title: Mau Mau rebellion

text: "Squatter or resident labourers are those who reside with their families on European farms usually for the purpose of work for the owners. ... Contract labourers are those who sign a contract of service before a magistrate, for periods varying from three to twelve months. Casual labourers leave their reserves to engage themselves to European employers for any period from one day upwards." In return for his services, a squatter was entitled to use some of the settler's land for cultivation and grazing. Contract and casual workers are together referred to as "migratory" labourers, in distinction to the permanent presence of the squatters on farms. The phenomenon of squatters arose in response to the complementary difficulties of Europeans in finding labourers and of Africans in gaining access to arable and grazing land.


title: Mau Mau rebellion

text: During the Emergency, "screening" was the term used by colonial authorities to mean the interrogation of a Mau Mau suspect. The alleged member or sympathiser of Mau Mau would be interrogated in order to obtain an admission of guilt—specifically, a confession that they had taken the Mau Mau oath—as well as for intelligence.


title: Autoregressive model

text: In statistics, econometrics and signal processing, an autoregressive (AR) model is a representation of a type of random process; as such, it is used to describe certain time-varying processes in nature, economics, etc. The autoregressive model specifies that the output variable depends linearly on its own previous values and on a stochastic term (an imperfectly predictable term); thus the model is in the form of a stochastic difference equation (or recurrence relation which should not be confused with differential equation). Together with the moving-average (MA) model, it is a special case and key component of the more general autoregressive–moving-average (ARMA) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models of time series, which have a more complicated stochastic structure; it is also a special case of the vector autoregressive model (VAR), which consists of a system of more than one interlocking stochastic difference equation in more than one evolving random variable.


title: Autoregressive model

text: Contrary to the moving-average (MA) model, the autoregressive model is not always stationary as it may contain a unit root.


title: Autoregressive model

text: The notation formula_1 indicates an autoregressive model of order "p". The AR("p") model is defined as


title: Autoregressive model

text: where formula_3 are the "parameters" of the model, and formula_4 is white noise. This can be equivalently written using the backshift operator "B" as


title: Autoregressive model

text: An autoregressive model can thus be viewed as the output of an all-pole infinite impulse response filter whose input is white noise.


title: Autoregressive model

text: Some parameter constraints are necessary for the model to remain wide-sense stationary. For example, processes in the AR(1) model with formula_7 are not stationary. More generally, for an AR("p") model to be wide-sense stationary, the roots of the polynomial formula_8 must lie outside the unit circle, i.e., each (complex) root formula_9 must satisfy formula_10 (see pages 89,92 ).


title: Autoregressive model

text: In an AR process, a one-time shock affects values of the evolving variable infinitely far into the future. For example, consider the AR(1) model formula_11. A non-zero value for formula_4 at say time "t"=1 affects formula_13 by the amount formula_14. Then by the AR equation for formula_15 in terms of formula_13, this affects formula_15 by the amount formula_18. Then by the AR equation for formula_19 in terms of formula_15, this affects formula_19 by the amount formula_22. Continuing this process shows that the effect of formula_14 never ends, although if the process is stationary then the effect diminishes toward zero in the limit.


title: Autoregressive model

text: Because each shock affects "X" values infinitely far into the future from when they occur, any given value "X" is affected by shocks occurring infinitely far into the past. This can also be seen by rewriting the autoregression


title: Autoregressive model

text: (where the constant term has been suppressed by assuming that the variable has been measured as deviations from its mean) as


title: Autoregressive model

text: When the polynomial division on the right side is carried out, the polynomial in the backshift operator applied to formula_4 has an infinite order—that is, an infinite number of lagged values of formula_4 appear on the right side of the equation.


title: Autoregressive model

text: where "B" is the backshift operator, where formula_31 is the function defining the autoregression, and where formula_32 are the coefficients in the autoregression. The formula is valid only if all the roots have multiplicity 1.


title: Autoregressive model

text: The simplest AR process is AR(0), which has no dependence between the terms. Only the error/innovation/noise term contributes to the output of the process, so in the figure, AR(0) corresponds to white noise.


title: Autoregressive model

text: For an AR(1) process with a positive formula_33, only the previous term in the process and the noise term contribute to the output. If formula_33 is close to 0, then the process still looks like white noise, but as formula_33 approaches 1, the output gets a larger contribution from the previous term relative to the noise. This results in a "smoothing" or integration of the output, similar to a low pass filter.


title: Autoregressive model

text: For an AR(2) process, the previous two terms and the noise term contribute to the output. If both formula_36 and formula_37 are positive, the output will resemble a low pass filter, with the high frequency part of the noise decreased. If formula_36 is positive while formula_37 is negative, then the process favors changes in sign between terms of the process. The output oscillates. This can be likened to edge detection or detection of change in direction.


title: Autoregressive model

text: An AR(1) process is given by:formula_40where formula_4 is a white noise process with zero mean and constant variance formula_42.


title: Autoregressive model

text: (Note: The subscript on formula_36 has been dropped.) The process is wide-sense stationary if formula_44 since it is obtained as the output of a stable filter whose input is white noise. (If formula_45 then the variance of formula_46 depends on time lag t, so that the variance of the series diverges to infinity as t goes to infinity, and is therefore not wide sense stationary.) Assuming formula_44, the mean formula_48 is identical for all values of "t" by the very definition of wide sense stationarity. If the mean is denoted by formula_49, it follows fromformula_50thatformula_51and hence


title: Autoregressive model

text: It can be seen that the autocovariance function decays with a decay time (also called time constant) of formula_58.


title: Autoregressive model

text: The spectral density function is the Fourier transform of the autocovariance function. In discrete terms this will be the discrete-time Fourier transform:


title: Autoregressive model

text: This expression is periodic due to the discrete nature of the formula_60, which is manifested as the cosine term in the denominator. If we assume that the sampling time (formula_61) is much smaller than the decay time (formula_62), then we can use a continuum approximation to formula_63:


title: Autoregressive model

text: An alternative expression for formula_46 can be derived by first substituting formula_69 for formula_70 in the defining equation. Continuing this process "N" times yields


title: Autoregressive model

text: It is seen that formula_46 is white noise convolved with the formula_75 kernel plus the constant mean. If the white noise formula_4 is a Gaussian process then formula_46 is also a Gaussian process. In other cases, the central limit theorem indicates that formula_46 will be approximately normally distributed when formula_33 is close to one.


title: Autoregressive model

text: For formula_80, the process formula_81 will be a geometric progression ("exponential" growth or decay). In this case, the solution can be found analytically: formula_82 whereby formula_83 is an unknown constant (initial condition).


title: Autoregressive model

text: The AR(1) model is the discrete time analogy of the continuous Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. It is therefore sometimes useful to understand the properties of the AR(1) model cast in an equivalent form. In this form, the AR(1) model, with process parameter formula_84 is given by:


title: Autoregressive model

text: By putting this in the form formula_88, and then expanding the series for formula_89, one can show that:


title: Autoregressive model

text: The partial autocorrelation of an AR(p) process equals zero at lags larger than p, so the appropriate maximum lag p is the one after which the partial autocorrelations are all zero.


title: Autoregressive model

text: There are many ways to estimate the coefficients, such as the ordinary least squares procedure or method of moments (through Yule–Walker equations).


title: Autoregressive model

text: It is based on parameters formula_93 where "i" = 1, ..., "p". There is a direct correspondence between these parameters and the covariance function of the process, and this correspondence can be inverted to determine the parameters from the autocorrelation function (which is itself obtained from the covariances). This is done using the Yule–Walker equations.


title: Autoregressive model

text: The Yule–Walker equations, named for Udny Yule and Gilbert Walker, are the following set of equations.


title: Autoregressive model

text: where , yielding equations. Here formula_95 is the autocovariance function of X, formula_54 is the standard deviation of the input noise process, and formula_97 is the Kronecker delta function.


