc, with the wager being Lando's ship. Lando cheats to win but agrees to join the mission in exchange for a share of the profits. The team boards his ship, the "Millennium Falcon", and heads for Kessel. The theft is a success partly thanks to Han piloting the ship through a dangerous uncharted route, but Han and Qi'ra become sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance, who are trying to prevent the syndicates and the Galactic Empire from gaining greater domination over the galaxy. They try to trick Vos, but Beckett has already alerted him to the double-cross. Vos sends his guards to kill the rebels, but having anticipated Vos' strategy, Han warns the Rebels, who kill the guards instead, rendering Vos defenseless. Han then tries to take the coaxium, only for Beckett to betray Vos, escape with the coaxium, and take Chewbacca hostage. Though pressured to kill Han in order to prove her loyalty to Vos, Qi'ra instead kills Vos and sends Han after Beckett before contacting Vos' superior, Maul (portrayed by Ray Park, voiced by Sam Witwer).


title: Han Solo

text: Han catches up to Beckett and shoots him to death before Beckett can return fire. Afterwards, Han and Chewbacca turn the coaxium over to the Rebels. Their leader, Enfys Nest (Erin Kellyman), offers Han a chance to join them; when he declines, she gives him one vial of coaxium, enough to purchase a ship of his own. Han and Chewbacca visit Lando, who unknowingly abandoned them in the "Falcon" when confronted by the Rebels earlier, and challenge him to another game of sabacc, once again wagering the ship. Han wins this time, having stolen the card Lando was using to cheat before, and he and Chewbacca leave for Tatooine in the "Falcon", where a gangster is putting together a crew for a heist.


title: Han Solo

text: In the "Star Wars Holiday Special" (1978), Han helps Chewbacca join his family on the Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk. He faces Imperial forces on Kashyyyk, and later joins Luke, Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca, and other Wookiees for their holiday, Life Day. It includes an animated segment, where Ford voices an animated Han Solo.


title: Han Solo

text: Han appeared in the animated "Star Wars Forces of Destiny" episode "Tracker Trouble" (2017), where he was voiced by Kiff VandenHeuvel.


title: Han Solo

text: In the (non-canon) "Star Wars" Expanded Universe, Han is from an old family line that stretches thousands of generations. An ancestor ruled the planet Corellia (the Solo homeworld) and set up a constitutional monarchy three centuries before the events of "A New Hope". His descendants continued to rule Corellia, but slowly lost power leading up to the time of Han's birth. His parents were named Jonash and Jaina Solo.


title: Han Solo

text: Brian Daley wrote a series of novels ("The Han Solo Adventures"), from 1979 to 1980, exploring Han Solo and Chewbacca's smuggling adventures before the events of the original trilogy. Kevin J. Anderson's "Jedi Search" (1994) establishes that before "A New Hope", Jabba paid Kessel's spice kingpin for a shipment to be delivered by Han; the Kessel mogul then tipped off Imperials about Han's cargo, forcing the smuggler to dump it and incur his debt to Jabba. Ann C. Crispin's "The Han Solo Trilogy" (1997–1998) develops the character's backstory differently and in more detail, depicting him as a beggar and pickpocket throughout much of his youth. He becomes a pilot and, after his love interest disappears, joins the Imperial Navy. He is dismissed when he refuses an order to skin Chewbacca for commandeering a ship trafficking Wookiee children; Chewbacca, in turn, swears a "life-debt" to Han. The two become smugglers and help repel an Imperial blockade of a Hutt moon. Han wins the "Millennium Falcon" from Lando Calrissian in a card tournament. Han's adolescent flame, now a Rebel agent, employs him, Chewbacca, and Lando, then steals the smuggler's valuables to aid the Rebellion. To compensate their losses, Solo and Chewbacca accept the smuggling job from Jabba, but are forced to jettison their cargo.


title: Han Solo

text: Solo plays a central role in many stories set after "Return of the Jedi". In "The Courtship of Princess Leia" (1995), he resigns his commission to pursue Leia, whom he eventually marries. Solo and Leia have three children: twins Jaina and Jacen and son Anakin. A cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo, appears as an antagonist in the Corellian trilogy. Han is the general in command of the New Republic task force assigned to track down an Imperial warlord in the 1999 novel "Solo Command". Chewbacca dies saving Anakin's life in "Vector Prime" (1999), sending Han into a deep depression. In "Star by Star" (2001), Anakin dies as well, compounding Solo's despair. At the end of the series, Han accepts his losses and reconciles with his family.


title: Han Solo

text: In the "Legacy of the Force" series, Jacen becomes the Sith Lord Darth Caedus and plunges the galaxy into a bloody civil war. Han disowns him, but is still devastated by each new outrage his son commits. He and Leia adopt Allana (Jacen's daughter) after Jacen's death at Jaina's hands in the novel "Invincible".


title: Han Solo

text: In April 2014, most of the licensed "Star Wars" novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film were rebranded by Lucasfilm as "Star Wars" Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise.


title: Han Solo

text: Han is a main character in the 2015 "Star Wars" comic series. Issue #6 introduces Sana Starros as Han Solo's wife, although a few issues later she is revealed to have only married him as part of a plan to scam a crime lord's gambling den.


title: Han Solo

text: "Star Wars: Han Solo" (2016) is a five-issue mini-series set between "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back", which focuses on Han participating in a race. The comic adaptation of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" reveals that Solo knew his father worked in the shipyards of Corellia. "Han Solo – Imperial Cadet" (2018) depicts his rebellious days under the Empire. "Han Solo & Chewbacca" (2022) depicts the duo doing a job for Jabba, who sends Greedo to accompany them.


title: Han Solo

text: Han Solo is a reckless smuggler with a sarcastic wit; he is "a very practical guy" and considers himself "a materialist"; but the adventures in the first "Star Wars" movie evoke his compassion, a trait "he didn't know he possessed".


title: Han Solo

text: The American Film Institute ranked Solo as the 14th greatest film hero. He was also deemed the 4th greatest movie character of all time by "Empire" magazine. "Entertainment Weekly" ranked the character 7th on their list of "The All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture". On their list of the "100 Greatest Fictional Characters", Fandomania.com ranked Solo at number 15. IGN listed Han Solo as the second greatest " Star Wars" character of all time (behind Darth Vader), as well as listing him as one of the top 10 characters who most needed a spin-off, saying he was "Arguably the coolest character in the Star Wars universe".


title: Han Solo

text: "Prince of Persia" producer Ben Mattes explained that their "inspiration was anything Harrison Ford has ever done: Indiana Jones, Han Solo". The antihero of the Japanese manga and anime "Space Adventure Cobra" has been compared by reviewers to Solo. In preparing to play James T. Kirk, Chris Pine drew inspiration from Ford's depictions of Han Solo and Indiana Jones, highlighting their humor and "accidental hero" traits.


