title: Bell P-39 Airacobra

text: By the end of the war, 89 P-39s were still at the Canne airport and 13 at the "Scuola Addestramento Bombardamento e Caccia" ("Training School for Bombers and Fighters") at Frosinone airfield. In 10 months of operational service, the 4° "Stormo " had been awarded three "Medaglia d'Oro al Valore Militare "alla memoria"". After the war the P-39s were taken over by the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (the new Italian air force) and used for several years as training aircraft. In Galatina fighter training unit ("Scuola Caccia"), war veteran "Tenente colonnello" Francis Leoncini was killed during a flying accident, on 10 May 1950.


title: Bell P-39 Airacobra

text: Between December 1942 and February 1943, the "Aeronáutica Militar" (Army Military Aviation) obtained aircraft operated by the 81st and the 350th Fighter Groups originally dispatched to North Africa as part of Operation Torch. Due to several problems en route, some of the aircraft were forced to land in Portugal and Spain. Of the 19 fighter aircraft that landed in Portugal, all were interned and entered service that year with the Portuguese Army Military Aviation. They formed the Squadron OK, based at Ota Air Base.


title: Bell P-39 Airacobra

text: Though unnecessary, the Portuguese Government paid the United States US$20,000 for each of these interned aircraft as well as for one interned Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The U.S. accepted the payment, and gave as a gift four additional crates of aircraft, two of which were not badly damaged, without supplying spares, flight manuals or service manuals. Without proper training, incorporation of the aircraft into service was plagued with problems, and the last six Portuguese Airacobras that remained in 1950 were sold for scrap.


title: Bell P-39 Airacobra

text: A very small number of late-production P-39Qs survived long enough in the USAAF inventory to be acquired by the United States Air Force upon its separation from the Army. These aircraft served in training and testing roles for approximately a year. They were redesignated as ZF-39Qs ("ZF" for "Obsolete Fighter") in June 1948 as part of the new aircraft designation scheme throughout the USAF.


title: Bell P-39 Airacobra

text: In 1945, Italy purchased the 46 surviving P-39s at 1% of their cost but in summer 1946 many accidents occurred, including fatal ones. By 1947, 4° "Stormo " re-equipped with P-38s, with P-39s sent to training units until the type's retirement in 1951. Only a T9 cannon survives today at Vigna di Valle Museum.


title: Bell P-39 Airacobra

text: The Airacobra was raced at the National Air Races in the United States after World War II. Famous versions used for racing included the twin aircraft known as "Cobra I" and "Cobra II," owned jointly by Bell Aircraft test pilots Tex Johnston and Jack Woolams. These aircraft were powered by an extensively modified 2000-horsepower engine, and a P-63 four-blade propeller. "Cobra I" with its pilot, Jack Woolams, was lost in 1946 during a test flight over Lake Ontario. The "Cobra II" flown by test pilot "Tex" Johnston, beat racing-modified P-51s, as well as other P-39 racers (which were the favorites), to win the 1946 Thompson Trophy race.


title: Bell P-39 Airacobra

text: "Cobra II" competed again in the 1947 Thompson Trophy, finishing 3rd. In the 1948 Thompson trophy, she was unable to finish due to engine difficulties. "Cobra II" did not race again and was destroyed on 10 August 1968 during a test flight prior to an attempt at the world piston-engine air speed record, when owner-pilot Mike Carroll lost control and crashed. Carroll died and the highly modified P-39 was destroyed.


title: Bell P-39 Airacobra

text: Mira Slovak's P-39Q "Mr. Mennen" (Race #21) was a fast unlimited racer, but a late arrival in 1972 kept the racer out of the Reno races, and she was never entered again. Her color scheme was all white with "Mennen" green and bronze trim. She is now owned and displayed by the Kalamazoo Air Zoo, in the color scheme of P-400 "Whistlin' Britches."


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Laura "Luann" Bambrough (April 28, 1964 – March 17, 2014), known professionally as L'Wren Scott, was an American model, fashion designer and stylist.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Scott started her career as a model in Paris before moving to California and styling movie stars such as Madonna and Julia Roberts. In 2006, she launched the first of her fashion collections, characterised by sumptuous femininity combined with unconventional touches, aimed at establishing a well-defined silhouette. She issued regular tips on etiquette, known as "L'Wrenisms", and extended her range into shoes, handbags, glasses, makeup and perfume. In 2013, she collaborated with Banana Republic on a line of affordable ready-to-wear holiday items.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Scott's longest relationship was with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, whom she met in Paris around 2001. In 2014, following a period of severe depression, Scott was found dead in her home, from a suicide by hanging.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Scott was named Laura Bambrough by her Mormon adoptive parents, Ivan and Lula Bambrough, who raised her in Roy, Utah, with two siblings, Jan and Randall, also adoptees. Laura was soon nicknamed "Luann". Known for her tall frame, she had already reached in height by the age of twelve, and would eventually grow to . Because of her height, she had to sew her own clothes. She learned clothing construction, and fabric quality starting at the age of twelve. Luann Bambrough graduated from Roy High School in 1982.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: L'Wren Scott's career moved from model, stylist, to fashion designer. There are two versions of how she got her start.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: The first has her at age 16, being spotted by photographer Bruce Weber, when he came to Utah on a photo shoot. He advised her to go to Paris. It is said that a year later she flew to Europe on a one-way ticket, after telling her parents she was going to New York.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: The second indicates that Scott moved to Los Angeles a year-and-a-half after graduating from high school, where she was spotted by a scout with agency ties in Paris and began calling herself "L'Wren."


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Working with Paris-based agencies, Glamour and Marilyn Gauthier, she went on to work for Thierry Mugler and Chanel, Helmut Newton, as well as model for photographers as Guy Bourdin, David Bailey and Jean-Paul Goude. Her first commercial success was as the legs on a clock for the Pretty Polly hosiery ads, with photographs taken by David Bailey.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Scott moved to California in the early 1990s and established herself as a stylist, initially in collaboration with photographer Herb Ritts, and later with Helmut Newton, Karl Lagerfeld and Mario Sorrenti. One of her early assignments was an ad campaign for Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds, eventually the world's top-selling celebrity fragrance.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In 2009, she contributed designs for Madonna to wear in her photo shoot with model Jesus Luz for "W Magazine" and in 2011, Scott styled actress Julia Roberts for a "W Magazine" shoot, alongside Tom Hanks. She designed costumes for such films as "Diabolique" (1996 remake), "Ocean's Thirteen", "Eyes Wide Shut", as well as "Shine a Light", a documentary by Martin Scorsese about The Rolling Stones, with Mick Jagger, with whom she had been romantically linked since 2001.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: As Scott told "Vogue" in 2009, "I trusted my instincts and stuck to what I believed in." Scott designed clothing, makeup, perfume, handbags, shoes, and eyeglasses.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: "I like a very sexy silhouette, and I like to feel like when you put something on, you zip yourself into it, and you're secure in there."


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Net-A-Porter described Scott's designs as "seductive, old-world feel: super-feminine silhouettes; rigorous cuts; nipped-in waists; pencil skirts, high-collared blouses; elegant, long-sleeved dresses."


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Scott was well known for her attention to the details. Described as "luxury dressing," Scott was a hands-on designer, sourcing, often cutting patterns, sewing, and fitting many of the clothes herself.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: As a designer, she had developed what her followers called, "L'Wrenisms,' which were style tips. As quoted in "The Sunday Times", they are an eccentric mix of opinions and practical tips.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In a backstage interview with Harriet Mays Powell of "New York", she describes her design process. She starts with color, then designs fabrics, and then designs the clothes. Her inspiration was found in nature and in things around her. Several collections, most especially her Madame DuBarry (SS 2011), as well as the inclusion of peony shirts, scarf, and pants in her Banana Republic collection reflect this nature-based inspiration.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In 2006, L'Wren Scott launched her first collection "Little Black Dress." The collection presented black dresses, including her now famous "Headmistress" dress worn by Madonna.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Scott's creations were seen often on the red carpet. Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz and Amy Adams have all worn Scott's dresses to the Academy Awards.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In addition, First Lady Michelle Obama favored L'Wren Scott's designs, especially embellished cardigan sweaters. The former First Lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wore Scott's designs, as did Naomi Campbell, Marion Cotillard, Reese Witherspoon, Christina Hendricks, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock and Uma Thurman.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In 2010, Scott collaborated with Lancôme to create a capsule collection for the 2010 holiday season featuring a lipstick in Scott's signature bordeaux color. The campaign was shot by photographer Mario Testino and featured model Daria Werbowy wearing an outfit designed by Scott.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: May 2011 saw the launch of Scott's first collection of handbags, named "Lula" after her mother". The line was launched at Barneys New York, with a personal appearance by Scott.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In 2012, L'Wren Scott launched her eponymous scent sold exclusively at Barney's. The scent is an eau de parfum priced at $195 for 3.4 oz. She also launched an eyewear line the same year. The collection debuted at Vision Expo East, and was a collaborative partnership with the German-based Menrad Group.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In February 2014, the London Fashion Week showing of her fall 2014 collection was canceled, citing delays in production. It was announced that the collection would be revealed via social media, and be presented in her Paris showroom to editors and retail buyers in March.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In 2013, Scott collaborated with Banana Republic with an exclusive holiday collection including apparel and accessories for women. The collection was her first foray into an affordable line of ready-to-wear, and included everything from scarves, jeans, purses, sweaters, pajamas, and cocktail dresses. The collection was launched on December 5, with an opening attended by celebrities dressed in the clothing.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: She collaborated with makeup artist and brand Bobbi Brown to create lip glosses, eye shadows and cheek color, which came out in 2014. In 2013, she also designed a limited edition bottle for Caudalie's Beauty Elixir.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: L'Wren Scott collaborated with Mick Jagger to design his costumes for Rolling Stones tours. These included a gorilla coat covered in ostrich feathers, a green jacket that Scott dubbed "Glamouflage," a black jacket with butterflies, and an embroidered gold jacket inspired by Gustav Klimt.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: L'Wren Scott was married twice, for short periods of time. From 1990 to 1993 as "Lauren Scott," she was married to British property developer Andrew Ladsky. In 1993, one month after her divorce from Ladsky, she married Anthony Brand, manager of a Prada franchise in Beverly Hills. The marriage lasted for about a year. The divorce was finalized in 1997.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: Her longest relationship was with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, whom she met around 2001. The couple lived in London, New York City, France, and Mustique. Scott's siblings have divided opinions regarding Jagger's relationship with their sister.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: After a long period of depression, Scott was found dead by her assistant at her apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on March 17, 2014. The police reported that no note was found and there was no sign of foul play. The New York City Chief Medical Examiner determined Scott's death to be suicide by hanging. She was 49.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way. We spent many wonderful years together and had made a great life for ourselves. She had great presence and her talent was much admired, not least by me. I have been touched by the tributes that people have paid to her, and also the personal messages of support that I have received. I will never forget her.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: A memorial in Utah on April 12, 2014 was led by her brother Randall Bambrough. Bambrough urged people to remember Scott "As a wonderful terrific person who was highly talented and had a very large heart and brought the best out in people." L'Wren Scott's ashes were buried next to her parents, Ivan and Lula Bambrough, near the family home in Ogden, Utah. A final memorial was held for her friends on May 2, 2014, led by Jagger and Randall Bambrough in New York City.