title: Autoregressive model

text: Because the last part of an individual equation is non-zero only if , the set of equations can be solved by representing the equations for in matrix form, thus getting the equation


title: Autoregressive model

text: An alternative formulation is in terms of the autocorrelation function. The AR parameters are determined by the first "p"+1 elements formula_103 of the autocorrelation function. The full autocorrelation function can then be derived by recursively calculating


title: Autoregressive model

text: The above equations (the Yule–Walker equations) provide several routes to estimating the parameters of an AR("p") model, by replacing the theoretical covariances with estimated values. Some of these variants can be described as follows:


title: Autoregressive model

text: Other possible approaches to estimation include maximum likelihood estimation. Two distinct variants of maximum likelihood are available: in one (broadly equivalent to the forward prediction least squares scheme) the likelihood function considered is that corresponding to the conditional distribution of later values in the series given the initial "p" values in the series; in the second, the likelihood function considered is that corresponding to the unconditional joint distribution of all the values in the observed series. Substantial differences in the results of these approaches can occur if the observed series is short, or if the process is close to non-stationarity.


title: Autoregressive model

text: The process is stable when the roots are within the unit circle, or equivalently when the coefficients are in the triangle formula_127.


title: Autoregressive model

text: The impulse response of a system is the change in an evolving variable in response to a change in the value of a shock term "k" periods earlier, as a function of "k". Since the AR model is a special case of the vector autoregressive model, the computation of the impulse response in vector autoregression#impulse response applies here.


title: Autoregressive model

text: have been estimated, the autoregression can be used to forecast an arbitrary number of periods into the future. First use "t" to refer to the first period for which data is not yet available; substitute the known preceding values "X" for "i="1, ..., "p" into the autoregressive equation while setting the error term formula_4 equal to zero (because we forecast "X" to equal its expected value, and the expected value of the unobserved error term is zero). The output of the autoregressive equation is the forecast for the first unobserved period. Next, use "t" to refer to the "next" period for which data is not yet available; again the autoregressive equation is used to make the forecast, with one difference: the value of "X" one period prior to the one now being forecast is not known, so its expected value—the predicted value arising from the previous forecasting step—is used instead. Then for future periods the same procedure is used, each time using one more forecast value on the right side of the predictive equation until, after "p" predictions, all "p" right-side values are predicted values from preceding steps.


title: Autoregressive model

text: There are four sources of uncertainty regarding predictions obtained in this manner: (1) uncertainty as to whether the autoregressive model is the correct model; (2) uncertainty about the accuracy of the forecasted values that are used as lagged values in the right side of the autoregressive equation; (3) uncertainty about the true values of the autoregressive coefficients; and (4) uncertainty about the value of the error term formula_131 for the period being predicted. Each of the last three can be quantified and combined to give a confidence interval for the "n"-step-ahead predictions; the confidence interval will become wider as "n" increases because of the use of an increasing number of estimated values for the right-side variables.


title: Autoregressive model

text: The predictive performance of the autoregressive model can be assessed as soon as estimation has been done if cross-validation is used. In this approach, some of the initially available data was used for parameter estimation purposes, and some (from available observations later in the data set) was held back for out-of-sample testing. Alternatively, after some time has passed after the parameter estimation was conducted, more data will have become available and predictive performance can be evaluated then using the new data.


title: Autoregressive model

text: In either case, there are two aspects of predictive performance that can be evaluated: one-step-ahead and "n"-step-ahead performance. For one-step-ahead performance, the estimated parameters are used in the autoregressive equation along with observed values of "X" for all periods prior to the one being predicted, and the output of the equation is the one-step-ahead forecast; this procedure is used to obtain forecasts for each of the out-of-sample observations. To evaluate the quality of "n"-step-ahead forecasts, the forecasting procedure in the previous section is employed to obtain the predictions.


title: Autoregressive model

text: Given a set of predicted values and a corresponding set of actual values for "X" for various time periods, a common evaluation technique is to use the mean squared prediction error; other measures are also available (see forecasting#forecasting accuracy).


title: Autoregressive model

text: The question of how to interpret the measured forecasting accuracy arises—for example, what is a "high" (bad) or a "low" (good) value for the mean squared prediction error? There are two possible points of comparison. First, the forecasting accuracy of an alternative model, estimated under different modeling assumptions or different estimation techniques, can be used for comparison purposes. Second, the out-of-sample accuracy measure can be compared to the same measure computed for the in-sample data points (that were used for parameter estimation) for which enough prior data values are available (that is, dropping the first "p" data points, for which "p" prior data points are not available). Since the model was estimated specifically to fit the in-sample points as well as possible, it will usually be the case that the out-of-sample predictive performance will be poorer than the in-sample predictive performance. But if the predictive quality deteriorates out-of-sample by "not very much" (which is not precisely definable), then the forecaster may be satisfied with the performance.


title: Adam Conover

text: Adam Conover (born March 2) is an American comedian, writer, voice actor, and television host. He created and hosted the half-hour truTV show "Adam Ruins Everything", based on the CollegeHumor series of the same name. He was also the host of the American version of "The Crystal Maze" on Nickelodeon. In 2022, Conover's limited series "The G Word with Adam Conover" debuted on Netflix.


title: Adam Conover

text: His parents' and sibling's degrees have led Adam to describe himself as "the only member of the family without a Ph.D."


title: Adam Conover

text: In 2000, he graduated from Shoreham-Wading River High School, where he became interested in the performing arts. As a teenager, he was part of a band called Bocoach. He then attended Bard College, where, in 2002, he became an active member of the sketch comedy group Olde English. In 2004, he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Bard College.


title: Adam Conover

text: In 2012, Conover began working as a sketch comedy writer and performer for the comedy website and YouTube channel CollegeHumor, where he eventually created the web series that would go on to become "Adam Ruins Everything" on TruTV. The first episode of the TruTV show, which aims to reveal untold truths and to dispel common misconceptions, premiered on September 29, 2015. Conover has said his character in the show is a comedic interpretation of the person he worries he once was and/or is. As he told "The New York Observer", "It’s the reaction I’ve gotten my whole life: that I learn something and try to tell people in conversation, but when I tell them, they are annoyed."


title: Adam Conover

text: In March 2016, he was asked to speak at a marketing conference on the subject of millennials; the talk he gave was entitled "Millennials Don't Exist". In 2018, Conover was the headliner of the first night of the annual CSICon conference for skeptics. On August 17, 2018, Conover was a guest on "Real Time with Bill Maher". On April 17, 2019, Conover was a guest on "The Joe Rogan Experience".


title: Adam Conover

text: He has voiced several characters in the Netflix animated series "BoJack Horseman", including A Ryan Seacrest-Type, one of the Paparazzi Birds, and Bradley Hitler-Smith. In 2019, he voiced the character of "Big_Hairy_Stallion_69" on the Netflix series "Tuca and Bertie", and created the new Earwolf podcast "Factually!"


title: Adam Conover

text: Since 2020, Conover has also acted as the host of an American adaptation of the family game show "The Crystal Maze" for Nickelodeon.


title: Adam Conover

text: In November 2020, Conover had a cameo appearance as his character from "Adam Ruins Everything" in "The Eric Andre Show". He appeared in the show's opening sequence and was beaten to death then shot by Eric Andre.


title: Adam Conover

text: In December 2020, Conover announced that "Adam Ruins Everything" was no longer in production and that he was planning a new Netflix series about the federal government called "The G Word with Adam Conover." The show premiered on Netflix on May 19, 2022.


title: Adam Conover

text: Conover was once a roommate of "BoJack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg in New York City, who also introduced him to his girlfriend, illustrator Lisa Hanawalt.


title: Adam Conover

text: Conover has been an outspoken supporter of Nithya Raman, who challenged and beat David Ryu for the Los Angeles City Council. As an activist for Housing First policies, Conover performed stand-up to fundraise for the campaign and canvassed in support of Raman. Conover serves on the board of the Writers Guild of America West.