title: Han Solo

text: Solo has been merchandised in multiple media, including action figures, video games, and other collectibles. A Han Solo action figure with "human proportions" was released in 1977 to follow with the initial release of the original Star Wars films, while a figure created for the films' mid-1990s re-release was criticized as "unrealistically muscled."


title: Han Solo

text: In June 2018, Han Solo's blaster from 1983's "Return of the Jedi" was auctioned for $550,000. Ripley's Believe It or Not! bought the item at the Hollywood Legends auction at Planet Hollywood casino-resort in Las Vegas.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Michail Gregory Antonio (born 28 March 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for club West Ham United. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national team.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio began his career at non-League club Tooting & Mitcham United before signing with Reading of the Championship in 2008. The club sent him on subsequent loan spells to Cheltenham Town, back to Tooting & Mitcham, Southampton and Colchester United, as he struggled to find a place in Reading's first team throughout his four-year stay at the Madejski. A final loan spell with Sheffield Wednesday resulted in a permanent move in 2012, where he went on to make 64 appearances and score 12 goals. Nottingham Forest signed him from Wednesday in 2014, where his 16 goals in 50 appearances attracted attention from West Ham United of the Premier League, who signed him in 2015, where he was deployed in a number of positions including right back, right midfielder and as a winger before eventually establishing himself as the club's main striker. On 23 August 2021, he became West Ham United's all-time top scorer in the Premier League.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio was born in Wandsworth, Greater London. He began playing football as a youth at Tooting & Mitcham United Juniors at the age of 12 and remained there for six seasons. He was scouted and invited for a trial by Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 14, though, his mother rejected the opportunity on his behalf and he remained with Tooting and Mitcham; he would also later unsuccessfully trial with both Brentford and Queens Park Rangers as a teenager. The Juniors' team was independent from Tooting & Mitcham United, whom he later signed for at the age of 17 years. He made his debut for the club in an away match against Wealdstone at the age of 18, scoring once in a 3–0 victory.


title: Michail Antonio

text: After just a handful of first-team appearances for Tooting & Mitcham United, Antonio signed for Championship club Reading on 28 October 2008 for an undisclosed fee, signing a deal until 2010. He rejoined Tooting on a month-long loan spell on 9 January 2009, with the loan extended for a further month on 11 February but he returned to Reading less than a week later on 17 February after being recalled by the club.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Following his loan spell with Southampton in the summer of 2010, Antonio signed a fresh deal to keep him at Reading until 2013. He featured more regularly in the squad during the 2010–11 season, scoring one goal, against Burnley, in 24 appearances in all competitions.


title: Michail Antonio

text: After being recalled from Tooting, Antonio was subsequently loaned out to League One club Cheltenham Town on a month's loan, commencing on 19 February.


title: Michail Antonio

text: He made his Football League debut in a 2–0 defeat to Leeds United on 21 February, being substituted on 28 minutes after suffering from an ankle injury. After spending some time out injured, Antonio would go on to make eight further appearances until the end of the season with Cheltenham.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Southampton signed Antonio on loan for one month on 5 October 2009, making his debut on 9 October in a 3–1 away win at Southend United. He scored his first goal for Southampton in the FA Cup victory over Bristol Rovers on 6 November. The loan was subsequently extended until the end of the season.