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In January 2015, it was announced that Mick Jagger had created a three-year scholarship fund in her name for fashion design students at the London-based school Central Saint Martins. The scholarship, which began in October 2015 covers all the fees for one student each year, over the course of three years (through 2017).


title: L'Wren Scott

text: In the weeks following her death, both her Banana Republic collection and her higher-priced line at Barneys New York were sold out. She left her entire estate, estimated at about US$9 million, to Mick Jagger. Christie's organized a sale of L'Wren's clothes designed for Mick Jagger planned June-July 2021. The proceedings, totalling over £365,000, went to the scholarship fund created by the British singer.


title: David Lynch filmography

text: David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, painter, television director, visual artist, musician, and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style which has been dubbed "Lynchian" and is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound design. The surreal and, in many cases, violent elements to his films have earned them the reputation that they "disturb, offend or mystify" their audiences.


title: David Lynch filmography

text: Lynch's oeuvre includes short and feature-length films, music videos, documentaries and television episodes, while his involvement in these ranges from direction, production, and screenwriting to acting and sound design. Lynch's first project was the 1967 short "Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times)", an animated film which blended elements of sculpture and painting into its animation. His first feature-length project, 1977's "Eraserhead", became a cult film and launched his commercial career. It also marked his first collaboration with Jack Nance, an actor who would appear in many more of Lynch's productions until his death in 1996. Lynch's other feature films include the critically successful "The Elephant Man" (1980), "Blue Velvet" (1986) and "Mulholland Drive" (2001), all of which went on to earn Academy Award nominations, and the commercial flop "Dune".


title: David Lynch filmography

text: Lynch has also branched out into television, and later, internet-based series. His first foray into the medium was "Twin Peaks", a joint venture with Mark Frost. "Twin Peaks" became a cult success, leading to Lynch and Frost working together on a number of other projects, including "On the Air" and "American Chronicles". In 2002 Lynch began producing two series of shorts released through his official website: the Flash-animated "DumbLand" and "Rabbits". Having begun acting in his 1972 short "The Amputee", Lynch went on to appear on-camera in "Twin Peaks", "Zelly and Me", and "Dune". From 2010 to 2013, Lynch appeared in a recurring voice role in the animated series "The Cleveland Show".


title: Laurie David

text: Laurie Ellen David (née Lennard; born March 22, 1958) is an American environmental activist, producer, and writer. She produced the Academy Award-winning "An Inconvenient Truth" (2006) and partnered with Katie Couric to executive produce "Fed Up" (2014), a film about the causes of obesity in the United States. She serves as a trustee on the Natural Resources Defense Council and a member of the Advisory Board of the Children's Nature Institute and is a contributing blogger to "The Huffington Post."


title: Laurie David

text: Laurie Ellen Lennard was born and raised in a middle class Jewish family on Long Island. Laurie was married for 14 years to Larry David from March 31, 1993 to July 13, 2007. They have two daughters.


title: Laurie David

text: In 2007, David was awarded nearly half of the net worth of her husband Larry, following their divorce. Laurie remarried in 2012 to Robert Thorpe.


title: Laurie David

text: Before working full-time on environmental and political issues, David worked in the entertainment industry. She began her career in New York City as a talent coordinator for Late Night with David Letterman. Four years later, she left to start her own management company, representing comedians and comedy writers.


title: Laurie David

text: David also produced several comedy specials for HBO, Showtime, MTV, and Fox Television. Upon moving to Los Angeles, she became vice president of comedy development for a division of Fox Broadcasting and developed sitcoms for 20th Century Fox Television. After leaving to raise her two daughters, she executive produced "An Inconvenient Truth", which won the Academy Award. She has since produced other social action documentaries, including "Fed Up", "The Last Animals", "The Biggest Little Farm" and "The Social Dilemma". David has written two popular cookbooks on healthy eating and the importance of family dinner including "The Family Dinner," and "The Family Cooks". She co-wrote "The Down To Earth Guide To Global Warming" which has since been reprinted in eight languages. Most recently she has co-written "Imagine It! A Handbook for a Happier Planet" published by RandomHouse Rodale.


title: Laurie David

text: Laurie David has worked publicly on projects aimed at stopping climate change. She founded the "Stop Global Warming Virtual March" with Senator John McCain and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "Ms." magazine quoted Laurie David about the grassroots aspect of her campaign: "If everyone does one thing, they are likely to do two things, then three things. Then they are likely to influence friends and family, and that's how you build a movement."


title: Laurie David

text: In addition to the Virtual March, David has produced other projects to bring the issue of climate change into the mainstream popular culture, including the release of her first book, "Stop Global Warming: The Solution Is You!", and the comedy special, "Earth to America!" for TBS, which aired on November 20, 2005. Aside from the Academy Award-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", David produced HBO's "Too Hot Not to Handle" (a documentary on the effects of climate change in the United States), which aired on April 22, 2006. Laurie David also appeared in "Big Ideas for a Small Planet", an environmentalist documentary series on the Sundance Channel.


title: Laurie David

text: In an interview with "The Guardian" in November 2006, David acknowledged that owning two homes on opposite sides of the country and flying in a private jet several times per year is at odds with her message to others. In the interview, she notes "Yes, I take a private plane on holiday a couple of times a year, and I feel horribly guilty about it. I probably shouldn't do it. But the truth is, I'm not perfect. This is not about perfection. I don't expect anybody else to be perfect either. That's what hurts the environmental movement – holding people to a standard they cannot meet. That just pushes people away."


title: Laurie David

text: In 2005, and then again in 2009, David was cited by the Chilmark Conservation Commission for paving over protected wetland areas on her estate on Martha's Vineyard.


title: Laurie David

text: As a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council and a founding member of The Detroit Project, David has spearheaded numerous public education and action campaigns urging Congress and auto-makers to raise fuel efficiency standards and make higher mileage cars. In January 2004, the NRDC opened the David Family Environmental Action Center. Endowed by the David family, the Center promotes activism to protect the environment. It features exhibits on issues such as global warming, ocean pollution, everyday toxins, and green building solutions.


title: Laurie David

text: In 2003, she was honored by the Riverkeeper organization. She also received the Los Angeles-based Children's Nature Institute's Leaf Award in 2003 for her commitment to the environmental education of young children.


title: Laurie David

text: In October 2006, David was featured in "Glamour" as one of its "Women of the Year". She received the Gracie Allen Award for Individual Achievement by the American Women in Radio & Television and the NRDC's 2006 Forces for Nature award for her work against global warming.


title: Laurie David

text: Laurie has received numerous other awards and honors, including the Producers Guild of America’s Stanley Kramer Award, a Humanitas Prize Special Award. Her environmental work has been honored with the National Audubon Society’s Rachel Carson Award, the Feminist Majority’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award, and Bette Midler’s Green Goddess Award in 2019.


title: Laurie David

text: David's book "The Family Dinner" was published in 2010, with recipes by Kirstin Uhrenholdt, a foreword by Harvey Karp and an afterword by Jonathan Safran Foer. The book advocates a return to the domestic tradition of an evening meal (sometimes called supper) shared around the family table. It also includes recipes, rules for an effective dinner system, suggestions for stimulating conversation, a survey of the ways different cultures say grace, and ways to include grandparents.


title: Laurie David

text: Her second cookbook "The Family Cooks" was published a few years later. She also co-wrote a book on climate for kids called "The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming" which has been published in 8 languages. In 2021 she co-wrote "Imagine It! A Handbook for a Happier Planet" published by Random House/Rodale.


title: Van Johnson

text: Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson was described as the embodiment of the "boy-next-door wholesomeness" which made him a popular Hollywood star in the 1940s and 1950s, playing "the red-haired, freckle-faced soldier, sailor, or bomber pilot who used to live down the street" in MGM films during the war years, with such films as "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", "A Guy Named Joe", and "The Human Comedy". He made occasional World War II films through the end of the 1960s, and he played a military officer in one of his final feature films in 1992. At the time of his death in 2008, he was one of the last surviving matinee idols of Hollywood's "golden age".


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the only child of Loretta (née Snyder) and Charles E. Johnson, a plumber and later a real-estate salesman. His father was born in Sweden and came to the United States as a child, and his mother had Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. His mother was allegedly an alcoholic who left the family when he was a child, and he was not close to his father.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson performed at social clubs in Newport while in high school. He moved to New York City after graduation in 1935 and joined the off-Broadway revue "Entre Nous".


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson toured New England in a theater troupe as a substitute dancer, but his acting career began in earnest in the Broadway revue "New Faces of 1936". He returned to the chorus after that and worked in summer resorts near New York City. In 1939, director and playwright George Abbott cast him in Rodgers and Hart's "Too Many Girls" in the role of a college boy and as understudy for all three male leads. He had an uncredited role in the film adaptation of "Too Many Girls", which costarred Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, then Abbott hired him as a chorus boy and Gene Kelly's understudy in "Pal Joey".