title: Jim Dale

text: Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In British film, he became one of the regulars in the "Carry On" films, along with Leslie Phillips, Valerie Leon, Kenneth Cope, Julian Holloway, Hugh Futcher, Anita Harris, Amanda Barrie, Jacki Piper, Angela Douglas and Patricia Franklin.


title: Jim Dale

text: In the United States he is most recognised as a leading actor on Broadway, where he had roles in "Scapino", "Barnum", "Candide" and "Me and My Girl", as well as for narrating all seven of the "Harry Potter" audiobooks in the American market (for which he received two Grammy Awards out of six nominations) and the ABC series "Pushing Daisies" (2007–2009); he also starred in the Disney film "Pete's Dragon" (1977). He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for portraying a young Spike Milligan in "" (1973).


title: Jim Dale

text: As a lyricist, Dale was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for the song "Georgy Girl", the theme for the 1966 film of the same title.


title: Jim Dale

text: Dale was born James Smith, to William Henry and Miriam Jean ("née" Wells) Smith in Rothwell, Northamptonshire. He was educated at Kettering Grammar School. He trained as a dancer for six years before his debut as a stage comic in 1951. He did two years of national service in the Royal Air Force.


title: Jim Dale

text: At the age of 22, Dale became the first pop singer to work with Parlophone head George Martin. He achieved four hits on the UK Singles Chart; "Be My Girl" (1957, UK No. 2), "Just Born (To Be Your Baby)" (1958, UK No. 27), "Crazy Dream" (1958, UK No. 24), and "Sugartime" (1958, UK No. 25). Dale recorded an album with Martin, "Jim!" (1958), and appeared contemporaneously as a presenter and performer on BBC Television's "Six-Five Special", but he was vocal about comedy aspirations and his career as a teen idol was ultimately short-lived.


title: Jim Dale

text: As a songwriter, Dale is best remembered as the lyricist for the film theme "Georgy Girl", for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1966. The song (performed by the Seekers) reached number 2 in the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart the following year, it also made number 3 in Dale's native UK and Number 1 in Australia, going on to sell over 11 million records around the world. He also wrote lyrics for the title songs of the films "The Winter's Tale", "Shalako", "Twinky" ("Lola" in the United States) and "Joseph Andrews". He also wrote and recorded the song "Dick-a-Dum-Dum (King's Road)", which became a hit for Des O'Connor in 1969.


title: Jim Dale

text: Dale's film debut was in "Break-In" (1956), a War Office information film. He next appeared in "Six Five Special" (1958), a spin-off from the BBC TV series of the same title. This film was also released under the name "Calling All Cats". He then had a tiny role in the comedy "Raising the Wind" (1961) as a trombone player who thwarts orchestral conductor Kenneth Williams. However, he is best known in Britain for his appearances in eleven "Carry On" films, a long-running series of comedy farces, generally playing the hapless romantic lead. His "Carry On" career began in small roles: first as an expectant father in "Carry On Cabby" (1963), which was followed by "Carry On Jack" (1964). From "Carry On Spying" (1964) onwards, his roles were more substantial. Following "Carry On Cleo" (1964), his first principal role was "Carry On Cowboy" (1965), set in the Wild West, where he played an immigrant English sanitary engineer called Marshall P. Knutt who is mistakenly hired as a police marshal. Then came "Carry On Screaming!" (1966), "Don't Lose Your Head" (1966), "Follow That Camel" (1967), "Carry On Doctor" (1967), "Carry On Again Doctor" (1969) and the 1992 revival "Carry On Columbus".


title: Jim Dale

text: Dale played Harold, the policeman in the 1965 comedy film "The Big Job" with two of his regular Carry On co-stars, Sidney James and Joan Sims.


title: Jim Dale

text: In 1973 he appeared in the role of Spike Milligan in "," the film adaptation of the of Spike Milligan's autobiography. It starred Dale as the young Terence "Spike" Milligan, while Milligan himself plays the part of his father, Leo. Dale was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for his performance.


title: Jim Dale

text: He played Dr. Terminus in Walt Disney's "Pete's Dragon" (1977). In the 1978 Walt Disney comedy film "Hot Lead and Cold Feet" he played three characters, including both lead male parts, whilst 1973 saw him co-star in "The National Health".


title: Jim Dale

text: At the age of 17, Dale became one of the youngest professional comedians in Britain, touring all the variety music halls.


title: Jim Dale

text: In 1970 Sir Laurence Olivier invited Dale to join the National Theatre Company in London, then based at the Old Vic. At the Young Vic Theatre, he created the title role in "Scapino" (ca. 1970), which he co-adapted with Frank Dunlop, and played Petruchio in "The Taming of the Shrew".


title: Jim Dale

text: His other UK credits include "The Card" (1973), and "The Wayward Way" in London. He appeared in "The Winter's Tale" as Autolycus and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as Bottom at the Edinburgh Festivals in 1966 and 1967 for Frank Dunlop's Pop Theatre. He took over the part of Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh's "Oliver!" at the London Palladium in September 1995.


title: Jim Dale

text: For his Broadway performances, Dale has been nominated for five Tony Awards, winning one for "Barnum" (1980) for which the "New York Times" described him as "The Toast of Broadway", also winning the second of five Drama Desk Awards, and the second of five Outer Critics Awards. Other work includes "Scapino" (1974) (Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award, Tony Award Nomination), "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" (1985) (Outer Critics Award, Tony Award Nomination), "Me and My Girl" (1986) "Candide" (1997) (Tony Award Nomination) and "The Threepenny Opera" (2006) for the Roundabout Theatre Company. Dale played Mister Peacham and won a Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics' Award, The Richard Seff Award and a Tony Award nomination.


title: Jim Dale

text: Credits Off-Broadway include "Travels with My Aunt" (1995) (Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics Award), "Privates On Parade" (1989), "Comedians" (2003) (Drama Desk Award nomination and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination) and "Address Unknown" (2004).


title: Jim Dale

text: Dale's other stage work includes "The Taming of the Shrew" as Petruchio with the Young Vic, London (1970) and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York (1974); "The Music Man" U.S. tour (1984), and "The Invisible Man" at the Cleveland Play House (1998). He played the part of Ebenezer Scrooge in "" at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, from 28 November to 27 December 2003.


title: Jim Dale

text: In November 2006 Dale starred as Charlie Baxter in a one-night only concert version of the Sherman brothers musical, "Busker Alley" alongside Glenn Close. This was a benefit for the York Theatre Company, and was held at Hunter College in New York City. He wrote and appeared in his one-man show, "Just Jim Dale", looking back over nearly sixty years in show business. It opened on 15 May 2014 at the Roundabout Theatre Company Laura Pels Theatre, winning Dale his fifth Outer Critics Circle Award, and his fifth Drama Desk Award. It opened at the Vaudeville Theatre in the West End in May 2015.


title: Jim Dale

text: In the United States, Jim Dale is known as the voice of the "Harry Potter" audiobooks. He has recorded all seven books in the "Harry Potter" series as audiobooks, and as a narrator he has won two Grammy Awards (in 2001 and 2008) and received seven Grammy nominations and a record ten Audie Awards including "Audio Book of the Year 2004" for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Best Children's Narrator 2001/2005/2007/2008," "Best Children's Audio Book 2005," two Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association (one of these was in 2001 for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") and 23 "AudioFile" Earphone Awards.


title: Jim Dale

text: He narrates the "Harry Potter" video games and many of the interactive "extras" on the "Harry Potter" DVD releases. He also holds one current and two former Guinness World Records. He holds one current record for occupying the first six places in the Top Ten Audio Books of America and Canada 2005. Previously he held records for creating the most character voices for an audiobook (134 for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" in 2003, followed by 146 voices for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in 2007), though the record was later awarded to Roy Dotrice for his 2004 recording of "A Game of Thrones". Dale opened every episode of the ABC drama "Pushing Daisies" as the unseen narrator.