title: Michail Antonio

text: He scored in the first leg of the Football League Trophy area final against Milton Keynes Dons, with the match finishing 1–0. He also scored in his next appearance, a 2–1 victory over Ipswich Town in the FA Cup. He scored again in the 4–1 2010 Football League Trophy Final win over Carlisle United at Wembley Stadium on 28 March 2010, which was his 20th birthday, bringing Antonio his first silverware.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio's loan deal finished at the end of the 2009–10 season, but both manager Alan Pardew and Antonio himself expressed a desire for the winger to remain at Southampton.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Colchester United was the next destination for Antonio, where he signed on a one-month loan on 15 August 2011. He made his debut for the club the following day in a 2–0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic. He scored his first goal for the club to put the U's 2–1 ahead as they eventually lost in a 3–2 defeat to Huddersfield Town on 20 August. His loan spell with the club was extended for another month in September and then for a further month in October. In total, Antonio scored four goals in 15 league outings for Colchester.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 21 February 2012, Sheffield Wednesday signed Antonio on an emergency loan deal until the end of the season. His debut for the Owls came in a 1–0 victory over local rivals, Sheffield United on 26 February. In his next appearance, a 4–1 win against Bury, he scored two and set up another for forward Ryan Lowe. In the following match, against Bournemouth, Antonio set up the opener and scored Wednesday's third in the opening ten minutes. On 21 April 2012, against Carlisle United at Hillsborough, he scored a 95th-minute winner to beat them and put Sheffield Wednesday only one point behind local rivals United, who were in second place. He helped the Owls to promotion on the final day of the season by scoring the first in a 2–0 victory over already relegated Wycombe Wanderers, which led Wednesday to finish above Steel city rivals Sheffield United.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio signed on a permanent basis for Sheffield Wednesday on 6 August 2012 on a four-year deal after a third and final bid for the player was accepted by Reading. In his first season with the club, Antonio had been leading the scoring charts with nine goals, but an injury suffered in a 2–0 defeat by Cardiff City on 16 March 2013 ruled him out for the rest of the season.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 6 August 2014, Antonio signed a three-year contract with Nottingham Forest for a transfer fee in the region of £1.5 million.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio's strong form in Forest's first five league matches of the season, in which he contributed three goals and three assists, led to him being named as a candidate for the Championship's Player of the Month award for August. Antonio lost out on the award to Charlton's Igor Vetokele. Antonio started every league match for Forest during his first season with the club, scoring 14 goals, and was named Forest's Player of the Season on 4 May 2015.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 11 August 2015, Antonio scored a brace in a 3–4 loss to League One club Walsall in the first round of the League Cup. On 15 August, the winger scored the winner in a 2–1 victory at home to Rotherham to open his tally for the new season.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Having already rejected a bid of £4 million from West Bromwich Albion for the transfer of Antonio earlier that summer, Forest received a second bid of £4 million from arch-rivals Derby County. Consequently, Antonio was left out of Forest's Championship match against Charlton Athletic on 19 August 2015, with his manager Dougie Freedman citing that the winger was not "in the right frame of mind" to play. However, Antonio returned for the next league match at Bolton Wanderers. On 26 August, West Ham United joined the bidding for Antonio, offering Forest £4 million and winger Matt Jarvis on a season-long loan.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 1 September 2015, Antonio signed for Premier League club West Ham United for around £7 million on a four-year contract with an option for a further two years. He made his debut on 19 September, replacing Victor Moses in the 60th minute of West Ham's 2–1 Premier League win at Manchester City. In a Man of the match performance on 28 December 2015 in a 2–1 win, Antonio scored his first goal for West Ham. With the team losing 1–0 to Southampton, Antonio equalised when a clearance hit him and looped over Southampton goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 27 February, Antonio scored the only goal in a home win over Sunderland. He celebrated by lying on his side and spinning in a circle, imitating a celebration by "The Simpsons" character Homer Simpson in the episode "Last Exit to Springfield". In his next appearance, Antonio turned-in a Man of the match performance, scoring the only goal in a home win against Tottenham Hotspur. He followed this with another goal in a 3–2 away win at Everton three days later as West Ham came from two goals down. In July 2016, Antonio signed a new, four-year contract with West Ham.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio started West Ham's first match of the 2016–17 season in the right-back position, subsequently giving away a penalty in the early stages of the second half, which was converted by Eden Hazard, to give Chelsea a 1–0 lead. He was substituted not long after for Sam Byram. Chelsea went on to win 2–1. In the second match of the season, on 21 August 2016, Antonio returned to his favourite position of winger. He scored the only goal of the match, from a cross by Gökhan Töre, in a 1–0 win against Bournemouth; West Ham's first Premier League match and goal at their new ground, the London Stadium. In April 2017, having scored nine goals for West Ham, Antonio was ruled out for the remainder of the season with what was described by manager, Slaven Bilić, as a "significant injury". For his performances during the 2016–17 season, Antonio was named Hammer of the Year. On 11 May 2017, West Ham announced that Antonio had signed a new, four-year contract.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio scored the first goal by a visiting player at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, on 27 April 2019, as West Ham won 1–0, becoming the first away team to win at the stadium.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 11 July 2020, Antonio scored all four goals in a 4–0 win for West Ham over Norwich City, becoming the first player in West Ham's history to score four goals in a single Premier League game and the first West Ham player to score four goals in a game since David Cross against Tottenham in September 1981.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 22 July 2020, Antonio scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season, his best return in the top division of English football, in West Ham's 1–1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. The result also secured West Ham's place in the Premier League for the following season. In December 2020, Antonio signed a new, three-year contract committing himself to the club until 2023.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio finished the 2020–21 season as West Ham's joint top-scorer, alongside Tomáš Souček, with ten goals.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 15 August 2021, Antonio scored his 47th Premier League goal for the club, in a 4–2 victory away to Newcastle United, in West Ham United's opening match of the 2021–22 season. The goal drew him level with the club's all time record top scorer in the Premier League era, Paolo Di Canio. On 23 August, he scored a brace in West Ham's 4–1 home win against Leicester City to eclipse Di Canio's record. His goal celebration involved him running to the substitutes’ bench and hoisting a cardboard cut-out of himself above his head, drawing inspiration from actors Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the musical movie Dirty Dancing.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 10 September 2021, he was named as Premier League Player of the Month for August 2021. Antonio scored West Ham’s first goal in a 2–0 win against Dinamo Zagreb, on 16 September in their opening game in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League group stage. It was West Ham’s first goal in major European competition since 1999.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 25 September 2021, Antonio was subjected to racist abuse by a Leeds United supporter during a game a Elland Road. The offender was banned from attending any football match for four years after he was convicted of two offences at a trial at Leeds Magistrates' Court and given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 7 January 2022, Antonio signed a new two and a half year deal with West Ham United, with the option to extend a further year.


title: Michail Antonio

text: In March 2016, Antonio revealed that he had rejected the opportunity to play for Jamaica internationally and that he harboured an ambition of playing for England.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 28 August 2016, in new England manager Sam Allardyce's first squad, Antonio was called up for the first time, for a 2018 World Cup qualification match against Slovakia in Slovakia on 4 September 2016 where he was an unused substitute. On 16 March 2017, Antonio was called up by new England manager Gareth Southgate's squad for the friendly match against Germany on 22 March and the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Lithuania on 26 March; however, on 20 March, Antonio withdrew from the squad after picking up a hamstring injury.


title: Michail Antonio

text: In February 2021, Antonio was again approached by Jamaica to consider playing for them at international level. He was said to be passionate about playing and helping them reach the 2022 World Cup. In March 2021, Antonio was reported to be in the process of obtaining his Jamaican passport. On 17 March 2021, it was reported that Antonio had decided he was going to represent Jamaica internationally, ahead of the squad being announced for an upcoming international friendly against the United States. Despite this, Antonio was not included in the 19-man squad when this was announced on 17 March. The BBC reported that Antonio was still to decide whether to switch. TalkSPORT reported on the same day that he had pledged to play for Jamaica.


title: Michail Antonio

text: On 18 June 2021, Antonio was named in Jamaica's 60-man provisional squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Antonio missed out on the final 23-man squad, by virtue of not having secured his Jamaican passport in time. In August 2021, "The Athletic" reported Antonio had received his passport, making him eligible to play for the country. He was subsequently called up for a 35-man squad for upcoming World Cup fixtures against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica although COVID-19 travel restrictions do not allow him to enter either Mexico or Costa Rica. He debuted with Jamaica in a 3–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification loss to Panama on 5 September 2021. His debut lasted 70 minutes. He spent much of the game isolated with little service from his team on what was described as a hard and dry pitch.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio scored his first goal for Jamaica in his second international appearance. In a World Cup qualifying game against El Salvador on 13 November, Antonio scored the opening goal before Alex Roldan equalised for El Salvador as the game finished 1–1.


title: Michail Antonio

text: Antonio is a player who has been touted for his versatility throughout his time at West Ham. Antonio has played as a right back, right midfielder, winger and striker throughout his years at the club. Antonio said in 2016 however that his preferred position was on the wing.


title: Michail Antonio

text: In February 2019, Antonio suggested that clubs whose fans engage in racial abuse should be deducted points.