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson was about to move back to New York when Lucille Ball took him to Chasen's Restaurant, where she introduced him to MGM casting director Billy Grady who was sitting at the next table. This led to screen tests by Hollywood studios. His test at Columbia Pictures was unsuccessful, but Warner Brothers put him on contract at $300 a week. He was cast as a cub reporter opposite Faye Emerson in the 1942 film "Murder in the Big House". His eyebrows and hair were dyed black for the role. Johnson's all-American good looks and easy demeanor were ill-suited to the gritty movies that Warner made at the time, and the studio dropped him at the expiration of his six-month contract.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson was soon signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The studio provided him with classes in acting, speech, and diction. He then had an uncredited part as a soldier in "Somewhere I'll Find You" (1942). He attracted attention in a small part in "The War Against Mrs. Hadley" (1942), and this encouraged MGM to cast him in their long-running series Dr. Kildare. These films had starred Lew Ayres as Dr. Kildare and Lionel Barrymore as Dr. Gillespie; Ayres' career was hurt due to being a conscientious objector, so the series focused on Dr. Gillespie mentoring new doctors. Johnson played Dr. Randall Adams in "Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant" (1942).


title: Van Johnson

text: MGM then cast Johnson as Mickey Rooney's soldier brother in "The Human Comedy" (1943), a huge hit. He returned as Randall Adams in "Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case" (1943) and was in uniform again for "Pilot No. 5" (1943). He had a small role as a reporter in "Madame Curie" (1943).


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson's big break was in "A Guy Named Joe" starring Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne, in which he played a young pilot who acquires a deceased pilot as his guardian angel. Midway through the movie's production in 1943, Johnson was involved in a serious car accident that left him with a metal plate in his forehead and a number of scars on his face that the plastic surgery of the time could not completely correct or conceal; he used heavy makeup to hide them for years. MGM wanted to replace him in "A Guy Named Joe", but Tracy insisted that he be allowed to finish the picture, despite his long absence. The film was a huge hit, earning a profit of over a million dollars and Johnson was launched as a star.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson's injuries from the car accident exempted him from service in World War II. Many other actors were serving in the armed forces, so the accident greatly benefited Johnson's career. He later said, "There were five of us. There was Jimmy Craig, Bob Young, Bobby Walker, Peter Lawford, and myself. All tested for the same part "all" the time." Johnson was very busy, often playing soldiers; he joked of this period, "I remember… finishing one Thursday morning with June Allyson and starting a new one Thursday afternoon with Esther Williams. I didn't know which branch of the service I was in!"


title: Van Johnson

text: MGM built up Johnson's image as the all-American boy in war dramas and musicals. His first top-billed role in an "A" picture was the musical "Two Girls and a Sailor" (1944) which was a big success; it was his first film with June Allyson. He had a smaller part in "The White Cliffs of Dover" (1944), then reprised his role as Dr. Adams in "3 Men in White" (1944).


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson played Ted Lawson in "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (1944) which told the story of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April 1942. He played Dr. Adams one last time in "Between Two Women" (1945). He starred in "Thrill of a Romance" (1945), a musical with Esther Williams, and "Week-End at the Waldorf" (1945), a musical remake of "Grand Hotel" with Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, and Ginger Rogers. In 1945, he tied with Bing Crosby as the top box office stars.


title: Van Johnson

text: He was reunited with Williams in "Easy to Wed" (1946), a musical remake of "Libeled Lady". He supported Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in "State of the Union" (1948), and he supported Clark Gable and Pidgeon in the war drama "Command Decision" (1948).


title: Van Johnson

text: 20th Century Fox borrowed Johnson to make the comedy "Mother Is a Freshman" (1948) with Loretta Young. Back at MGM, he was given a role in the film noir "Scene of the Crime" (1949). In 1949, he starred with Judy Garland in "In the Good Old Summertime", which also marked the first film appearance of Liza Minnelli as Garland's and Johnson's young daughter. He next worked in "Battleground" (1949), a movie about the Battle of the Bulge produced by MGM's new studio head Dore Schary.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson made the comedy "The Big Hangover" (1950), then was reunited with Williams in "Duchess of Idaho" (1951). He appeared in the romantic comedy "Three Guys Named Mike" (1951). He played an officer leading Japanese-American troops of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe in the Schary-produced film "Go for Broke!" (1951). He had a small part in "It's a Big Country" (1951) and was reunited with Allyson for "Too Young to Kiss" (1951). MGM lent him to Columbia for "The Caine Mutiny" (1954) in the role of Stephen Maryk. He refused to allow concealment of his facial scars when being made up as Maryk, believing that they enhanced the character's authenticity. Herman Wouk describes Maryk as having "ugly but not unpleasant features" in the novel. One commentator noted years later that "Humphrey Bogart and Jose Ferrer chomp up all the scenery in this maritime courtroom drama, but it's Johnson's character, the painfully ambivalent, not-too-bright Lieutenant Steve Maryk, who binds the whole movie together." "Time" Magazine commented that Johnson "was a better actor than Hollywood usually allowed him to be."


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson next teamed with Gene Kelly as the sardonic second lead of "Brigadoon" (1954). He had the lead in "The Last Time I Saw Paris" (1954), his last film for MGM. He had a five-year contract with Columbia to make one film a year.


title: Van Johnson

text: Unlike some other stars of that era, Johnson did not resent the restrictions of the studio system. In 1985, he said that his years at MGM were "one big happy family and a little kingdom". "Everything was provided for us, from singing lessons to barbells. All we had to do was inhale, exhale and be charming. I used to dread leaving the studio to go out into the real world, because to me the studio was the real world."


title: Van Johnson

text: During the 1950s, Johnson continued to appear in films and also appeared frequently in television guest appearances. He appeared as the celebrity mystery guest on "What's My Line?" airing on November 22, 1953, but was not questioned by the panel due to advance notice of his appearance. He then appeared again on the May 22, 1955 airing and was guessed by Fred Allen. He was in "The End of the Affair" (1955) at Columbia then made "The Bottom of the Bottle" (1956) at Fox. He received favorable critical notices for the 1956 dramatic film "Miracle in the Rain", co-starring Jane Wyman, in which he played a good-hearted young soldier preparing to go to war, and in the mystery "23 Paces to Baker Street", in which he played a blind playwright residing in London. He returned to MGM for "Slander" (1956) and "Action of the Tiger" (1957).


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson appeared as the title character of the highly rated "spectacular," "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", a musical version of Robert Browning's poem, set to the music of Edvard Grieg. Featuring Claude Rains in his only singing and dancing role, it aired on November 26, 1957, as part of NBC's week of Thanksgiving specials. The program was so successful it spawned a record album and was repeated in 1958. Syndicated to many local stations, it was rerun annually for many years in the tradition of other holiday specials.


title: Van Johnson

text: On February 19, 1959, Johnson appeared in the episode "Deadfall" of CBS's "Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater" in the role of Frank Gilette, a former outlaw falsely charged with bank robbery. He is framed by Hugh Perry, a corrupt prosecutor played by Harry Townes, and Deputy Stover, portrayed by Bing Russell. Convicted of the robbery, Gilette is captured by outlaws while on his way to prison, and the sheriff, Roy Lamont, portrayed by Grant Withers, is killed.


title: Van Johnson

text: In 1959, Johnson turned down an opportunity to star as Eliot Ness in "The Untouchables", which went on to become a successful television series with Robert Stack as Ness.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson guest-starred as Joe Robertson, with June Allyson and Don Rickles, in the 1960 episode "The Women Who" of the CBS anthology series "The DuPont Show with June Allyson". In 1961 Johnson traveled to England to star in Harold Fielding's production of "The Music Man" at the Adelphi Theatre in London. The show enjoyed a successful run of almost a year, with Johnson playing the arduous leading role of Harold Hill to great acclaim.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson also guest-starred on "Batman" as "The Minstrel" in two episodes (39 and 40) in 1966. In the 1970s, he appeared on "Here's Lucy", "Quincy, M.E.", "McMillan & Wife" and "Love, American Style". He played a lead character in the 1976 miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man", and was nominated for a prime time Emmy Award for that role. In the 1980s, he appeared on an episode of Angela Lansbury's "Murder, She Wrote" along with June Allyson. He also appeared in a special two-part episode of "The Love Boat", "The Musical: My Ex-Mom; The Show Must Go On; The Pest, Parts 1 and 2" which aired on February 27, 1982, and co-starred Ann Miller, Ethel Merman, Della Reese, Carol Channing, and Cab Calloway.


title: Van Johnson

text: In the 1970s, after twice fighting bouts of cancer, Johnson began a second career in summer stock and dinner theater. In 1985, returning to Broadway for the first time since "Pal Joey", he was cast in the starring role of the musical "La Cage aux Folles". In that same year he appeared in a supporting role in Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose of Cairo". At the age of 75, now grey and rotund, he toured in "Show Boat" as Captain Andy. His last film appearance was in "Three Days to a Kill" (1992). In 2003, he appeared with Betsy Palmer for three performances of A. R. Gurney's "Love Letters" at a theater in Wesley Hills, New York.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson married former stage actress Eve Abbott (1914–2004) on January 25, 1947, the day after her divorce was finalized from actor Keenan Wynn. Their daughter Schuyler was born in 1948. By this marriage, Johnson gained stepsons Edmond Keenan (Ned) and screenwriter Tracy Keenan Wynn. In a statement by Eve, published after her death at age 90, she said MGM had engineered her marriage to Johnson to cover up his alleged homosexuality. "They needed their 'big star' to be married to quell rumors about his sexual preferences and unfortunately, I was 'It'the only woman he would marry." Commenting on their complicated relationships, Keenan Wynn's father Ed Wynn said, "I can't keep them straight. Evie loved Keenan. Keenan loves Evie. Van loves Evie. Evie loves Van. Van loves Keenan. Keenan loves Van."