title: Jim Dale

text: In 2018, Dale narrated "SPIN: The Rumpelstiltskin Musical" by Edelman and Fishman, noted as being the first audiobook musical of its kind. "SPIN" was released by Harper Audio on 9 January 2018.


title: Jim Dale

text: In 2019, Dale narrated "Puss In Boots a Musical", by Edelman and Fishman, adapted for the audiobook by Edelman, Fishman, and Khristine Hvam, released by Harper Audio on 27 August 2019.


title: Jim Dale

text: In 2003, Dale was awarded the MBE, as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours List, for his work in promoting children's English literature.


title: Football in London

text: Football is the most popular sport, both in terms of participants and spectators, in London. London has several of England's leading football clubs, and the city is home to sixteen professional clubs, several dozen semi-professional clubs and several hundred amateur clubs regulated by the London Football Association, Middlesex County Football Association, Surrey County Football Association and the Amateur Football Alliance. Most London clubs are named after the district in which they play (or used to play), and share rivalries with each other.


title: Football in London

text: London teams have won a total of 21 English Championships, 35 FA Cups, 12 EFL Cups, 8 Community Shields, 5 Football League Championships after Premier League was started, one Club World Cup, two Champions Leagues, five Cup Winners' Cups, four UEFA Cups/Europa Leagues, two Super Cups, and two Intertoto Cups. In the 1989–90 season, eight of London's professional clubs were in the top tier of English Football at the same time, meaning that 40% of the member clubs of the First Division that season were based in one city.


title: Football in London

text: Fulham were founded in 1879 and are London's oldest club still playing professionally. Royal Arsenal were London's first team to turn professional in 1891. They became Woolwich Arsenal in 1893, and then became just Arsenal in 1913. They are London's most successful team with 44 honours. Arsenal are only the second English club (after Preston North End of 1888–89), and the only London club to go an entire League season unbeaten, in the 2003–04 season. Arsenal have won The FA Cup a record 14 times; they were the first London team to win the Football League First Division in the 1930–31 season and the first London club to win the Premier League in the 1997–98 season. They were also the first London club to reach the European Cup/UEFA Champions League final, which they did in the 2005–06 season, eventually losing 1–2 to Barcelona.


title: Football in London

text: Chelsea are the only London club to win the UEFA Champions League, securing two titles in both 2012 and 2021. On 15 May 2013, Chelsea won the UEFA Europa League to become the fourth club and the second British side to win all three main UEFA club competitions after Manchester United. Chelsea are also the only London club to have participated in and win the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021, beating Palmeiras in the final. Previously, they were runners-up in 2012, losing to Corinthians.


title: Football in London

text: Tottenham Hotspur were the first British club to win a European trophy, winning the Cup Winners Cup in 1963. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are traditionally London's most successful teams. Between them, they have won a total of 103 titles and trophies. Wembley Stadium, England's national stadium, is in London. The site of the 1966 World Cup Final and numerous European cup finals, it is the home venue of the England national football team and has traditionally hosted the FA Cup Final since 1923.


title: Football in London

text: The playing of team ball games (almost certainly including football) was first recorded in London by William FitzStephen around 1174–1183. He described the activities of London youths during the annual festival of Shrove Tuesday.


title: Football in London

text: Regular references to the game occurred throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, including the first reference to the word "football" in English when it was outlawed by King Henry IV of England in 1409. Early games were probably disorganised and violent. In the sixteenth century, the headmaster of St Paul's School Richard Mulcaster is credited with taking mob football and transforming it into organised and refereed team football. In 1581 he wrote about his game of football, which included smaller teams, referees, set positions and even a coach.


title: Football in London

text: The modern game of football was first codified in 1863 in London and subsequently spread worldwide. Key to the establishment of the modern game was Londoner Ebenezer Cobb Morley who was a founding member of the Football Association, the oldest football organisation in the world. Morley wrote to the "Bell's Life" newspaper proposing a governing body for football which led directly to the first meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern in central London of the FA. He wrote the first set of rules of true modern football at his house in Barnes. The modern passing form of the game was invented in London in the early 1870s by the Royal Engineers A.F.C. (albeit the club were based in Chatham, Kent).


title: Football in London

text: Prior to the first meeting of the Football Association in the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London on 26 October 1863, there were no universally accepted rules for the playing of the game of football. The founder members present at the first meeting were Barnes, Civil Service, Crusaders, Forest of Leytonstone (later to become Wanderers), N.N. (No Names) Club (Kilburn), the original Crystal Palace, Blackheath, Kensington School, Percival House (Blackheath), Surbiton and Blackheath Proprietary School; Charterhouse sent its captain, B.F. Hartshorne, but declined the offer to join. All of the 12 founding clubs were from London though many are since defunct or now play rugby union.


title: Football in London

text: A rise in the popularity of football in London dates from the end of the 19th century, when a fall in church attendance left many people searching for a way to spend their weekend leisure time. In 1882 the London Football Association was set up. Over the next 25 years clubs sprang up all over the capital, and the majority of these teams are still thriving in the 21st century. Of those clubs currently playing in the Football League, Fulham is generally considered to be London's oldest, having been founded in 1879. However, Isthmian League side Cray Wanderers is the oldest extant club in all of the Greater London area, having been founded in 1860 in St Mary Cray | (then part of Kent but now in the London Borough of Bromley).


title: Football in London

text: Initially, football in London was dominated by amateur teams, drawing their membership from former public schoolboys but gradually working-class sides came to the forefront. Royal Arsenal was London's first professional team, becoming so in 1891, a move which saw them boycotted by the amateur London Football Association. Other London clubs soon followed Arsenal's footsteps in turning professional, including Millwall (1893), Tottenham Hotspur (1895), Fulham (1898) and West Ham (1898).


title: Football in London

text: In the meantime, Woolwich Arsenal (formerly Royal Arsenal) went on to be the first London club to join the Football League, in 1893. The following year, the Southern League was founded and many of its members would go on to join the Football League. In 1901 Tottenham Hotspur became the first club from London to win the FA Cup in the professional era, although it would not be until 1931 that a London side would win the Football League, the team in question being Arsenal (having moved to Highbury in 1913 and dropping the "Woolwich" from their name).


title: Football in London

text: In the 1989–90 season, eight of London's professional clubs were in the top tier of English Football at the same time, forming 40% of the First Division that season.


title: Football in London

text: Historically, London clubs have not accumulated as many trophies as those from North West England, such as the 52 top-league English championships won by Liverpool, Manchester United, Everton and Manchester City; however, in the thirteen consecutive seasons since 2005–06, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham have consistently finished in the top six of the league table (92% top six finishes, after accounting for a Tottenham 8th, a Chelsea 10th and a Tottenham 11th) and are regarded as three of the Premier League's current "big six" alongside Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City. In the two seasons immediately proceeding the start of this top six run, Arsenal and Chelsea became the first pair of London clubs to finish first and second in the top flight, with Arsenal winning in 2003–04, and Chelsea winning in 2004–05. The 2009–10 season saw Chelsea (1st), Arsenal (3rd) and Tottenham (4th) all finish in the top four, qualifying all three of these London teams into the same UEFA Champions League competition.


title: Football in London

text: Before the 1996–97 season, when Chelsea started its run of consistent high finishes, the two highest profile London clubs were Arsenal and their long-standing North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom were considered to be members of English football's "big five" (with Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton) for much of the post-war period. As of the end of the 2021–22 season, all three clubs were in the top ten in the all-time top-flight table for England – Arsenal at second overall, Tottenham at seventh overall and Chelsea at eighth overall.


title: Football in London

text: The table below lists all London clubs in the top eight tiers of the English football league system: from the top division (the Premier League), down to Step 4 of the National League System. League status is correct for the 2022–23 season.