title: Michail Antonio

text: During the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Antonio endorsed Sara Kumar, the Conservative Party candidate in the West Ham constituency.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: Harris Jayaraj (born 8 January 1975) is an Indian composer from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He composes soundtracks predominantly for Tamil films, while also having composed for a few films in Telugu and two films in Hindi.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: He has been honoured with Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Life Time Achievement Award from Konijeti Rosaiah, the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Since 2001, he has won 6 Filmfare Awards South and has received 20 Filmfare Awards South nominations. He has also won 6 Mirchi Music Awards, 5 Vijay Awards, 4 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, 3 International Tamil Film Awards and Big FM Awards. In 2019, he was bestowed with the Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute Honorary Doctorate of Letters for his significant contributions to Tamil cinema music.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: Harris Jayaraj was born and brought up in Chennai in a pious Christian family. His father hails from a Tamil Christian family and his mother from a Hindu Naidu family. He studied at Krishnaswamy Matric School. At age six, Harris began his formal training in carnatic music. His father, S. M. Jayakumar, was a noted film guitarist and have frequently colabrated with T. M. Soundararajan, A. L. Raghavan, M.S.Viswanathan, Soolamangalam Sisters, K. J. Yesudas, S. Janaki, Shankar Ganesh, S.P.Balasubramaniam, K. V. Mahadevan, Malaysia Vasudevan, L. R. Eswari, Jikki, K. Jamuna Rani, P.Susheela and Malayalam music director Shyam. Following two distressing bomb blast incidents he became more religiously inclined and young Harris had to take over the family responsibility. His father wanted him to become a guitarist and made him learn classical guitar from Mr. A. Abdul Sattar.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: Harris scored the highest mark in Asia on his 4th grade exam of Trinity College of Music, London. He started his music career as a guitarist in 1987 at age twelve under M. S. Viswanathan's assistant Joseph Krishna. Harris could pursue his academics only up to High School, by then he always had problem with his attendance due to his recording sessions. Having been trained in classical guitar, Harris completed Grade VIII exams conducted by the Trinity College, London. Later he started playing keyboard and developed interest over synthesizers. For this there was no tutor. He then started programming with his Roland MC-500 and went on to work as a programmer under more than twenty five music directors in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Punjabi and Oriya working in more than 600 projects till the year 2000. Between 1987 to 2000, he worked under noted composers including Raj–Koti, A. R. Rahman, Sadhu Kokila, Mani Sharma, Karthik Raja, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Sirpi, Suresh Peters, Chandrabose, Shyam, Ouseppachan, Adithyan and Vidyasagar. In his early years as a musician, Harris have worked in movie soundtracks and film scores of various popular movies including Mudhalvan,Taj Mahal, Jeans, Kandukondain Kandukondain, Ullasam, Poovellam Kettuppar, Muthu, Padayappa, Ratchagan, Aravindhan, Indian, Seevalaperi Pandi and Asuran. While working as an additional programmer under A. R. Rahman, he composed music for various television commercials including a Coca-Cola commercial featuring actor Vijay. In his early years, he admired music composers M. S. Viswanathan, Ennio Morricone, A. R. Rahman, Salil Chowdhury, and Hans Zimmer.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: Harris debuted as a composer with Gautham Vasudev Menon's "Minnale". The album was well received, particularly the song "Vaseegara" was exceptionally popular. He received the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil for his work in "Minnale", breaking the 9 years continuous record of A. R. Rahman. The following soundtrack albums "12B" and "Majunu" met with high acclaim and praise. He also composed for the Hindi remake of "Minnale" titled "Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein", also directed by Gautham Menon. Most of the tunes from the Tamil version were retained in the Hindi version too, and only two fresh tunes were composed. He then worked in "Lesa Lesa" directed by Priyadarshan. The title track of "Lesa Lesa" was the first song in India to be released as a single prior to a film soundtrack album release. Harris made his debut in Telugu cinema with "Vasu". He received the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director and ITFA Best Music Director Award for "Kaakha Kaakha", starring Suriya and Jyothika. This film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon was a huge commercial success and the songs met with great critical acclaim. In its Telugu remake "Gharshana" two new songs apart from the Tamil version were added to suit the taste of Telugu audience. The song "Uyirin Uyire" reused as "Cheliya Cheliya" in Telugu and "Khwabon Khwabon" in Hindi had effective use of gibberish words which later became a signature element in Harris songs.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: Harris once again paired up with director Jeeva on "Ullam Ketkumae" after "12B". The music was appreciated for its excellency and synergy with the atmosphere in and out of the movie. Director S. Shankar, noted leading director of Tamil cinema, paired up with Harris in his magnum opus "Anniyan". It was the first time Shankar did not team up with A. R. Rahman. Shankar later mentioned that working with Harris was an experience. The soundtrack album received several awards including Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director and Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil. The next film he scored was "Ghajini" directed by AR Murugadoss, for which he received Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director. Critics noted that the album had "scintillating, party-hopping numbers", which resulted in a huge commercial success in audio sales; the track "Sutum Vizhi" crossed 20 million downloads and turned out to be phenomenally successful. Harris crafted a necessary classiness into Gautham Menon's blockbuster crime thriller "Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu" starring Kamal Haasan. Gautham revealed that he shares the entire script with Harris and provides input's from his side."Harris and I, when we work together, we put in a lot of effort. I give him the entire script. I give him inputs. When we sat down for "Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu", I told him to do away with the traditional pallavi-charanam format in the "Manjal veyyil" song." Harris once again ventured into Telugu films with a successful album "Sainikudu". The music album of the film was released simultaneously in 10 chosen venues from five different countries. Gautham Menon who considers the music and background score of Harris as a major asset of his films, once again teamed up with Harris on a romantic-thriller "Pachaikili Muthucharam". The soundtracks of Pachaikili Muthucharam are appraised as melancholic, lilting, mysterious, and alternatively catchy. Harris' collaboration with Jeeva continued with "Unnale Unnale". The music album oozing with energy all through proved to be a cut above the rest. His next Telugu venture "Munna" had a good commercial reception, and the song "Manasa" fetched a Filmfare Best Singer Female award to Sadhana Sargam. With the following album "Bheema", Harris continued his mettle with all the six songs. The track "Siru Parvaiyalae" used Pashto words in interludes. The album was praised for bringing up visual recapitulation from audio. Harris used a live orchestra of 84 members for the action cop film "Sathyam". In 2009, Harris Jayaraj was signed in for Vikram Kumar's "24", which was to star Vikram. He was also signed in for the Malayalam film "Yoddha 2", starring Mohanlal. But both films were subsequently shelved.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: In "Anegan", Harris's "Danga Maari Oodhari", featuring lyrics in North Madras slang become an instant chart-buster. After a hiatus of 6 years, Harris collaborated with Gautham Vasudev Menon for the action cop film "Yennai Arindhaal". The soundtrack received positive reviews from critics and according to Behindwoods, it was the most played album of 2015 in Chennai radio stations.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: In 2011, Harris announced his first musical world tour titled "Harris on the Edge". The tour featured live performance of Harris all over the world accompanied by a troupe of Tamil playback singers, including Karthik, Haricharan, Chinmayi, Tippu, Harini, Naresh Iyer, Harish Raghavendra, Krish, Aalap Raju, KK, Benny Dayal, Andrea, Suvi Suresh, Sunitha Sarathy, Srilekha Parthasarathy and Shweta Mohan and international musicians and dancers. The event was coordinated by "Techfront" and was directed by A. L. Vijay. The tour kick started in Chennai on 8 October 2011, and later continued in Coimbatore on 23 December 2011 and in Dubai on 4 February 2012. The whole tour was covered by Jaya TV.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: Harris opened a new studio on 8 January 2017, called "Studio H". The studio consists of the latest audio recording systems and technology. The first song to be composed in the studio was Halena from Iru Mugan. The S3 soundtrack was the first project entirely composed here.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: He composed music for various television commercials including a Coca-Cola commercial featuring Vijay. In 2008, he composed for "Herova? Zerova?" ad campaign which Suriya initiated under the Agaram Foundation, working to help children who drop out of school early in Tamil Nadu. With the Ministry of Education in Tamil Nadu, he created a short commercial video outlining child poverty, labour and lack of education, titled Herova? Zerova?. The film was written and produced by Sivakumar and also starred Suriya, Vijay, R. Madhavan and Jyothika.