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson's biographer Ronald L. Davis writes that it "seems to have been well known in the film capital" that Johnson had homosexual tendencies, but this was never reported or hinted at by newspaper columnists or movie magazine writers during the era when Johnson made movies. Studio executive Louis B. Mayer made strenuous efforts to quash any potential scandal regarding Johnson and any of his actor-friends whom Mayer suspected of being homosexual. Johnson's marriage to Eve Abbott ended four years after Mayer’s death when Johnson, performing as Professor Harold Hill in "The Music Man" on the legitimate stage in the West End in London, United Kingdom, began an affair with a male dancer in the production, according to her son Ned Wynn. He disclosed that Johnson left her "for a mana boy, really. He's the lead boy dancer." The couple separated in 1961 and their divorce was finalized in 1968.


title: Van Johnson

text: In contrast to his "cheery Van" screen image, Eve claimed that he was morose and moody because of his difficult early life. She reported that he had little tolerance for unpleasantness and would stride into his bedroom and seclude himself at the slightest hint of trouble. He had a difficult relationship with his father growing up, and he was estranged from his daughter at the time of his death.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson retired from acting in the early 1990s and lived in a penthouse at 405 East 54th Street on Manhattan's East Side. He moved to Tappan Zee Manor in 2002, an assisted living facility in Nyack, New York. He died there on December 12, 2008, at age 92. His remains were cremated.


title: Van Johnson

text: Johnson was never nominated for an Academy Award and, during the height of his career, was noted mainly for his cheerful screen presence. Reflecting on his career after his death, one critic observed that Johnson was "capable of an Oscar-worthy performance, and that's more than most movie stars can claim". For his contribution to the film industry, Johnson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6600 Hollywood Blvd.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: MV "Wilhelm Gustloff" was a German military transport ship which was sunk on 30 January 1945 by in the Baltic Sea while evacuating civilian evacuees from East Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Estonia and German military personnel from Gotenhafen (Gdynia) as the Red Army advanced. By one estimate, 9,400 people died, making it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Originally constructed as a cruise ship for the Nazi Strength Through Joy ("Kraft durch Freude") organization in 1937, "Wilhelm Gustloff" had been requisitioned by the "Kriegsmarine" (German navy) in 1939. She served as a hospital ship in 1939 and 1940. She was then assigned as a floating barracks for naval personnel in Gotenhafen before being fitted with anti-aircraft guns and put into service to transport evacuees in 1945.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: "Wilhelm Gustloff" was constructed by the Blohm & Voss shipyards. Measuring long by wide, with a capacity of , she was launched on 5 May 1937.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: The ship was originally intended to be named "Adolf Hitler" but instead was christened after Wilhelm Gustloff, leader of the Nazi Party's Swiss branch, who had been assassinated by a Jewish medical student in 1936. Adolf Hitler decided on the name change after sitting next to Gustloff's widow during his memorial service. After completing sea trials in the North Sea from 15 to 16 March 1938 she was handed over to her owners.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: "Wilhelm Gustloff" was the first purpose-built cruise ship for the German Labour Front ("Deutsche Arbeitsfront", DAF) and used by subsidiary organisation Strength Through Joy ("Kraft durch Freude", KdF). Her purposes were to provide recreational and cultural activities for German functionaries and workers, including concerts, cruises, and other holiday trips, and to serve as a public relations tool that would present "a more acceptable image of the Third Reich". She was the flagship of the KdF cruise fleet, her last civilian role, until the spring of 1939.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: The ship made her unofficial maiden voyage between 24 and 27 March 1938 carrying Austrians in an attempt to convince them to vote for the annexation of Austria by Germany. On 29 March she departed on her second voyage carrying workers and their families from the Blohm & Voss shipyard on a three-day cruise.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: For her third voyage "Wilhelm Gustloff" left Hamburg on 1 April 1938 under the command of Carl Lübbe to join the KdF ships "Der Deutsche", "Oceania" and "Sierra Cordoba" on a group cruise of the North Sea. A storm developed on 3 April with winds up to that forced the four ships apart. Meanwhile, the 1,836 gross ton coal freighter "Pegaway", which had departed the Tyne on 2 April for Hamburg, was also caught up in the storm. Cargo and machinery were washed from "Pegaway"s decks and the ship lost maneuverability as the storm increased in intensity. By 4 April, it was taking on water and slowly sinking.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: At 4 am, Captain G. W. Ward of "Pegaway" issued an SOS when the ship was northwest of the island of Terschelling, off the coast of the Netherlands. The closest of the ships that answered the distress call was "Wilhelm Gustloff", which reached "Pegaway" at 6 am. She launched her Lifeboat No. 1, with a crew of twelve under the command of Second Officer Meyer. The oar-powered lifeboat was unable to come aside "Pegaway" in the heavy seas and looked in danger of needing rescuing. Lifeboat No. 6, with a crew of ten under the command of Second Officer Schürmann, was then lowered. As it had a motor, it was better able to handle the waves.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: After first assisting their shipmates in Lifeboat No. 1 to head back towards "Wilhelm Gustloff", Schürmann was able to reach "Pegaway". One by one the 19 men on "Pegaway" jumped into the sea and were hauled onto Lifeboat No. 6, with both them and the crew of the lifeboat back at "Wilhelm Gustloff" by 7:45 am. By now a Dutch tugboat had arrived but was unable to save "Pegaway", which soon rolled to port and sank. Lifeboat No. 1 had been so badly damaged by the waves that after its crew had climbed up via ladders to the safety of their ship it was set adrift, to later be washed up on the shores of Terschelling on 2 May.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: On 8 April 1938 "Wilhelm Gustloff", under the command of Captain Lübbe, departed Hamburg for England, where she anchored over offshore from Tilbury so as to remain in international waters. This allowed her to act as a floating polling station for German and Austrian citizens living in England who wished to vote on the approaching plebiscite on Germany's unification with Austria. During 10 April, 1,172 Germans and 806 Austrian eligible voters were ferried between the docks at Tilbury to the ship where 1,968 votes were cast in favour of the union and ten voted against. Once the voting was complete, "Wilhelm Gustloff" departed, reaching Hamburg on 12 April.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: After undertaking a further voyage on 14 to 19 April 1938, the ship went on an "Osterfahrt" (Easter Voyage) before her actual official maiden voyage, which was undertaken from 21 April to 6 May 1938, when she joined "Der Deutsche", "Oceania" and "Sierra Cordoba" on a group cruise to the Madeira Islands. On the second day of her voyage, the 58-year-old Captain Lübbe died on the bridge from a heart attack. He was replaced by Friedrich Petersen, who commanded "Wilhelm Gustloff" for the remainder of the cruise. Petersen left the ship until he returned as captain on her fatal voyage.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Between 20 May and 2 June 1939, "Wilhelm Gustloff" was diverted from her pleasure cruises. With seven other ships in the KdF fleet, she transported the Condor Legion back to Germany from Spain following the victory of the Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: From 14 March 1938 until 26 August 1939, the ship took over 80,000 passengers on a total of 60 voyages, all around Europe.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: From September 1939 to November 1940, "Wilhelm Gustloff" served as a hospital ship, officially designated "Lazarettschiff" D. Beginning on 20 November 1940, medical equipment was removed from the ship and she was repainted from the hospital ship colors of white with a green stripe to standard naval grey.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: As a consequence of the Allied blockade of the German coastline, she was used as a barracks ship for approximately 1,000 U-boat trainees of the 2nd Submarine Training Division (2. "Unterseeboot-Lehrdivision") in the port of Gdynia, which had been occupied by Germany and renamed "Gotenhafen", located near Danzig (Gdańsk). "Wilhelm Gustloff" sat in dock there for over four years. In 1942, was used as a stand-in for in the German film version of the disaster. Filmed in Gotenhafen, the 2nd Submarine Training Division acted as extras in the movie. Eventually, "Wilhelm Gustloff" was put back into service transporting civilians and military personnel as part of Operation Hannibal.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Operation Hannibal was the naval evacuation of German troops and civilians from Poland and the Baltic states as the Red Army advanced. "Wilhelm Gustloff"s final voyage was to evacuate German civilians, military personnel, and technicians from Courland, East Prussia, and Danzig-West Prussia. Many had worked at advanced weapon bases in the Baltic from Gotenhafen to Kiel.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: The ship's complement and passenger lists cited 6,050 people on board, but these did not include many passengers who boarded the ship without being recorded in the official embarkation records. Heinz Schön, a German archivist and "Gustloff" survivor who extensively researched the sinking during the 1980s and 1990s, concluded that she was carrying a crew of 173 (naval armed forces auxiliaries); 918 officers, NCOs, and men of the 2 "Unterseeboot-Lehrdivision"; 373 female naval auxiliary helpers; 162 wounded soldiers and 8,956 civilians, for a total of 10,582 passengers and crew. The passengers, besides civilians, included Gestapo personnel, members of the Organisation Todt, and Nazi officials with their families. The ship was overcrowded, and due to the temperature and humidity inside, many passengers defied orders not to remove their life jackets.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: The ship left Gotenhafen at 12:30 pm on 30 January 1945, accompanied by two torpedo boats and the passenger liner "Hansa", which was carrying civilians and military personnel. "Hansa" and one torpedo boat developed mechanical problems and could not continue, leaving "Wilhelm Gustloff" with one torpedo boat escort, "Löwe" (ex-). The ship had four captains ("Wilhelm Gustloff"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s captain, two merchant marine captains, and the captain of the U-boat complement housed on the vessel) on board, and they disagreed on the best course of action to guard against submarine attacks. Against the advice of the military commander, Lieutenant Commander Wilhelm Zahn (a submariner who argued for a course in shallow waters close to shore and without lights), "Wilhelm Gustloff"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s captain, Friedrich Petersen, decided to head for deep water which was known to have been cleared of mines. When he was informed by a mysterious radio message of an oncoming German minesweeper convoy, Petersen decided to activate his ship's red and green navigation lights so as to avoid a collision in the dark, making "Wilhelm Gustloff" easy to spot in the dark.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: As "Wilhelm Gustloff" had been fitted with anti-aircraft guns, and the Germans did not mark her as a hospital ship, no notification of her operating in a hospital capacity had been given and, as she was transporting military personnel, she did not have any protection as a hospital ship under international accords.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: "Wilhelm Gustloff" was soon sighted by the , under the command of Captain Alexander Marinesko. The submarine sensor on board the escorting torpedo boat had frozen, rendering it inoperable, as had her anti-aircraft guns, leaving the vessels defenseless. Marinesko followed the ships to their starboard (seaward) side for two hours before making a daring move, surfacing his submarine and steering it around "Wilhelm Gustloff"s stern, to attack it from the port side closer to shore, from where the attack would be less expected. At around 9 pm (CET), Marinesko ordered his crew to launch four torpedoes at "Wilhelm Gustloff"s port side, about offshore, between Großendorf and Leba. The first torpedo was nicknamed "for the Motherland", the second "for Leningrad", the third "for the Soviet people", and the fourth, which got jammed in the torpedo tubes and had to be dismantled, "for Stalin".