title: Football in London

text: Below the eighth tier, numerous London clubs are represented within the Combined Counties League (SW), Essex Senior League (NE), Southern Counties East Football League (SE) and the Spartan South Midlands League (NW).


title: Football in London

text: There are also a huge number of minor London clubs playing outside the top eight levels of English football. Hackney Marshes in east London, home to many amateur sides, is reportedly the single largest collection of football pitches in the world, with 100 separate pitches.


title: Football in London

text: "* The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is not considered a UEFA competition, and hence Arsenal's record in the Fairs Cup is not considered part of its European record (although they won it in 1970, at a time when participation was based on league position)."


title: Football in London

text: There have been seven all-London FA Cup finals the first being in 1967 between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Arsenal have three all-London affairs, Spurs and West Ham both two. Chelsea have featured in four (a joint record with Arsenal) losing all four.


title: Football in London

text: Wembley Stadium, in north-west London, is the national football stadium, and is traditionally the home of the FA Cup Final as well as England's home internationals. The old stadium was closed in 2000 in order to be demolished and completely rebuilt, and reopened in 2007; during the closure Cardiff's Millennium Stadium was the venue for cup finals, while England played at various venues around the country. Wembley was one of the venues for the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 European Football Championship, and hosted the final of both tournaments. It also was the venue for the European Cup final in 1968, 1978, 1992, 2011 and 2013. With a 90,000-capacity, it is the second largest stadium in Europe.


title: Football in London

text: Most clubs in London have their own stadium, although some clubs share, and some clubs may temporarily take up a tenancy at another's ground due to their own ground being redeveloped. The largest operational football stadium in London apart from Wembley is Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with a capacity of 62,062. Other large stadiums include Arsenal's Emirates Stadium (60,704), West Ham United's London Stadium (60,000) and Chelsea's Stamford Bridge (41,798). There are 10 stadiums in London (apart from Wembley) with capacities over 10,000.


title: Football in London

text: London is the location of the headquarters of the Football Association, at Wembley Stadium (formerly Soho Square and Lancaster Gate), while the Premier League's offices are located in Marylebone. The Football League maintains its headquarters in Preston, although its commercial offices are based in Marylebone as well.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai (; born 18 December 1972) is a Singaporean politician, economist and former civil servant who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore since 2022 alongside Heng Swee Keat and Minister for Finance since 2021. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Limbang division of Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC since 2015.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Prior to entering politics, Wong worked in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Health (MOH). He was also the principal private secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong between 2005 and 2008, and chief executive officer of the Energy Market Authority between 2009 and 2011.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong made his political debut in the 2011 general election when he contested in West Coast GRC as part of a five-member PAP team and won. Since the 2015 general election, he has contested in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC and retained his seat in the 2015 and 2020 general elections. He was the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth between 2012 and 2015, Second Minister of Communications and Information between 2014 and 2015, Minister for National Development between 2015 and 2020, Second Minister of Finance between 2016 and 2021 and Minister for Education between 2020 and 2021.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong is a co-chair of a multi-ministerial committee set up by the government in January 2020 to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. In April 2022, he was chosen as the leader of the PAP's fourth generation team, placing him in line as Lee's apparent successor. Wong assumed the office of Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore on 13 June 2022, serving alongside Heng Swee Keat. On 26 November 2022, Wong was appointed to the newly created position of Deputy Secretary-General of the People's Action Party.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong was born on 18 December 1972 at in the eastern part of Singapore. He is of Hainanese descent and was raised Methodist. Growing up, Wong and his family lived in a public Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Marine Parade. Wong's father worked as a sales executive while his mother was a teacher at his primary school.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong attended Haig Boys' Primary School (now Tanjong Katong Primary School), Tanjong Katong Technical School (now Tanjong Katong Secondary School) and Victoria Junior College before graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics under the Public Service Commission scholarship.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: He subsequently went on to complete a Master of Arts degree in applied economics at the University of Michigan in 1995, and a Master of Public Administration degree at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2004.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong began his career as an economist working in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) in August 1997. It was the beginning of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and his first assignment involved preparing a report on regional economies and their effects on Singapore; he described the experience as "nothing that I learned in school prepared me for such an assignment" and recounted having to learn on the job.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: He was posted to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in January 2002 and then the Ministry of Health (MOH) in July 2004, where he served as Director of Healthcare Finance until May 2005. Wong served as the principal private secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong between May 2005 and August 2008.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: In September 2008, Wong became deputy chief executive officer of the Energy Market Authority, rising to chief executive officer on 1 January 2009. He relinquished the role on 1 April 2011.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong entered politics at the 2011 general election when he contested as part of a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team in West Coast GRC. The PAP team won with 66.66% of the vote against the Reform Party and Wong was elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Boon Lay ward of West Coast GRC.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: On 21 May 2011, Wong was appointed as Minister of State for Defence and Minister of State for Education. He was also appointed to the board of directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore on 10 June 2011. On 1 August 2012, he was promoted to Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts and Senior Minister of State for Education. On 1 November 2012, he was appointed Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong led a team to bid for the Singapore Botanic Gardens to be recognised as Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wong also spearheaded the free museum entry policy for all Singaporeans and permanent residents, to all national museums and heritage institutions from 18 May 2013. In 2013, Wong also announced the setting up of a new S$100 million National Youth Fund for youth to champion community and social causes.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: On 1 May 2014, Wong was promoted to Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Communications and Information. He was also a co-opted Member of the 32nd, 33rd and 35th CEC before his win in the election into the 36th PAP Central Executive Committee (CEC). Wong was also appointed as the Head of the SG50 Programme Office that coordinates the work of five committees for Singapore's Golden Jubilee Year celebrations. Wong was also the co-chair for the SG50 Culture and Community Committee.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: As Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Wong was involved in the transformation of the Civic District— the birthplace of modern Singapore which contained many institutions that have witnessed important turning points in Singapore's history. In January 2016, he assumed office as Chairman of the PAP Community Foundation from 2016 until 2022 where it was handed over to Minister Josephine Teo In August 2016, the National Arts Council attracted criticisms over the high consultation fees paid for a bin centre, as flagged by the Auditor-General's Office. Wong addressed the issue in Parliament, saying that the project was at acceptable cost due to the need for extensive study of the location and technicality involved with the building of the refuse centre in the Civic District.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Under his charge, Wong also introduced the S$200 million Cultural Matching Fund, a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for cash donations to arts and heritage charities and Institutions of Public Character in Singapore.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: In the 2015 general election, Wong was part of a four-member PAP team contesting in the newly formed Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong was also the Chairman of the Steering Committee for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. Wong had also announced several key initiatives to get more Singaporeans involved in sports. This includes a national movement called ActiveSG, which gives all Singaporeans and permanent residents ActiveSG$100 to sign up for sports programmes, and enter into swimming pools and gyms at the various sports centres islandwide.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong also chaired the Singapore High Performance Sports Steering Committee, which provides strategic guidance on identifying and nurturing high performing sporting talents. Wong said that the accomplishments of Singapore athletes at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games indicate that Singapore's investment in sports is paying off.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: On 1 October 2015, Wong became the Minister for National Development. He also chaired the steering committee for the development of Jurong Lake Gardens.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: On 22 August 2016, Wong was appointed Second Minister for Finance, in addition to being Minister for National Development. On 29 August 2016, he stepped down from the board of directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and was replaced by Ong Ye Kung.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, Wong and Gan Kim Yong were appointed co-chairs of a multi-ministerial committee formed by the government in January 2020 to manage the situation. On 26 March 2020, while paying tribute to frontline workers helping in Singapore's fight against COVID-19, Wong turned emotional and teary-eyed while delivering his address in Parliament. He thanked healthcare workers, as well as those working in cleaning, transport and security sectors for providing much-needed services to keep Singapore going during this difficult time.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: In the 2020 general election, Wong led a four-member PAP team to contest in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC again. The PAP team won with 63.18% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party and Wong retained his seat as the Member of Parliament representing Limbang ward.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: On 27 July 2020, following a Cabinet reshuffle, Wong succeeded Ong Ye Kung as Minister for Education. On 8 November that year, Wong was elected into the PAP's Central Executive Committee for the first time after rising to prominence for leading the Government's fight against COVID-19.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: On 15 May 2021, following another Cabinet reshuffle, Wong relinquished his portfolio as Minister for Education and became Minister for Finance. On 28 May 2021, he was reappointed to the board of directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore as deputy chair, replacing Lim Hng Kiang.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: In February 2022, Wong announced a S$500 million stimulus package due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. Wong also said the government would set aside an additional S$560 million to "help Singaporean citizens deal with the rising cost of living".