title: Harris Jayaraj

text: Harris is married to Suma Jayaraj, the couple have a son named Samuel Nicholas Harris and a daughter named Karen Nikitha Harris, born in 2006. Nikitha is a playback singer who made her debut through the song "Vinnil Vinmeen" for the movie "Kaappaan", and won a V4U Media award in 2020.


title: Night Sky (TV series)

text: Night Sky (formerly known as "Lightyears") is an American science fiction drama streaming television series created by Holden Miller for Amazon Studios and Legendary Television. It stars Sissy Spacek and J. K. Simmons as a couple who possess a chamber leading to another planet. Chai Hansen, Adam Bartley, Julieta Zylberberg, Rocío Hernández, Kiah McKirnan, Beth Lacke, Stephen Louis Grush, and Cass Buggé co-star. The series was shot in Illinois, United States, and Jujuy Province, Argentina.


title: Night Sky (TV series)

text: "Night Sky" was released on May 20, 2022, on Amazon Prime Video. In July 2022, the series was canceled after one season.


title: Night Sky (TV series)

text: Married couple Franklin and Irene York discover a portal in their backyard that leads to a deserted planet.


title: Night Sky (TV series)

text: "Night Sky" is an American co-production between Amazon Studios and Legendary Television, created by Holden Miller and Daniel C. Connolly. The project was given a series order on October 21, 2020. Sissy Spacek and Ed O'Neill joined the cast in March 2021. O'Neill left the show the following month and was replaced by J. K. Simmons. Chai Hansen, Adam Bartley, Julieta Zylberberg, Rocío Hernández, and Kiah McKirnan were added to the cast as series regulars in May 2021. Principal photography began in June 2021 in the state of Illinois. Notable filming locations include the city of Woodstock, Cinespace Film Studios in Chicago, and the villages of Frankfort, Wauconda, and Island Lake. In August 2021, it was reported Beth Lacke, Stephen Louis Grush, and Cass Buggé would star in recurring roles. Filming was scheduled to conclude in October 2021.


title: Night Sky (TV series)

text: On July 5, 2022, Amazon Prime Video canceled the series after one season. Preproduction on a prospective second season was set to begin in September 2022.


title: Night Sky (TV series)

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 73% approval rating with an average rating of 6.4/10, based on 45 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, ""Night Sky" reaches for the stars when it really should have settled on a feature length finish, but the combined supernova of J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek shines bright." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Alana de la Garza

text: Alana de la Garza (born June 18, 1976) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Connie Rubirosa on the NBC television series "Law & Order" in its last four seasons through 2010, "" until the show's conclusion in 2011, and in "". She also portrayed Marisol Delko-Caine on "". In 2014 and 2015, she starred as Detective Jo Martinez in the ABC series "Forever". From 2016 to 2017, she starred in "" as Special Agent Clara Seger. In 2019, she began starring as SAC Isobel Castille on "FBI", a role she also plays on the spin-off series "".


title: Alana de la Garza

text: De la Garza was born in Columbus, Ohio, to a Mexican-American father and an Irish-American mother. She was raised in El Paso, Texas.


title: Alana de la Garza

text: She won the "Miss Photogenic" title in the Miss El Paso Teen USA local beauty pageant. She became a special-needs teacher and enrolled at the University of Texas at El Paso, studying physical therapy and social work.


title: Alana de la Garza

text: After graduation, she landed some small roles while living in Orlando, Florida, then soon after moved to New York City.


title: Alana de la Garza

text: In 2001, she was featured in the music video for Brooks & Dunn's song "Ain't Nothing 'bout You". Garza also appeared in the music video "All or Nothing" released by the boy band O-Town in 2001. She obtained the role of Rosa Santos on the soap opera, "All My Children", guest-starring roles in "JAG", "Charmed", "Two and a Half Men", and "Las Vegas". She starred as Maria in the short-lived television series "The Mountain". In 2006, she starred in "Mr. Fix-It" co-starring David Boreanaz. She also guest-starred as an evil Kryptonian (named "Aethyr" in promotional materials) in the Season 5 premiere episode of "Smallville" and played the recurring role of Marisol Delko Caine on the CBS television series "". She has twice been featured in the "Girls of "Maxim" online gallery.


title: Alana de la Garza

text: In 2006, she joined the cast of NBC's "Law & Order" during the premiere of Season 17, portraying Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa. Her performance as ADA Rubirosa has been widely praised by critics. In 2007, she earned a nomination for "Best Supporting Actress—Television" by the Imagen Foundation Awards. Following in 2008, she was nominated for an ALMA Award as "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Television Series". Later that year, she garnered an "Impact Award" for "Outstanding Performance in a Dramatic Television Series" by the National Hispanic Media Coalition.


title: Alana de la Garza

text: De la Garza played Assistant District Attorney (later DDA) Rubirosa for the final four seasons of "Law & Order", a role she also played on the short-lived spin-off "Law & Order: LA" (2011). On January 22, 2014, she guest starred in an episode of "" as Connie Rubirosa. Rubirosa, who had recently departed the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, is now a federal prosecutor, heading up a joint task force on underage sex trafficking. Her guest appearance first aired on January 22, 2014. This is, to date, her final appearance in the franchise.


title: Alana de la Garza

text: In February 2012, she was cast as a lead in the NBC medical drama pilot "Do No Harm". She played Dr. Lena Solis, a neurologist. In June 2012, De La Garza was added to the cast of "Are You Here", the feature film debut of "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner.