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: The three torpedoes which were fired successfully all struck "Wilhelm Gustloff" on her port side. The first struck the ship's bow, causing watertight doors to seal off the area where off-duty crew members were sleeping. The second hit the accommodations for the women's naval auxiliary, located in the ship's drained swimming pool, dislodging the pool tiles at high velocity, which caused heavy casualties; only three of the 373 women quartered there survived. The third torpedo scored a direct hit on the engine room located , disabling all power and communications.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Reportedly, only nine lifeboats could be lowered; the rest had frozen in their davits and had to be broken free. About twenty minutes after the torpedoes' impact, "Wilhelm Gustloff" suddenly listed so dramatically to port that the lifeboats lowered on the high starboard side crashed into the ship's tilting side, destroying many lifeboats and spilling their occupants.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Many deaths were caused either directly by the torpedoes or drowning in the onrushing water. Some fatalities were due to the initial stampede caused by panicked passengers on the stairs and decks. Many passengers jumped into the icy Baltic. The water temperature in the Baltic Sea in late January is usually around ; however, this was a particularly cold night, with an air temperature of and ice floes covering the surface. The majority of those who perished succumbed to exposure in the freezing water.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Less than 40 minutes after being struck, "Wilhelm Gustloff" was lying on her side. She sank bow-first ten minutes later, in of water.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: German forces were able to rescue 1,252 people: the torpedo boat rescued 564; the torpedo boat "Löwe", 472; the minesweeper "M387", 98; the minesweeper "M375", 43; the minesweeper "M341", 37; the steamer "Göttingen", 28; the torpedo recovery boat ("Torpedofangboot") "TF19", 7; the freighter "Gotenland", two; and the patrol boat ("Vorpostenboot") "V1703", one baby. Thirteen survivors died later. All four captains on "Wilhelm Gustloff" survived her sinking, but an official naval inquiry was only initiated against Lieutenant Commander Zahn. His degree of responsibility was never resolved, however, because of Nazi Germany's collapse in 1945.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: The figures from Schön's research make the loss in the "Wilhelm Gustloff" sinking to be "9,343 men, women and children". His more recent research is backed up by estimates arrived at by a different method. An "Unsolved History" episode that aired in March 2003, on the Discovery Channel, undertook a computer analysis of the sinking. Using "Maritime Exodus" software, it estimated that 9,600 people died out of more than 10,600 on board, by taking into account passenger density based on witness reports, and a simulation of escape routes and survivability with the timeline of the sinking.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Many ships were sunk during the war by the Allies and by the Axis Powers. However, based on the latest estimates of passenger numbers and those known to be saved, "Wilhelm Gustloff" remains by far the largest loss of life resulting from the sinking of a single vessel in maritime history. Günter Grass said in an interview published by "The New York Times" in April 2003: "One of the many reasons I wrote "Crabwalk" was to take the subject away from the extreme Right... They said the tragedy of "Wilhelm Gustloff" was a war crime. It wasn't. It was terrible, but it was a result of war, a terrible result of war."


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: About 1,000 German naval officers and men were aboard and died in the sinking of "Wilhelm Gustloff". Women aboard the ship at the time of the sinking were inaccurately described by Soviet propaganda as "SS personnel from the German concentration camps". There were, however, 373 female naval auxiliaries amongst the passengers, only three of whom survived.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: On the night of 9–10 February, just eleven days after the sinking, "S-13" sank another German ship, , killing about 4,500 people.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Before sinking "Wilhelm Gustloff", Captain Marinesko was facing a court martial due to his alcohol problems and for being caught in a brothel while he and his crew were off duty. Marinesko was thus deemed "not suitable to be a hero" for the sinking and, instead of gaining the title Hero of the Soviet Union, he was awarded the lesser Order of the Red Banner. He was downgraded in rank to lieutenant and dishonorably discharged from the Soviet Navy in October 1945. In 1960, Marinesko was reinstated as captain third class and granted a full pension, and in 1963 was given the traditional ceremony due a captain upon the successful return from a mission. He died three weeks later from cancer at age 50. Marinesko was posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union by Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: Noted as "Obstacle No. 73" on Polish navigation charts, and classified as a war grave, "Wilhelm Gustloff" rests at , about offshore, east of Łeba and west of Władysławowo (the former Leba and Großendorf, respectively). It is one of the largest shipwrecks on the Baltic Sea floor and has attracted much interest from treasure hunters searching for the lost Amber Room. In order to protect the property on board the war grave, as well as the wreck itself and the surrounding environment, the Polish Maritime Office in Gdynia has forbidden diving within a radius of the wreck.


title: MV Wilhelm Gustloff

text: In 2006, a bell recovered from the wreck and subsequently used as a decoration in a Polish seafood restaurant was lent to the privately funded "Forced Paths" exhibition in Berlin.


title: Sisqó

text: Mark Althavan Andrews (born November 9, 1978), known professionally as Sisqó (stylized as SisQó), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. He is most prominently known for "Thong Song", his membership in Dru Hill, and has also released solo material. Sisqo's successful debut solo album, "Unleash the Dragon" (1999), included the hit singles "Thong Song" and "Incomplete".


title: Sisqó

text: As a teen Andrews worked at The Fudgery in Harborplace at Baltimore's Inner Harbor with Larry "Jazz" Anthony, James "Woody" Green, and Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin. The quartet would be signed as the group Dru Hill to Island Records in 1996. He lived in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood at 908 Newington Avenue near Druid Hill Park which is where the group got their name.


title: Sisqó

text: Andrews graduated from Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School in 1994. Sisqó's visual trademarks are his hairstyles and flamboyant stage costumes, which were regularly flashier than those of his groupmates. Over his career as a recording artist, both with and without Dru Hill, Sisqó's hairstyles have included a bleached blond Caesar, a platinum Caesar (colored with silver spray paint), blond cornrows, a neon-red dyed Caesar, and a blond Mohawk.


title: Sisqó

text: After Woody departed Dru Hill in 1999 to pursue a solo career, it was decided that the other members would follow suit and issue their own solo albums. Sisqó's solo debut, "Unleash the Dragon", was released on Def Soul Records in November 1999. "Unleash the Dragon" sold moderately at first, until the February 2000 release of its second single, the novelty "Thong Song". A runaway hit, "Thong Song" and its follow-up, "Incomplete", were major hits on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, with "Thong Song" making it to number three, and "Incomplete" going to #1. This success resulted in Play Along Toys manufacturing a Sisqó a Celebrity doll in 2001.


title: Sisqó

text: Formed by Sisqó in 1999, LovHer was the first female quartet on the Def Soul label. Their single "How It's Gonna Be" was featured on the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack in 2001.


title: Sisqó

text: Conflicts within Dru Hill prevented the group from reuniting as planned in 2000. This is usually attributed to time conflicts during the recording of Sisqó's second solo LP. During this period, Sisqó branched out into hosting the dance competition program "Sisqós Shakedown" on MTV, and into film, taking on supporting roles in the films "Get Over It" (2001) with Kirsten Dunst and "Snow Dogs" (2002) with Cuba Gooding, Jr. He also starred as a vampire in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" (Season 6 Episode 1). Although his second LP, "Return of Dragon", released in June 2001, eventually went platinum, its singles "Can I Live" and "Dance for Me" performed far below expectations (apart from in the United Kingdom, where "Dance for Me" became his third top ten hit). By 2002, Sisqó reunited with Dru Hill, which released its third LP in late 2002. The LP underperformed, and the group was subsequently released from their recording contract.


title: Sisqó

text: In 2010, Sisqó was a contestant on the British reality television show "Celebrity Big Brother 2010". He was the fifth contestant to be evicted, lasting 20 days.


title: Sisqó

text: Dru Hill released its third album, "InDRUpendence Day", in 2010 as an independent release through Kedar Entertainment. The group also appeared at this time in the reality show "Keith Sweat's Platinum House" on BET's sister station Centric.


title: Sisqó

text: Sisqó continued to tour through the 2010s, both as a member of Dru Hill, and as a solo act. His third solo album, "Last Dragon", was released on February 10, 2015. The singles, "A-List" and "L.I.P.s" were released ahead of the album, with the latter reaching number 23 on the US Adult R&B charts, becoming Sisqó's first charting US single since 2001's "Can I Live".


title: Sisqó

text: , Sisqó, along with the other members of Dru Hill, claimed that their record label botched a record deal, costing them millions in the process.


title: Sisqó

text: In 2016, Sisqó provided a rap counterpoint in a duet with country music singer Marie Osmond, in her song "Give me a Good Song", which was featured on "Music Is Medicine", released on April 15, 2016.


title: Sisqó

text: In 2018, Sisqo released a holiday book for children, titled "Sisqo's Perfect Christmas", with creative partner, Tilesha Brown.


title: Sisqó

text: Sisqó has a daughter, Shaione Andrews, born in 1995. He resides in Maple Grove, Minnesota with his wife Elizabeth Pham, who he has been romantically involved with since 2003.