title: Lawrence Wong

text: On 14 April 2022, Wong was selected as the leader of the PAP's fourth-generation (4G) team, succeeding Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who had stepped down as 4G leader on 8 April 2021. Prior to his appointment, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delegated former PAP chairman Khaw Boon Wan to initiate a consultation process among the fourth-generation ministers of the Cabinet, aimed at garnering their individual views regarding the selection of a new 4G leader. However, both Prime Minister Lee and Senior Ministers Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Teo Chee Hean, abstained from participating in the process.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong received an "overwhelming majority" of support in the consultation process, surpassing that of Ong Ye Kung and Chan Chun Sing, his cabinet colleagues and co-contestants in the 4G leadership race. He received 15 out of the 19 votes from the stakeholders polled, and as no candidate is allowed to vote for himself, this meant that only three other individuals did not vote for him as their first choice. His candidature was unanimously endorsed by the Cabinet and subsequently, by the PAP MPs at a party caucus on 14 April. His appointment was announced by Prime Minister Lee in a Facebook post the same day.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: As the new 4G leader, Wong subsequently emerged as Lee's apparent successor to the position of prime minister; the latter's initial plans to step down at the age of 70 had been thwarted by Heng's withdrawal.


title: Lawrence Wong

text: On 6 June 2022, a Cabinet reshuffle was announced where Lawrence was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister, which further cemented his position as PM Lee Hsien Loong's successor. In addition to becoming Deputy Prime Minister, he was also named "Acting Prime Minister" in the PM's absence, he had also taken over responsibility of the Strategy Group in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) from Heng Swee Keat. On 29 June, Wong launched the "Forward Singapore" movement as part of his vision for a society that "benefits many, not a few".


title: Lawrence Wong

text: Wong married at the age of 28 but divorced his first wife after three years due to "incompatibility". He has since married Loo Tze Lui, a former banker and civil servant who is currently serving as vice-president of the YMCA in Singapore. His elder brother is an aerospace engineer at DSO National Laboratories.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: Million Dollar Arm is a 2014 American biographical sports drama film directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Walt Disney Pictures from a screenplay written by Tom McCarthy. The film is based on the true story of baseball pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel who were discovered by sports agent J. B. Bernstein after winning a reality show competition.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: The film stars Jon Hamm as J. B. Bernstein, Bill Paxton as pitching coach Tom House, Suraj Sharma as Singh, Madhur Mittal as Patel, and Alan Arkin. The film's music is composed by A. R. Rahman. Produced by Joe Roth, Mark Ciardi, and Gordon Gray, the film was released theatrically on May 16, 2014. "Million Dollar Arm" grossed $39.2 million.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: J. B. Bernstein is a big-time sports agent who, along with his partner Ash Vasudevan, recently formed their own company. Unfortunately, all of J. B.'s clients have retired, and he is unable to reel in star football player Popo Vanuatu. Desperate to find new clients, J. B. realizes India, with over one billion people, has real potential for untapped baseball talent. He approaches investor Mr. Chang with his proposal—a talent contest staged in India called "Million Dollar Arm." Contestants score points by demonstrating they can pitch a baseball with speed and accuracy. Along with the prize money, two winners will be flown to the U.S. and receive coaching to become legitimate baseball prospects within two years. Chang commits to providing the funding, on the condition the prospects are ready within only one year. With no alternative, J. B. reluctantly assures Chang the winners will be ready for a major-league try-out within one year.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: J. B. approaches veteran baseball pitching coach Tom House who explains that cricket, the main sport played in India, and baseball have very different motions for bowling and pitching, and getting a good recruit ready for a try-out in one year is extremely unlikely, if not impossible. J. B. points how House has nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking up the challenge, and House agrees.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: While Ash and Theresa, their assistant, hold down the fort in Los Angeles, J. B. flies to India. Despite support from Vivek, his guide in India, J. B. is bewildered by the traffic, the overcrowding, and the lax way Indians conduct business. He is joined by the curmudgeonly Ray Poitevint, a longtime major league scout, and hires Amit Rohan as his interpreter. After lengthy try-outs in numerous cities, two youngsters emerge as the winners — Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, and they are flown to the U.S. to begin their baseball training. The pair, who grew up in poverty in India and do not speak or understand English, are instantly overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of America, although Rinku immediately develops a liking for pizza. Things soon come to a crunch when they are detained by hotel security for messing with elevator emergency controls, inadvertently getting themselves stuck and setting off the fire alarm. J. B. is subsequently forced to invite them to stay at his home. For their baseball training, J. B. dumps the pair by House and his staff while he runs off to close more deals. In being treated so, the pair feels like social outcasts. J. B.'s tenant Brenda Fenwick is the only person who genuinely seems interested in their well-being.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: When J. B. takes the boys and Amit to a party thrown by Popo, whom J. B. hopes to sign, things get worse when Amit gets drunk after accidentally drinking a margarita mistaking it for punch while Rinku becomes sick from overeating and as a result, both vomit on J. B.'s windshield, forcing an enraged J. B. to drive them home, and forfeit the deal with Popo, who signed with someone else. Brenda calms him down and makes him realize he is treating the two boys like a business deal. The next day, J. B., no longer able to afford the payments on his Porsche, trades it in for a Dodge Caravan and joins the boys for their prayers. Ignoring J. B.'s pleas of the two boys' lack of readiness, Chang insists his terms be fulfilled and the boys demonstrate their baseball skills one year from the time they arrived in the US. ESPN, "Sports Illustrated", and local media are joined by numerous major-league scouts to watch the boys pitch. The try-out is a complete disaster, as the pair is both very nervous and pitch without speed or control, failing to impress anyone. Chang is happy with Million Dollar arm success, but the two boys are done.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: Brenda convinces J. B. that the boys be given another try-out. Chang refused to go along with it, and no scouts are interested in wasting their time on another fiasco. All hope is lost until Ray arranges for J. B. to meet the Pittsburgh Pirates head scout who was away in Puerto Rico for the first try-out, and agrees to come. Chang changes his mind and sees the second try-out of Singh and Patel. This time, J. B. insists the boys relax and have fun. The scouts are quickly impressed as the pair consistently deliver 90+ mph fastballs thrown accurately, and both are offered a contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: ESPN personalities Jayson Stark, Karl Ravech, and Steve Levy, journalist Ken Rosenthal, and retired Major League Baseball players Barry Larkin and Curt Schilling have cameo appearances in the film.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: In 2008, television sports producers and brothers Neil and Michael Mandt began documenting the training and tryouts that Singh and Patel were undergoing at the USC campus. Using original footage they had shot, they created a nine-minute trailer as a presentation piece for a projected movie about the two players. In December 2008, the Mandts began a collaboration with producers Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray and Joe Roth. In early 2009, the screen rights to Singh and Patel's life story were purchased by Sony Pictures Entertainment for development at Columbia Pictures, which hired Mitch Glazer to write a screenplay.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: The project was eventually put in turnaround and in 2010, producers Roth and Ciardi set the film up at Walt Disney Pictures. Upon acquiring the film, Disney hired Tom McCarthy to write a script. In May 2012, Jon Hamm was hired to play J. B. Bernstein. Alan Arkin and Suraj Sharma were hired in April 2013, with Allyn Rachel joining the cast the following month. Principal photography began on May 30, 2013 with filming taking place in Mumbai, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: A. R. Rahman composed the film's score. The soundtrack album was digitally released by Walt Disney Records on May 13, 2014 whereas the CD release was released on May 19, 2014.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: The first trailer was released on December 23, 2013 and attached theatrically with "Saving Mr. Banks". Disney heavily promoted the film through its ESPN division, with Bill Simmons being credited an executive producer on the film. The film was fully screened at CinemaCon in March 2014, wherein Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn claimed that it was the highest-tested film during his tenure at either Disney or Warner Bros., including the first "Harry Potter" film. The film held its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre on May 6, 2014.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: "Million Dollar Arm" was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on October 7, 2014.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: "Million Dollar Arm" grossed $36.5 million in North America and $2.8 million in other territories for a total gross of $39.2 million, against a budget of $25 million.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: In its opening weekend, the film grossed $10.5 million, finishing in fourth place at the box office behind fellow new release "Godzilla" ($95.1 million), as well as "Neighbors" ($25.2 million) and "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" ($16.8 million).