title: Alana de la Garza

text: In 2014–2015 she co-starred as police detective Jo Martinez in the ABC television series "Forever". In September 2015, she began a recurring role as the new head of Homeland Security on "Scorpion". She appeared in "", starring as the female-lead opposite Gary Sinise. In 2019 she was cast in season two of "FBI" as Isobel Castille.


title: Alana de la Garza

text: De la Garza married her long time boyfriend, Michael Roberts, a writer, on May 31, 2008, in Orlando, Orange County, Florida. They have a son<ref name="Early/"></ref>


title: Alana de la Garza

text: and a daughter. She is a distant cousin of TV writer-producer René Balcer, sharing a common relative in Juan Cortina, a Mexican folk hero known as the Rio Grande Robin Hood.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: Michael Smith (born August 27, 1972) is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, comedian and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of Bubbles and co-writer of the cult classic television program, films and stage production "Trailer Park Boys". He was also the guitarist for the Canadian rock band Sandbox. Smith earned a degree in English from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. For a short time in 2006, he was engaged to actress Nichole Hiltz.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: Smith showed early signs of musical talent, after learning to play the guitar at age six. Before becoming involved in Trailer Park Boys, he was a guitarist in the rock band Sandbox, and signed a record deal with EMI in Canada, and Nettwerk in the United States. Sandbox released two albums with EMI and Nettwerk, entitled "Bionic" and "A Murder in the Glee Club". Sandbox was nominated for a Juno Award, East Coast Music Awards, and a CASBY Award.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: Later, Smith performed as part of Bubbles & the Shit Rockers, a band that also featured founding Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and Tom Wilson for the original song "Liquor & Whores" featured on "". A Trailer Park Boys episode also features Smith's character Bubbles playing the 1977 Rush track "Closer to the Heart" with Alex Lifeson.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: Smith has performed "Liquor & Whores" with Guns N' Roses on multiple occasions on their Chinese Democracy Tour Series, in 2006, 2010 and 2011.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: Smith had been a long-time friend of "Trailer Park Boys" director Mike Clattenburg, and starred in "Cart Boy" with Robb Wells (who plays Ricky) and John Paul Tremblay (who plays Julian) in 1995.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: Smith was "messing" around on the set one day and slipped into his Cart Boy character from the short "The Cart Boy". Clattenburg apparently realized the depth this character held, and the Cart Boy, now known as Bubbles, was written into the show. Bubbles was never intended to be a main character, but the more outrageously he behaved, the more audiences loved him, developing him to become a breakout character. Bubbles then became one of the three main protagonists, having established that he knew Julian and Ricky from school back in the late 1970s to high school in the late '80s.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: Smith made an appearance as Bubbles in Snow's 2002 music video "Legal", but his swearing remained censored. He was also featured in Country Star George Canyon's video for "Drinkin Thinkin", which showed Bubbles going after his girlfriend. Mike and the rest of the Trailer park boys appeared in The Tragically Hip video, "The Darkest One". He has appeared in character as Bubbles at several Guns N' Roses 2006 Canadian tour dates and dates in Australia and Japan in 2007. Bubbles, along with Ricky and Julian, hosted the 2006 and the 2007 East Coast Music Awards, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Halifax, Nova Scotia respectively.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: Smith also was involved in another bar, "Bubbles' Mansion", located in Downtown Halifax. The bar, partly owned by Smith, closed in March 2010 after 4 years of operation, a decision the management attributed to government hikes in the minimum wage and minimum drink prices.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: In 2010, Smith reunited with many of his former "Trailer Park Boys" castmates in the new series "The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour".


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: On October 22, 2012, it was confirmed that Smith was to return to his role as Bubbles for a third feature length "Trailer Park Boys" film entitled "Don't Legalize It" which concluded filming in late April 2013. The film was released on April 18, 2014.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: In the spring of 2013, Smith along with his Trailer Park Boys cohorts Wells and Tremblay started Swearnet, an internet-based television network that is entirely uncensored. The trio have also produced a film that is a fictional take on their website.


title: Mike Smith (actor)

text: In 2016, Smith was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery. The alleged victim (who was not the person who called police) released a statement in support of Smith, and the charges were dropped.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Scissor Sisters were an American pop rock band formed in 2001. Its members include Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real (who replaced Paddy Boom) as drummer. Scissor Sisters incorporates diverse and eclectic styles in their music, but tends to sway towards pop rock, glam rock, nu-disco, and electroclash. Forged in the "gay nightlife scene of New York", the band took its name from the female same-sex sexual activity tribadism.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: The band came to prominence following the release of their Grammy-nominated and chart-topping disco version of "Comfortably Numb" and subsequent debut album "Scissor Sisters" (2004). The album was a success, particularly in the UK where it reached number one, was the best-selling album of 2004, was later certified platinum by the BPI, and earned them three BRIT Awards in 2005. All five of its singles reached positions within the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart while "Filthy/Gorgeous" scored the band their first number one on "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Songs, despite the album's meager success in their native US.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: The album continued its success in countries around Europe, in Australia and in Canada before the release of the band's second studio album "Ta-Dah" (2006), their second consecutive UK number one album which produced their first UK number one single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'". Their third studio album "Night Work" (2010) displayed a shift towards a more club-oriented sound, charting at number two on the UK Albums Chart, number one on "Billboard" Top Independent Albums chart and in the top 10 of several international territories. The band released their fourth studio album "Magic Hour" in May 2012.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Scissor Sisters has performed around the world and have become recognized for their controversial and transgressive live performances. They also collaborated with a number of other well-known pop musicians, including Elton John and Kylie Minogue; these particular collaborations have been received positively by both critics and other notable figures. In 2004, Bono, lead vocalist of rock band U2, described Scissor Sisters as "the best pop group in the world". They also collaborated with Global Cool in 2007 on one of their green lifestyle campaigns.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Originally named Dead Lesbian and then the Fibrillating Scissor Sisters, the final two words of the latter being derived from the lesbian sexual act tribadism, the band was founded in 2000 after friends Jason "Jake Shears" Sellards and Scott "Babydaddy" Hoffman (who had met in 1999 in Lexington) both moved to New York City, enjoying its open and gay-friendly ethos. They began producing music together, with Babydaddy composing music and Shears writing lyrics. The duo released a couple of singles to little success and began appearing at underground clubs on New York's Lower East Side. On a trip to Disneyland, the pair met Ana "Matronic" Lynch at a screening of Michael Jackson's "Captain EO". During a subsequent teacup ride, they discovered that they had a lot in common. Shears later remarked, "I really thought she was a freak but when I started singing "Another Part of Me" she showed me the best moonwalk I've ever seen."