title: Sisqó

text: In July 2013, Sisqó appeared on the reality show "Celebrity Wife Swap", where his girlfriend was "swapped" with the wife of 1990s pop singer Gerardo Mejía.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Jerry Lamon Falwell Jr. (; born June 17, 1962) is an American attorney, former academic administrator, and prominent evangelical. Starting with his 2007 appointment upon the death of his father, televangelist and conservative activist Jerry Falwell Sr., Falwell served as the president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, until resigning amidst controversy in August 2020.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Jerry Falwell Jr. was born on June 17, 1962, the eldest son of Jerry Sr. and Macel Falwell (née Pate). He attended private schools in the Lynchburg area, including Lynchburg Christian Academy (later renamed as Liberty Christian Academy), from where he graduated in 1980. He then attended Liberty University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in history and religious studies in 1984, and the University of Virginia School of Law, where he obtained a Juris Doctor in 1987.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: From 1987 until 2007, Falwell served in private practice in Virginia and as the lawyer for Liberty University and its related organizations. He joined the Board of Trustees of the university in 2000.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: As part of a succession plan the elder Falwell laid out before his death, Jerry Jr. was to be entrusted with Liberty University while Jerry Sr.'s other son, Jonathan Falwell, inherited the ministry at Thomas Road Baptist Church. The decisions were rooted in each's personality: Jerry Jr. had aggressive business instincts, and Jonathan was more charismatic and interested in ministry. This succession plan took effect when Jerry Sr. died in 2007.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Under Falwell Jr., Liberty University came under scrutiny for its alleged authoritarian control over employees and students, nepotism toward Falwell family-owned businesses in the school's investments, and increasing influence of Falwell's wife Becki in school affairs. Beginning in 2001, Falwell had established two companies for the purpose of making property deals with Liberty-affiliated nonprofits, and his two sons and their wives were on Liberty's payroll. A 2019 "Politico" article described the university as a "dictatorship" in which Falwell ruled through fear; it also reported that the university had sold merchandise promoting Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and that Falwell Jr. had crude discussions about his sex life at work and had shown other Liberty employees provocative photos of his wife. Falwell's leadership also came under fire in a letter signed by members of Congress, Andy Levin and Jamie Raskin, to Betsy DeVos, which claimed that Falwell personally blocked students from writing student columns critical of Trump. A "Reuters" investigation, published in August 2019, alleged that Falwell signed a real estate deal in 2016 that transferred the university's sports facilities to his personal trainer, who did not put down any money for the deal. The publication reported that instead, Liberty immediately paid almost $650,000 to the trainer, who now owned the property, to lease the property for nine years.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: On August 7, 2020, Liberty University announced that Falwell would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from his positions following controversy around a photo he had posted on social media, which showed him with his pants unzipped and his arm around the waist of a woman whose shorts were similarly unzipped. On August 23, Falwell made a public statement that his wife had had an affair and that they had been targets of blackmail. The next day Reuters published a story in which the man with whom Falwell's wife had an affair claimed that Falwell regularly watched him engaging in sexual activities with Falwell's wife. Later in the day, on August 24, it was reported that Falwell had agreed to resign from Liberty University. Falwell immediately denied this, while the university claimed that negotiations were ongoing. On August 25, both Falwell and Liberty University confirmed that he had resigned. Because he is leaving his position without a formal accusation or admission of wrongdoing, Falwell will receive a $10.5million severance package.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: After his departure, Liberty opened an investigation into his past personal entanglement in the school's finances and real estate. Transactions that personally benefit an individual could jeopardize Liberty's tax-exempt status. In October 2020, Falwell sued Liberty University for damaging his reputation, but in December 2020 dropped the lawsuit.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: On April 15, 2021, Liberty University sued Falwell for $40 million in damages for breach of contract and violation of fiduciary duty. In November 2021, Falwell revived his defamation lawsuit against Liberty University.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In November 2016, Falwell said that President-elect Donald Trump had offered him the position of United States secretary of education, but that he had turned down the offer citing personal reasons and because he did not want to leave Liberty University for more than two years. In January 2017, Falwell said that he had been asked by President Trump to head a task force on reforms for the United States Department of Education. In June 2017, Falwell confirmed to the "Chronicle of Higher Education" that he would be one of 15 college presidents participating in the task force. The task force was never formed.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In April 2009, following the Miss USA 2009 same-sex marriage controversy, Falwell offered a full scholarship to Carrie Prejean, a beauty pageant contestant who spoke out against LGBTQ rights during the Miss USA pageant. In August 2013, Falwell announced that if the federal government forced recipients of its aid to comply with LGBTQ discrimination protections, he would forgo the money. In March 2019, Falwell again caused controversy among LGBT advocates at Liberty University when he said his granddaughter would be "raised according to her God-given gender".


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Speaking of the 2015 San Bernardino attack, Falwell stated during the university's 2015 convocation that if "some of those people had got what I have in my back pocket right now," the attack would not have happened. He said that he was astounded that Barack Obama believed more gun control was the best response to the attack. Falwell said that he'd "always thought that, if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in and killed them."


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: His comments were criticized by both Christians and Muslims. According to one report, Falwell was only heard saying, "then we could end those Muslims before they walked in", with the "and killed them" part drowned out by applause. Falwell later said he was referring to Muslims committing terrorist attacks and not Muslims in general.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: On January 26, 2016, Falwell announced his endorsement of Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election, causing some Liberty University alumni and other evangelicals to express concern that Falwell had "sold his soul." It was later revealed, in a secretly recorded conversation with comedian Tom Arnold that Trump's personal lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen, had helped Falwell recover compromising photos prior to securing his endorsement. On July 21, 2016, at the RNC convention in Cleveland, Ohio, Falwell Jr. called Trump "America's blue collar billionaire" and "one of the greatest visionaries of our time" in his endorsement of the candidate he felt most likely to defend the "right to bear arms," "stop Iran...from becoming a nuclear power," and "appoint conservative pro-life justices to the Supreme Court".


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In an August 19, 2016 editorial in "The Washington Post," Falwell compared Trump to Winston Churchill. A group called the Red Letter Christians criticized Falwell for the pivotal role he played in "forging the alliance between white evangelicals and Donald J. Trump, who won 81 percent of their vote." Trump, who is a personal friend of Falwell's, gave the commencement address in 2017 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, a city which has been described by "The New York Times" as "the heart of pro-Trump evangelical Christianity".


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In August 2017, following a white supremacist terror attack in Charlottesville, Falwell defended President Trump, saying that he didn't have "a racist bone in his body," adding that the president was being attacked by "thin-skinned Americans": "You know, he's a little abrasive sometimes in the way he says things, and we have some thin-skinned Americans sometimes who ignore the substance of what he's saying because they're put off by his demeanor," Falwell said. "And I think we need to grow up as a people and stop being so easily offended."


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Asked in a January 2019 interview, "Is there anything President Trump could do that would endanger that support from you or other evangelical leaders?", Falwell answered, "No."


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In June 2016, Falwell expressed support for Israel when Liberty University moved to invest $5million of its endowment in Israel. Falwell stated, "Liberty is glad to be part of supporting the only democracy that's a close ally of the United States [in an area] that is in such turmoil right now."


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In April 2017, Falwell referred to Trump as the "dream president" for evangelicals and cited "reuniting Israel with America" and Trump's appointment of "people of faith" in his administration as the reasons why evangelicals support Trump.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In March 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began to spread quickly in the United States, leading to the widespread closures of schools and universities. By March 13, most universities in Virginia announced that they were moving their classes to online-only, discontinuing in-person instruction. Falwell announced on March 13 that in-person classes at Liberty University would resume following spring break (March 14–22, 2020) in defiance of those throughout the country who called for schools to be required to close. Also on March 13, Falwell promoted a conspiracy theory that North Korea and China had collaborated to create the coronavirus. He also said that people were overreacting to the coronavirus outbreak and that Democrats were trying to use the situation to harm President Trump.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: After Liberty University's spring break, without the knowledge of city officials, Falwell reopened Liberty University on March 23 to students to physically return to the campus despite calls for the campus to stay closed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Falwell then claimed that the mortality rate among young people was low. He also blamed the media for exaggerating the threat of COVID-19, saying, "They are willing to destroy the economy just to hurt Trump."


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In response to Falwell's decision to reopen Liberty University, Lynchburg mayor Treney Tweedy said in a statement:


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: I want the residents in this community to know that at no time did I or the City Manager endorse having the students return to Liberty University's campus or any of the other college or university campuses in our community. In fact, it is quite the opposite. When we asked President Falwell to close his campus, he explained that he had to remain open for on-campus international students who had not gone home, some lab classes and the School of Aviation. President Falwell also noted that the University would be moving to an on-line platform for instruction...


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: I was very surprised and disappointed to later learn of President Falwell's most recent decision to allow students back on campus. We are in the midst of a public health crisis. I am concerned for the students, faculty and employees at Liberty University, and I am also very concerned for the residents of the Lynchburg community. Liberty University is an important part of this community; however, I believe it was a reckless decision to bring students back on campus at this time. It is unfortunate that President Falwell chose to not keep his word to us and to this community.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Virginia's governor, Ralph Northam, criticized Falwell's decision to reopen Liberty University, citing scripture (1 Corinthians 4:2) to support his statement.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Marybeth Davis Baggett, a professor at Liberty University, protested against Falwell's reopening of the university. In an op-ed published by "The Washington Post" and Religion News Service, Baggett called Falwell's decision a "foolhardy decision [that] tracks Falwell's conspiratorial thinking about COVID-19 and smacks of defiance." She continued, "[Falwell's] public comments on the pandemic have manifested bravado, self-congratulation and callousness in the extreme, as ... he spewed far-fetched, unsubstantiated and misleading information about the coronavirus outbreak... By continuing to flout the danger of this novel coronavirus, Falwell also encourages reckless behavior in the university's students."