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: The film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that prior to release "Million Dollar Arm" received a 64% approval rating from critics, based on 149 reviews with an average score of 6.00/10. The site's consensus reads: "Pleasant to a fault, "Million Dollar Arm" is a middle-of-the-plate pitch that coasts on Jon Hamm's considerable charm without adding any truly original curves to Disney's inspirational sports formula." Metacritic gave the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: Scott Foundas of "Variety" described the film as a "sharp, slickly produced addition to the Disney sports movie canon [that] works as both a stirring underdog tale and as a revealing look at the expanding global footprint of the American sports-entertainment machine." Foundas also praised McCarthy's screenplay and Gillespie's direction, elaborating that they "put across the movie's many cliches with a certain verve, and find room for unexpected detours and grace notes in an overall familiar trajectory." Michael Rechtshaffen of "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote, "Dutifully covering all the requisite inspirational sports movie/fish-out-of-water bases yet still managing to throw a few fresh curves into the mix, Disney's "Million Dollar Arm" assuredly hits a home run." Chris Nashawaty of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a "B−" grade, comparing it to "Jerry Maguire", and calling Hamm's performance as one of film's highlights.


title: Million Dollar Arm

text: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences placed "Million Dollar Arm" on its shortlist of potential nominees for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (for "Million Dollar Dream", "Spreading the Word/Makhna", and "We Could Be Kings"), but ultimately was not nominated for either award.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The Société des Automobiles Alpine SAS, commonly known as Alpine (), is a French manufacturer of racing and sports cars established in 1955. The Alpine car marque was created in 1954.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Jean Rédélé, the founder of Alpine, was originally a Dieppe garage proprietor who began to achieve success in motorsport with one of the few French cars that were produced just after the Second World War, the Renault 4CV. The company has been closely related to Renault through its history, and was bought by it in 1973.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The Alpine competition department merged into Renault Sport in 1976 and the production of Alpine-badged models ceased in 1995.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The Alpine brand was relaunched with the 2017 introduction of the new Alpine A110. In January 2021, as part of a company revamp, Renault announced that Renault Sport was again merged into Alpine to form an Alpine business unit.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Using Renault 4CVs, Rédélé gained class wins in a number of major events, including the Mille Miglia and Coupe des Alpes. As his experience with the little 4CV built up, he incorporated many modifications, including for example, special five-speed gearboxes replacing the original three-speed unit. To provide a lighter car he built a number of special versions with lightweight aluminium bodies: he drove in these at Le Mans and Sebring with some success in the early 1950s.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Encouraged by the development of these cars and consequent customer demand, he created the Alpine brand in 1954. It was named "Alpine" after his "Coupe des Alpes" successes. He did not realise that in England the previous year, Sunbeam had introduced a sports coupe derived from the Sunbeam Talbot and called the "Sunbeam Alpine". This naming issue was to cause problems for Alpine throughout its history.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In 1955, he worked with the carrosserie Chappe et Gessalin to be amongst the pioneers of auto glassfibre construction and produced a small coupe, based on 4CV mechanicals, called the Alpine A106. It used the platform chassis of the original Renault 4CV. The A106 achieved a number of successes through the 1950s and was joined by a low and stylish cabriolet. Styling for this car was contracted to the Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. Under the glassfibre body was a very stiff chassis based on a central tubular backbone which was to be the hallmark of all Alpines.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Alpine then took the Michelotti cabriolet design and developed a 2+2 closed coupe (or 'berlinette') body for it: this became the Alpine A108, now featuring the Dauphine Gordini 845 cc engine, which on later models was bored out to give a capacity of 904 cc or (subsequently) 998 cc. The A108 was built between 1958 and 1963.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In 1962, the A108 began to be produced also in Brazil, by Willys-Overland. It was the Willys Interlagos (berlineta, coupé and convertible).


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: By now the car's mechanicals were beginning to show their age in Europe. Alpine was already working closely with Renault and when the Renault R8 saloon was introduced in 1962, Alpine redeveloped their chassis and made a number of minor body changes to allow the use of R8 mechanicals.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: This new car was the A110 Berlinette Tour de France, named after a successful run with the Alpine A108 in the 1962 event. Starting with a 956 cc engine of , the same chassis and body developed with relatively minor changes over the years to the stage where, by 1974, the little cars were handling 1800 cc engines developing +. With a competition weight for the car of around , the performance was excellent.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Alpine achieved increasing success in rallying, and by 1968 had been allocated the whole Renault competition budget. The close collaboration allowed Alpines to be sold and maintained in France by normal Renault dealerships. Real top level success started in 1968 with outright wins in the "Coupe des Alpes" and other international events. By this time the competition cars were fitted with 1440 cc engines derived from the Renault R8 Gordini. Competition successes became numerous, helped since Alpine was the first company fully to exploit the competition parts homologation rules.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In 1971, Alpines finished first, second and fourth in the Monte Carlo rally, using cars with engines derived from the Renault 16. In 1973, the newer A110 1800 finished first, second, third, and fifth and went on to win the World Rally Championship outright, beating Porsche, Lancia and Ford. During this time, production of the Alpine A110 increased and manufacturing deals were struck for A110s and A108s with factories in a number of other countries including Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Bulgaria.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: With 1973 came the international petrol crisis, which had profound effects on many specialist car manufacturers worldwide. From a total Alpine production of 1421 in 1972, the numbers of cars sold dropped to 957 in 1974 and the company was bailed out via a takeover by Renault. Alpine's problems had been compounded by the need for them to develop a replacement for the A110 and launch the car just when European petrol prices leapt through the roof.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Through the 1970s, Alpine continued to campaign the A110, and later the Alpine A310 replacement car. However, to compete with Alpine's success, other manufacturers developed increasingly special cars, notably the Lancia Stratos which was based closely on the A110's size and rear-engined concept, though incorporating a Ferrari engine. Alpine's own cars, still based on the 1962 design and using a surprising number of production parts, became increasingly uncompetitive. In 1974 Alpine built a series of factory racing Renault 17 Gordinis (one driven by Jean-Luc Thérier) that won the Press on Regardless World Rally Championship round in Michigan, US.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In fact, having achieved the rally championship, and with Renault money now fully behind them, Alpine had set their sights on a new target. The next aim was to win at Le Mans. Renault had also taken over the Gordini tuning firm and merged the two to form Renault Sport. A number of increasingly successful sports racing cars appeared, culminating in the 1978 Le Mans win with the Renault Alpine A442B. This was fitted with a turbo-charged engine; Alpine had been the first company to run in and win an international rally with a turbo car as far back as 1972 when Thérier took a specially modified A110 to victory on the "Critérium des Cévennes".