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Ana Matronic ran a weekly cabaret event known as Knock Off at a club called the Slipper Room in New York, where she liked to hire eccentric and alternative acts; one reporter described it as a place that "served up a racy, multigender revue of kitsch," and that a performer dressed as a giant vulva "enfolded me with her labia while singing "Lick Me in My Wet Spot" to the tune of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"." Matronic invited the pair to appear at Knock Off, which they did on September 21, 2001. Shears dressed as his character "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late Term Abortion" whilst Matronic, dressed as a reject from Andy Warhol's Factory, joined the pair on stage and sang. Shears and Babydaddy felt she was very effective and asked her to join the band on a permanent basis, to which she agreed.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: The trio then began appearing at other clubs, dropping the word "Fibrillating" from their name. They primarily played electroclash, which was popular at the time in the underground club scene of New York with bands like Peaches and Chicks on Speed. They were soon joined by Derek "Del Marquis" Gruen on lead guitar, who had known Shears from when they both worked at the IC Guys club where Shears had been a stripper. They were joined by a fifth member, Patrick "Paddy Boom" Seacor, on drums who (being heterosexual) felt the need to explain to his mother that "it's not a gay band... there [are] gay members, but it doesn't matter. It's about the music and about performance."


title: Scissor Sisters

text: In 2002, the band signed with a small New York record company called A Touch of Class for a two-single deal. Their first single "Electrobix" dealt with gay men's obsessions with working out but proved to be less popular than its B-side, a cover version of Pink Floyd's progressive rock classic "Comfortably Numb". Matronic commented, "It's one of those songs that people were either gonna love or hate, and that's really, really powerful, because it basically means you're evoking a reaction in everyone. The first time I heard it, I thought that if it doesn't make us famous, it'll make us infamous because somebody will shoot us!" Their version of "Comfortably Numb" became a hit in many dance clubs and, after sending Pink Floyd themselves a copy, the Scissor Sisters received positive remarks from the song's original writers Roger Waters and David Gilmour. The song proved to be particularly popular in the UK, where various record labels soon took an interest in the band. In 2003, they decided they would tour Europe where they believed audiences would be more receptive to them and their music than their native US.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: "Comfortably Numb" came to the attention of British label Polydor, who signed the group to a contract. Their first single for the label "Laura" (with two different music videos) had a limited release in 2003 and reaching number 54 in the UK Singles Chart, receiving little attention with the exceptions of British music paper "New Musical Express", Channel 4's entertainment programme "V Graham Norton", and the same channel's music programme "Popworld" for which they were interviewed. The track also received much radio play in Australia. Their track "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" was also included on the soundtrack of the film "Party Monster" (2003), playing over its ending credits.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Their first hit was in 2004 with the official release of "Comfortably Numb". Reaching number 10 in the UK, this success was followed by "Take Your Mama" which went to number 17, a re-release of "Laura" (with two different music videos) which went to number 12, the ballad "Mary" which went to number 14, and the hedonist anthem "Filthy/Gorgeous" which peaked at number 5 in the UK. All the singles came from their debut album "Scissor Sisters", which reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and became the best selling album of 2004, beating Keane's "Hopes and Fears" by 582 copies. As of 2016, it is the 20th biggest-selling album of the 21st century, and the 39th biggest-selling of all time in the UK.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Several media outlets noted that Scissor Sisters "stick out like a sore thumb" on the list of artists who have sold over 2 million copies of an album in the UK in the 21st century; the others being James Blunt, Robbie Williams, Keane, Dido, Coldplay and Norah Jones—artists considered "mainstream" compared to the Scissor Sisters' brash and controversial image. The band had been particularly keen on producing an album that fitted together well rather than simply producing a string of singles. According to Babydaddy, their purpose was "to create a perfect pop rock album that would pick you up at the beginning, take you on a journey in the middle, and set you right back down again in the same place at the end."


title: Scissor Sisters

text: About six months after its British release, "Scissor Sisters" was released in the US. To publicize it the band appeared on the popular morning television show "Live with Regis and Kelly", an event that Shears later recalled: "Kelly Ripa loved us, after the first time we played, she gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, 'I just want you to know that this is my favorite music performance we've ever had.' It was amazing." Nonetheless, neither the band nor the album proved to be a big commercial success in the US: major chain store Wal-Mart refused to stock it, claiming on its website that it contained "a snarling, swaggering attack on conservatism" in the form of the song "Tits on the Radio".


title: Scissor Sisters

text: The band refused to produce a "clean" version of the album, and Babydaddy remarked that, "We did have to slap a parental warning sticker on the disc, which is completely absurd. I think a kid listening to Eminem is getting a much more negative message than what we've been putting forward. We've only got one 'shit' and a few 'tits!'" Band members have shown their dissatisfaction with the decision on a number of occasions. However, they continued their success in Europe by performing at the Brixton Academy in London for Halloween 2004, where they asked the audience to dress up as the characters from "The Rocky Horror Show"; the band themselves did so too.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Recording of the second album, "Ta-Dah", commenced in mid-May 2005 at the Discoball; sneak previews of new songs were played at live performances, including "Everybody Wants the Same Thing", performed at the Live 8 concert, "Paul McCartney", "I Can't Decide", "Hybrid Man", "Forever Right Now" and "Hair Baby" (a title that refers to the phenomenon of tumors containing partially formed fetuses). Among the assumed pseudonyms used to play a series of secret shows to test this new material were "Bridget Jones' Diarrhea", "Portion Control" and "Megapussi". Scissor Sisters were also one of the headlining acts at the British V Festival in 2005, where they collaborated on stage with Scottish rock group Franz Ferdinand to perform a cover version of David Bowie's "Suffragette City".


title: Scissor Sisters

text: The band fulfilled one of its dreams: Elton John collaborated with them on "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" (as pianist and co-writer). The song reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom on September 10, 2006, and remained in the top spot for four consecutive weeks. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" also peaked at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and the Euro Hot 100. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" became the group's biggest hit to date.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Elton John also contributed to the song "Intermission" on "Ta-Dah" and played piano on a demo of the song "Bad Shit" (that can be found on the "Lights" CDsingle).