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Prior to the school's reopening on March 23, Liberty University's lead physician Thomas W. Eppes Jr. informed Falwell that, "We've lost the ability to corral this thing." Of Liberty University's 15,000 on-campus students, 1,900 students initially returned, with 800 of those subsequently leaving again. Falwell said that the university administration had "no idea" how many other students had returned to off-campus housing. By March 30, according to a report by Eppes, almost a dozen returning students had symptoms of COVID-19, eight students had been told to self-isolate, three had been tested, and one student (who lived off campus) had tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. By March 30, the school implemented a policy requiring any student who returned to school to self-quarantine for 14 days.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: An anonymous student filed suit against Liberty University in April, stating in the lawsuit, "Liberty's decision to tell its students that they could remain on campus to continue to use their housing, meal plans, parking, and the benefits of the services and activities for which their fees paid, was not only illusory and emptybecause there were no more on-campus classes -- but it was also extremely dangerous and irresponsible."


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Jerry Falwell Jr. is married to Becki Tilley and lives on a farm in Bedford County, Virginia. The couple have three children, including businessman Jerry "Trey" Falwell III. Before being let go by the university in 2021, Jerry Falwell Jr. was the president of university operations at Liberty University. Falwell Jr. also owns the Alton Hostel (also called the Miami Hostel) in Miami's South Beach.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In 2019, Reuters reported that Falwell asked Trump fixer Michael Cohen for a personal favor: to help get rid of photos described by Cohen as being the kind that would typically be kept "between husband and wife." At least three of the photos were later discovered to be of Falwell's wife.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Longtime Liberty officials close to Falwell told me the university president has shown or texted his male confidants – including at least one employee who worked for him at Liberty – photos of his wife in provocative and sexual poses.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: At Liberty, Falwell is "very, very vocal" about his "sex life," in the words of one Liberty official – a characterization multiple current and former university officials and employees interviewed for this story support. In a car ride about a decade ago with a senior university official who has since left Liberty, "all he wanted to talk about was how he would nail his wife, how she couldn't handle [his penis size], and stuff of that sort," this former official recalled. Falwell did not respond to questions about this incident.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In March 2012, Falwell, his wife, and children stayed at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach luxury hotel, where Falwell's wife met and became friends with Giancarlo Granda, a man, twenty years old who worked there as a pool attendant. The Falwells financially backed their son, Jerry "Trey" Falwell III, and Granda in a 2013 purchase of a South Beach hostel called the Alton Hostel,<ref name="miaminewtimes/10960428"></ref><ref name="politico/215528"></ref> which operates under the name the Miami Hostel.<ref name="miamiherald/245196820"></ref> A lawsuit was filed against the Falwells and the man in 2015, dismissed, and then refiled in August 2017. The plaintiffs, a man and his son, claimed they had helped to think of the hostel business idea but had then been wrongfully left out of the venture.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In May 2020, after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam implemented a mask mandate amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Falwell criticized the mandate and tweeted a picture of a custom mask with Northam wearing blackface. Falwell apologized for the tweet in early June after being widely criticized by African-American alumni for being insensitive to the black community.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In August 2020, Falwell published a photograph on Instagram (since deleted) of himself with his jeans unzipped and his hand around the waist of a young woman whose shorts are similarly unzipped; the image was taken at a party on a private yacht, which Falwell later explained was a costume party themed after the "Trailer Park Boys" television series. In the photo Falwell was holding a glass of dark liquid, and in the caption he wrote: "I promise that's just black water in my glass. It was a prop only." Journalists observed the partial undress and consumption of alcohol were among actions that violate the Liberty University code of conduct. A former instructor at the university, Congressman Mark Walker (R–NC), called for Falwell's resignation. On August 7, Liberty University announced that Falwell would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from his positions.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In late August, Reuters contacted Falwell and his wife with their initial reporting on his wife's alleged affair with the pool attendant they had met in 2012. Shortly after, on August 23, 2020, Falwell announced in a public statement that his wife had an "improper relationship" several years earlier with a man who later threatened to reveal the affair "unless we agreed to pay him substantial monies". On August 24, Reuters published their report that the man was the pool attendant with whom Falwell had invested in the hostel. The man, now 29 years old, said he began a sexual relationship with the Falwells when he was 20. He claimed that the affair started the same month he met the couple, in March 2012, and continued into 2018. He claimed to have had "frequent" sexual encounters with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell Jr. looked on, sometimes in the same room and sometimes remotely via camera. The man shared audiotape, emails, and texts with Reuters as evidence for the veracity of his assertions about the relationship.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: Later in the day on August 24, it was reported that Falwell had agreed to resign from Liberty University, though Falwell denied the report. An anonymous university official told "The Washington Post" that there had been a delay in negotiations. On August 25, Falwell confirmed that he had resigned.


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In October 2020, Falwell sued Liberty University for damaging his reputation, but in December 2020 dropped the lawsuit. On April 15, 2021, Liberty University sued him for $40 million for breach of contract and fiduciary duty. The suit also alleged that Falwell failed to disclose to the university's board of trustees his scandalous affair and "personal impairment by alcohol".


title: Jerry Falwell Jr.

text: In January 2022, Falwell Jr. and his wife, Becki Tilley, spoke about their scandal in an interview with "Vanity Fair". Tilley admitted to a years-long affair with the pool attendant, Giancarlo Granda, starting in March 2012 and continuing through 2014. She said they met when Granda was working at the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach, and that they had made sex tapes with each other. Falwell said that he once walked in on his wife and the pool attendant having sex; he called it "traumatizing." Tilley said that Granda pressured her into sex on one occasion in 2018 although she "kept saying no", and she realized later it could be considered assault. Granda denied the accusation but did not comment on the rest of the interview, promising answers in a forthcoming book and Hulu documentary, "God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty".


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: Kaneshiro was born in Taipei, Taiwan. His mother is from Taiwan and his father is from Okinawa, Japan. He was born and raised in Taipei, but holds Japanese citizenship.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: The son of a Japanese businessman and a Taiwanese homemaker, Kaneshiro has two elder half-brothers: one who is seven years his senior, and another who is just one year older. After graduating from Taipei Japanese Junior High School, he enrolled at an English-medium international school, Taipei American School, where he learned English. During his time at secondary school, Kaneshiro began working in television commercials, and he decided to leave school to pursue a full-time career in music and acting. Kaneshiro is multilingual, fluent in Mandarin, Hokkien, Japanese, and to lesser degrees in Cantonese and English. Mandarin was the first language he spoke while growing up in Taiwan.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: is a common Okinawan surname, albeit with an unusual pronunciation, as the usual reading is Kinjō, while the traditional Okinawan pronunciation is Kanagusuku or Kanegusuku. His given name is . He appears as in Japanese media.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: Since personal names are commonly written in Chinese characters in both Chinese and Japanese naming conventions, following the Eastern name order, and in this particular case the name, in its written form, appears native in both Japanese and Chinese, giving Kaneshiro the freedom to associate himself as a Japanese or Chinese when working in China by preserving or removing the space between his surname and given name.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: In 1992, Kaneshiro made his singing debut, entering the business with the nickname "Aniki", meaning 'older brother' in Japanese. His debut album was "Heartbreaking Night" (1992). Contracted to EMI, he wrote many of his own Mandarin and Cantonese songs. The following year, his popularity propelled him into acting. He no longer produces any commercial music, although a few noted film roles, such as those in "Perhaps" "Love" (如果。愛) (2005) and "See" "You" "Tomorrow" (擺渡人)(2016) have involved his characters singing.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: Kaneshiro made his film debut in "Executioners" (1993) and this was followed by Wong Kar-wai's "Chungking Express" (1994), "Fallen Angels" (1995) and a string of other Hong Kong films, such as "Lost" "and" "Found" (1996), and "Anna" "Magdalena" (1998). It was through his collaboration with the auteur director Wong Kar Wai in "Chungking" "Express" that Kaneshiro first developed what would become his onscreen signature, namely quirky, character-driven performances that often played against type and ran counter to his idol image. Later, Kaneshiro starred in the Japanese Drama "" (1998), allowing him to branch into Japanese films such as "Returner" (2002), as well as "K"-"20": "Legend" "of" "the" "Mask" (2009) and "Accuracy" "of" "Death" (also titled “"Sweet" "Rain"”), (2010).


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: Kaneshiro’s work, however, is more heavily concentrated in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In 2005, he sang his way through "Perhaps Love", the first modern musical to be produced in China. It was the first of many collaborations with Hong Kong-based director Peter Chan. In 2008 and 2009 he starred in "Red Cliff", a high budget film by Hong Kong director John Woo. He has also played the romantic lead in Zhang Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers", and starred alongside Jet Li and Andy Lau in "The Warlords". He expressed excitement when he received the news that he would have an opportunity to work with Director Zhang Yimou.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: Kaneshiro has also become well known in the video game industry portraying the samurai warrior Samanosuke in Capcom's "Onimusha". In a June 2007 article on the film site Ain't It Cool News, it was revealed that Kaneshiro was going to be in the "Onimusha" film, reprising his role as Samanosuke and for a 2011 release, but that project was derailed. The producer Samuel Hadida had to delay the filming of "Onimusha", which has resulted in the film's Japanese cast working on other film projects during the delay, and being unavailable to start filming. These factors were enough that French director Christophe Gans will now direct an adaptation of Leo Perutz's novel "The Swedish Cavalier" first, taking over the reins from Gilles Mimouni. Satomi Ishihara and Tsuyoshi Ihara remain attached to the project.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: In 2003, Kaneshiro was featured in "Time" magazine and was dubbed the Johnny Depp of the East Asian film industry. Moreover, Kaneshiro was interviewed by Australian journalist Hugh Riminton for CNN in the network’s TalkAsia segment in 2006.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: In 2011, Kaneshiro appeared in the historical martial arts thriller "Dragon", directed by Peter Chan. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight Screenings category.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: In 2017, Kaneshiro was the winner of the Best Leading Actor award at the second annual Golden Screen Awards. He won for his starring role in the romantic comedy "This Is Not What I Expected", which was directed by Derek Hui and produced by Peter Chan.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: Kaneshiro became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018. In that same year, he completed filming for Juno Mak's "Sons of the Neon Night", with an ensemble cast that includes Tony Leung Ka Fai, Louis Koo, and Sean Lau. It was reported in 2020 that the release of this film will be postponed to 2021. The reasons given involved production issues, including budgeting and tensions between the director and cast. Kaneshiro will act as the spokesperson for the new Paradise 2M mobile multiplayer game launched in March 2021.


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: Kaneshiro is a practicing Buddhist, having converted in 1997, and has said his mother is also a devout Buddhist. Throughout his career, Kaneshiro has been given titles such as "heartthrob," "dream guy," but he has maintained a steady sense of humility. Kaneshiro is also known for trying to avoid the media spotlight. He has been quoted as saying "If one day I get married and have kids, I will probably be one of those men who really care for the family. I will eat at home every day, and help with the house work and take care of the children."


title: Takeshi Kaneshiro

text: Takeshi Kaneshiro is one of 10 recipients of the 2010 Green Planet Film Award for Ten Best International Actors of the Decade (Asia).


title: Liguria

text: Liguria (; ; ) is a region of north-western Italy; its capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennines mountain range and is roughly coextensive with the former territory of the Republic of Genoa. Liguria is bordered by France (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) to the west, Piedmont to the north, and Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany to the east. It rests on the Ligurian Sea, and has a population of 1,557,533. The region is part of the Alps–Mediterranean Euroregion.


title: Liguria

text: The name "Liguria" predates Latin and is of obscure origin. The Latin adjectives (as in ) and "Liguscus" reveal the original root of the name, "ligusc-": in the Latin name -sc- was shortened to -s-, and later turned into the -r- of , according to rhotacism. Compare whence . The name derives from the ancient Ligures people, although the territory of this people was much larger than the current administrative region; it included all of North-west Italy south to the Po river, and south-eastern France.


title: Liguria

text: Some scholars see a possible connection with Old European languages, as the formant -sc- (-sk-) is also present in names like Etruscan, Euskadi (the endonym of the Basques), and Gascon. Since these are all coastal regions, the shared formant may relate to a shared descent from pre-Indo-European, maritime peoples, and/or the hypothetical Tyrsenian and Vasconic language families respectively. This argument is weakened, however, by the fact that the name Etruscan is a relatively late exonym and the relevant endonym, used of the Etruscans themselves, was "Rasenna" or "Raśna". (In Greek this mutated into "Tursēnoi" and "Tyrrēnoi"; in Latin it became "Etruria" and "Tuscia", whence the name of the modern Tuscany or "Toscana".)


title: Liguria

text: The narrow strip of land is bordered by the sea, the Alps and the Apennine Mountains. Some mountains rise above ; the watershed line runs at an average altitude of about . The highest point of the region is the summit of Monte Saccarello ().


title: Liguria

text: Liguria is the third smallest Italian region after Aosta Valley and Molise, but is also one of the most densely populated, with a population density of 287 ab/km², much higher than the national average, and is fourth place after Campania, Lombardy and Lazio. However, there is much difference between inland mountain areas and coastal areas.


title: Liguria

text: The region is crossed east to west by the Ligurian Alps and the Ligurian Apennines that form an interrupted chain, but discontinuous in its morphology, with stretches where the Alpine/Apennine ridge is extremely compact and high aligning very high mountain groups (north to Ventimiglia, a series of massifs which became French after the Second World War, rises up to altitudes of 2700-3000 m) while in other stretches (for example in the hinterland of Savona and Genoa) the mountain barrier is not very high and deeply crossed by short valleys and passes that do not reach 500 m above sea level (Bochetta di Altare, Passo dei Giovi, Crocetta d'Orero).


title: Liguria

text: The winding arched extension goes from Ventimiglia to La Spezia. Of this, are mountainous (65% of the total) and are hills (35% of the total). Liguria's natural reserves cover 12% of the entire region, or of land. They are made up of one national reserve, six large parks, two smaller parks and three nature reserves.


title: Liguria

text: The continental shelf is very narrow and so steep it descends almost immediately to considerable depths along its coastline. Except for the Portovenere and Portofino promontories, the coast is generally not very jagged and is often high. At the mouths of the biggest watercourses are small beaches, but there are no deep bays and natural harbours except at Genoa and La Spezia.


title: Liguria

text: The hills lying immediately beyond the coast together with the sea account for a mild climate year-round. Average winter temperatures are and summer temperatures are , which make for a pleasant stay even in the dead of winter. Rainfall can be abundant at times, as mountains very close to the coast create an orographic effect. Genoa and La Spezia can see up to of rain in a year; other areas instead show the normal Mediterranean rainfall of annually.


title: Liguria

text: Copper begins to be mined from the middle of the 4th millennium BC in Liguria with the Libiola and Monte Loreto mines dated to 3700 BC..


title: Liguria

text: The Genoa area has been inhabited since the fifth or fourth millennium BC. In ancient times this area was inhabited by Ligures (ancient people after whom Liguria is named). According to excavations carried out in the city between 1898 and 1910, the Ligure population that lived in Genoa maintained trade relations with the Etruscans and the Greeks, since several objects from these populations were found. In the 5th century BC the first town, or oppidum, was founded at the top of the hill today called Castello (Castle), which is now inside the medieval old town. The ancient Ligurian city was known as Stalia (Σταλìα), referred to in this way by Artemidorus Ephesius and Pomponius Mela; this toponym is possibly preserved in the name of Staglieno, some from the coast. Stalia had an alliance with Rome through a "foedus aequum" (equal pact) in the course of the Second Punic War (218-201 BC). The Carthaginians accordingly destroyed it in 209 BC. The town was rebuilt and, after the Carthaginian Wars ended in 146 BC, it received municipal rights. The original "castrum" then expanded towards the current areas of Santa Maria di Castello and the San Lorenzo promontory. Trade goods included skins, timber, and honey. Goods were moved to and from Genoa's hinterland, including major cities like Tortona and Piacenza. An amphitheater was also found there among other archaeological remains from the Roman period.


title: Liguria

text: During the first Punic War, the ancient Ligurians were divided, some of them siding with Carthage, others, including the inhabitants of Stalia (later Genoa), with Rome. Under Augustus, Liguria was designated a region of Italy ("Regio IX Liguria") stretching from the coast to the banks of the Po River. The great Roman roads (Aurelia and Julia Augusta on the coast, Postumia and Aemilia Scauri towards the inland) helped strengthen territorial unity and increase communication and trade. Important towns developed on the coast, of which evidence is left in the ruins of Albenga, Ventimiglia and Luni.


title: Liguria

text: Between the 4th and the 10th centuries, Liguria was dominated by the Byzantines, the Lombards of King Rothari (about 641) and the Franks (about 774). It was also invaded by Saracen and Norman raiders. In the 10th century, once the danger of pirates decreased, the Ligurian territory was divided into three marches: Obertenga (east), Arduinica (west) and Aleramica (centre). In the 11th and 12th centuries, the marches were split into fees, and then with the strengthening of the bishops' power, the feudal structure began to partially weaken. The main Ligurian towns, especially on the coast, became city-states, over which Genoa soon extended its rule. Inland, however, fiefs belonging to noble families survived for a very long time.


title: Liguria

text: Between the 11th century (when the Genoese ships played a major role in the first crusade, carrying knights and troops to the Middle-East for a fee) and the 15th century, the Republic of Genoa experienced an extraordinary political and commercial success (mainly spice trades with the Orient). It was one of the most powerful maritime republics in the Mediterranean from the 12th to the 14th century: after the decisive victory in the Battle of Meloria (1284), it acquired control over the Tyrrhenian Sea and was present in the nerve centres of power during the last phase of the Byzantine empire, having colonies up to Black Sea and Crimean.


title: Liguria

text: After the introduction of the title of doge for life (1339) and the election of Simone Boccanegra, Genoa resumed its struggles against the Marquis of Finale and the Counts of Laigueglia and it conquered again the territories of Finale, Oneglia and Porto Maurizio. In spite of its military and commercial successes, Genoa fell prey to the internal factions which put pressure on its political structure. Due to the vulnerable situation, the rule of the republic went to the hands of the Visconti family of Milan. After their expulsion by the popular forces under Boccanegra's lead, the republic remained in Genoese hands until 1396, when the internal instability led the doge Antoniotto Adorno to surrender the title of Seignior of Genoa to the king of France. The French were driven away in 1409 and Liguria went back under Milanese control in 1421, thus remaining until 1435.


title: Liguria

text: The alternation of French and Milanese dominions over Liguria went on until the first half of the 16th century. The French influence ceased in 1528, when Andrea Doria allied with the powerful king of Spain and imposed an aristocratic government, which gave the republic relative stability for about 250 years.


title: Liguria

text: Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus's speculative proposal to reach the East Indies by sailing westward received the support of the Spanish crown, which saw in it an opportunity to gain the upper hand over rival powers in the contest for the lucrative spice trade with Asia. During his first voyage in 1492, instead of reaching Japan as he had intended, Columbus landed in the Bahamas archipelago, at a locale he named "San Salvador". Over the course of three more voyages, Columbus visited the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Central America, claiming them for the Spanish Empire.


title: Liguria

text: The value of trade routes through Genoa to the Near East declined during the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers discovered routes to Asia around the Cape of Good Hope. The international crises of the seventeenth century, which ended for Genoa with the 1684 bombardment by Louis XIV's fleet, restored French influence over the republic. Consequently, the Ligurian territory was crossed by the Piedmontese and Austrian armies when these two states came into conflict with France. Austria occupied Genoa in 1746, but the Habsburg troops were driven away by a popular insurrection. Napoleon's first Italian campaign marked the end of the oligarchic Genoese state, which was transformed into the Ligurian Republic, modelled on the French Republic. After the union of Oneglia and Loano (1801), Liguria was annexed to the French Empire (1805) and divided by Napoleon into three departments: Montenotte (department), with capital Savona, Gênes, with capital Genoa and the department of the Apennines, with the capital Chiavari.