title: Scissor Sisters

text: In 2006, they acted as an opening act for Depeche Mode's Touring the Angel Tour for a concert in Mountain View, California. Their first gig in the UK for promotion of the second album took place at the KOKO Club, Camden, London, on Aug. 31, 2006, and was filmed for MTV. 2006 performances at the Bowery Ballroom and Siren Music Festival in New York and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival allowed the band to showcase an array of songs from the new album. A free concert was given in Trafalgar Square to 10,000 ballot winners on September 16, 2006, to promote the Red charity. The band also headlined the 2006 Bestival festival on the Isle of Wight. Additionally, they were invited to BBC's Maida Vale studios to perform different songs on every show broadcast on BBC Radio 1. The event, dubbed "Scissor Sisters Day", culminated in them actually standing in for presenter Pete Tong and hosting his three-hour slot themselves. The show took an unexpected turn when a woman in labour telephoned the show to share her experience with the band and they played "Push It" by Salt-n-Pepa for her. Several performances, interviews, and a humorous jingle that was written in an hour, were filmed and edited into a special seven-day, looped broadcast on BBCi.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: The album was released on September 18, 2006 in the United Kingdom, and on September 26, 2006 in the United States. According to Shears, the album is a combination of 1960s psychedelia, glam rock and disco. It reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release, officially taking the top spot on September 24, 2006, marking a first for the Scissor Sisters, consisting of a single and album at the top of the UK charts simultaneously. The album "Ta-Dah" leaked onto the Internet on September 10, 2006, five days before its release in the United Kingdom.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: The Scissor Sisters ended their first UK tour at Wembley Arena, London, from November 24 to 26, 2006, supported by new artist Lily Allen, who performed during the three days there. The band has also been in the Latin America Top 40 Airplay. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is still charting and is so far their biggest hit to date in Latin America, reaching No. 23, charting mostly in South America, particularly Peru. "Land of a Thousand Words" was released as the second single from the album, peaking at No. 19 in the UK. "She's My Man" was the third single released in February 2007, peaking at No. 29. "Kiss You Off" was the fourth and final single released in May 2007 but failed to dent the Top 40, their first single since their debut "Laura" to do so. The "Kiss You Off" video centered around Ana Matronic in a futuristic beauty salon. The group was the main event during the New Year's Eve celebrations for 2007 in Berlin. On February 8 and 9, 2007, the group appeared on the American daytime soap opera "Passions". They performed "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" and "Land of a Thousand Words" from the album "Ta-Dah".


title: Scissor Sisters

text: After touring the world in 2007, the band had a short hiatus in order to work on their next studio album. Premiering new material of this album at secret gigs in New York City's Mercury Lounge in October 2008, they assumed the names Queef Latina and Debbie's Hairy. New songs included on the set list were "Television", "Who's Your Money", "Other Girls", "Major for You", "None of My Business", "Singularity", "Do the Strand", "Who's There", "Not the Loving Kind", "Taking Shape" (with Babydaddy on lead vocals), and "Uroboros". Shears stated on the band's website there was a possibility that none of these songs would appear on the album, as the band was less than satisfied with most of them. This was confirmed to be the case when the track list was revealed. Drummer Paddy Boom was absent at these gigs and it was later announced that he had amicably parted from the band. The band had come into contact with drummer Randy "Real" Schrager, who was known from his work on the downtown New York scene, playing with bands such as Jessica Vale and The Act. He was initially brought on as a fill-in during Paddy Boom's leave of absence. Eventually, Randy was made part of the full-time line-up.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Scissor Sisters spent much of 2008 and early 2009 in the recording studio. However, after working on new material for approximately 18 months, the band decided to shelve their third album. Shears explained: "In my heart I knew it wasn't right. I didn't really know what it was trying to say. It left me a little bit cold." Reportedly, an entire record had been worked on but that the group had "shelved it about a year ago." Shears admits, "If it wasn't something we could fully get behind and believe in, I think the band was going to be over."


title: Scissor Sisters

text: In June 2009, the band returned to the studio and began to work on new tracks that made it onto "Night Work", their replacement third album. Produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, "Night Work" was released on June 28, 2010. The album was described as "supersexual and sleazy" with its first single, "Fire with Fire" as "a really epic song that makes you feel really good". With the album, the band have toured worldwide on The Night Work Tour. As an opening act, they joined Lady Gaga for select dates on her third leg of The Monster Ball Tour in early 2011.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Shears and Scissor Sisters collaborator John "JJ" Garden provided the lyrics and score for a world-premiere musical adaptation of Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City", a much-loved series of novels (and later a television miniseries) about life in San Francisco in the 1970s. The musical was first developed at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Music Theater Conference in 2009, where Shears and Garden collaborated with a creative team that included playwright Jeff Whitty and director Jason Moore, of the Tony-Award-winning musical "Avenue Q". The show had a subsequent run in San Francisco on May 18, 2011 at the American Conservatory Theater.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: On October 31, 2011, Shears tweeted that the band's fourth album was in its final stages. A song from the new album titled "Shady Love" debuted on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show on January 2, 2012. "Shady Love" features guest vocals from Azealia Banks while Jake Shears performs under his pseudonym Krystal Pepsy.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: On March 13, 2012, Scissor Sisters announced the title of the album, "Magic Hour", and revealed that the record would be released worldwide on May 28, 2012. The band also announced the release date of a new single, "Only the Horses". Originally scheduled to come out on May 20, the release of "Only the Horses" was brought forward to May 13. The video premiered on Thursday April 18, 2012. On May 7, the band released the track "Let's Have a Kiki" exclusively via Spotify in some countries.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Upon release, "Magic Hour" peaked at #4 on the UK Albums Chart and #35 on the US Billboard 200. The album reached #1 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The band embarked on a world tour in support of "Magic Hour", starting with summer shows in North America. On July 9, 2012, they performed the American TV premiere of "Let's Have a Kiki" on Bravo-TV's "Watch What Happens Live". They toured Europe in September and October 2012.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: On October 23, 2012, while performing at the Camden Roundhouse, Scissor Sisters announced an indefinite hiatus. A year later, Ana Matronic insisted that the band, while still on break, had not permanently split.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: The band collaborated on a charity record with MNDR and released "Swerlk" on June 9, 2017, their first release in five years. Proceeds for the single were donated to the Contigo Fund, a nonprofit organization for LGBTQ individuals.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: In June 2019, Shears stated the impetus for the band's hiatus was the success of "Let's Have a Kiki" and wanting to end things on a high note.


title: Scissor Sisters

text: Scissor Sisters' music can be generally described as a mixture of glam rock, disco and alternative music. They appear to have been heavily influenced by Elton John (who co-wrote and played piano on "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'") despite Shears commenting that he was not familiar with his work prior to the release of their record. Shears has since stated that he has become a big fan. The band also has been compared to ABBA, the Bee Gees, Blondie, KC and the Sunshine Band, Duran Duran who were "the reason we got into music," Matronic stated, Supertramp, Siouxsie and the Banshees who Matronic "wouldn't be here without," David Bowie, 1970s-era Kiss, Queen, Chic, Richard O'Brien and various other dance, disco, rock, and funk acts. Shears also stated that The Beatles have been an influence for him and that he is a huge fan of Paul McCartney and Wings, hence their track entitled "Paul McCartney". However, the band admits that their music is hard to categorise.