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: 1971 also saw Alpine begin construction of open-wheel racing cars. Initially in Formula Three within a year they were building Formula Two cars as well. However, without a competitive Renault Formula Two engine available, the F2 cars could neither be known as Renaults nor Alpines while powered by Ford-Cosworth and BMW engines and were labelled Elf 2 and later Elf 2J. A Renault 2.0 litre engine arrived in time for Jean-Pierre Jabouille to win the European Formula 2 Championship in 1976. By this time Alpine with Jabouille driving had built a Formula One car as a testing mule which lead directly to their entry into the Formula One World Championship in 1977. A second European Formula 2 championship followed with René Arnoux in 1977 with the customer Martini team, before Alpine sold the F2 operation to Willi Kauhsen to concentrate on the Le Mans and Formula One programs.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Alpine Renault continued to develop their range of models all through the 1980s. The A310 was the next modern interpretation of the A110. The Alpine A310 was a sports car with a rear-mounted engine and was initially powered by a four-cylinder 1.6 L sourced Renault 17 TS/Gordini engine. In 1976 the A310 was restyled by Robert Opron and fitted with the more powerful and newly developed V6 PRV engine. The 2.6 L motor was modified by Alpine with a four-speed manual gearbox. Later they would use a Five-speed manual gearbox and with the group 4 model get a higher tune with more cubic capacity and 3 twin barrel Weber carburetors.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: After the A310 Alpine transformed into the new Renault Alpine GTA range produced from plastic and polyester components, commencing with normally aspirated PRV V6 engines. In 1985 the V6 turbo was introduced to complete the range. This car was faster and more powerful than the normally aspirated version. In 1986 polyester parts were cut for the first time by robot using a high pressure (3500 bar) water jet, in diameter at three times the speed of sound. In the same year the American specification V6 turbo was developed.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In 1987 the installation of anti-pollution systems allowed the V6 turbo to be distributed to Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. 1989 saw the launch of the limited edition GTA "Mille Miles" to celebrate Alpine's 35th anniversary. Production was limited to 100 cars, all fitted with ABS braking, polished wheels, special leather interior and paintwork. This version was not available in RHD.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: 1990 saw the launch of the special edition wide-bodied GTA "Le Mans". Otherwise identical mechanically to the V6 Turbo, the engine was fitted with a catalytic converter and power was reduced to . This model was available in the UK and RHD versions carried a numbered plaque on the dashboard. The Le Mans is the most collectable and valuable GTA derivative, since only 325 were made (299 LHD and 26 RHD). These were available from Renault dealers in the UK and the country's motoring press are belatedly recognising the GTA series as the 'great unsung supercar of the 1980s'.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The Alpine A610 was launched in 1991. It was re-styled inside and out but was still recognisable as a GTA derivative. The chassis structure was extensively reworked but the central box principal remained the same. The front was completely re-designed the interior was also greatly improved. Air-conditioning and power steering were fitted as standard. The total production run for A610s derivatives was 818 vehicles 67 RHD and 751 LHD. After production of the A610 ended, the Alpine factory in Dieppe produced the Renault Sport Spider and a new era was to begin.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The last Alpine, an A610, rolled off the Dieppe line on 7 April 1995, Renault abandoning the Alpine name. This was always a problem in the UK market. Alpines could not be sold in the UK under their own name because Sunbeam owned the trade mark (because of the mid-50s Sunbeam Alpine Mk I). In the 1970s, for example Dieppe were building modified Renault 5s for the worldwide market. The rest of the world knew them as R5 Alpines but in the UK they had to be renamed to R5 Gordini. After numerous company takeovers the multinational Stellantis own the British "Alpine" trademark as of January 2021.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The Alpine factory in Dieppe continued to expand; in the 1980s they built the special R5 Turbo cars, following the rear engined formula they have always used. They built all Clio Williams and RenaultSport Spiders. The factory put its Alpine badges on the early batches of the mid-engined Clio series one Clio V6. The Clio Series 2 was also assembled there with more recent RenaultSport Clio 172 and RenaultSport Clio 182s.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Between 1989 and 1995, a new Alpine named the A710 "Berlinette 2", was designed and two prototypes were built. Due to the cost of the project (600 million francs), and as adding modern equipment and interior would compromise the price and performances, the project was canceled.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In October 2007, it was reported that Renault's marketing boss Patrick Blain had revealed that there were plans for several sports cars in Renault's future lineup, but stressed that the first model would not arrive until after 2010. Blain confirmed that Renault was unlikely to pick a new name for its future sports car and would probably go with Alpine to brand it. Blain described it as being a “radical sports car” and not just a sports version of a regular model.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In France, there is a large network of Alpine enthusiasts clubs. Clubs exist in many countries including the UK, USA, Australia, and Japan.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In February 2009, Renault confirmed that plans to revive the Alpine brand had been frozen as a direct result of the 2008–2009 global financial crisis and recession.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In May 2012, images of a new Renault Alpine concept titled as Renault Alpine A110-50 were leaked prior to its debut in Monaco. Its styling was based on the Renault DeZir presented in 2010.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In November 2012, Renault and Caterham Cars announced the purchasing by the latter of a 50% stake in the Renault's wholly owned subsidiary Société des Automobiles Alpine to create a joint venture (Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham or SAAC) owned equally by both parts, with the aim of developing affordable sport cars under the Alpine (for Renault) and Caterham (for Caterham Cars) brands, which would be available in 2016. In this partnership, Caterham acquired 50% ownership of the Renault's Dieppe assembly plant assets. On 10 June 2014, Renault announced it would be repurchasing the stake from Caterham Cars in SAAC, renaming it Société des Automobiles Alpine. During 2015, two new Alpine concepts were introduced: the Alpine Celebration, unveiled at the Le Mans race weekend, and the CGI-created Alpine Vision Gran Turismo. In February 2016, at an event held in Monte Carlo, Groupe Renault's chief Carlos Ghosn unveiled the Alpine Vision showcar (a model close to the planned production Alpine) and announced a 2017 relaunch for the Alpine brand. The Vision was later presented at the 86th Geneva Motor Show by Alpine.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The production version reused the A110 name and the first official pictures were revealed on 28 February 2017 prior to the unveiling at the 87th Geneva Motor show.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: On 10 December 2020, Alpine and MV Agusta announced that they would make a special edition of the MV Agusta Superveloce influenced by the Alpine A110 called the Superveloce 800 Alpine, there would be approximately 110 models made.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In January 2021, Alpine said it would absorb the Renault Sport entities (Renault Sport Cars and Renault Sport Racing), merging them with the existing Alpine operations to form a new Alpine business unit. The company also said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Lotus Cars to co-develop an electric successor for the A110. In May 2021, Les Ulis-based Renault Sport Cars was officially renamed as Alpine Cars and turned into the main development hub for Alpine as well as the whole Renault group sports cars.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The first assembly plant for Alpine was at a small workshop owned by Rédélé on the Pasteur avenue in Dieppe. In 1969, to cope with increasing demand, the assembly was moved to a larger facility on de Bréauté avenue, its present location.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The plant is semi-automatised, with high worker input (before the launch of the 2017 A110, vehicles were almost completely hand-built) and focused on low-volume, high quality assembly. It can produce an average of 15 A110s per day. The plant press neither steel nor aluminium (the A110s are mostly built on prefabricated alloy panels). The plant has not a welding section, as the A110 chassis and bodywork are riveted and glued on a special assembly line and moved to a low-temperature coating plant (able to paint both the alloy and plastic elements) and then to a sanding robot (to remove imperfections) and wiping robot (to clean the vehicle). Final assembly is made on a single line, with logistics teams preparing beforehand the vehicle's components to travel along the line with it. Cockpits are assembled and put on by the side and pre-assembled powertrains are put on the rear. Apart from low-volume cars, the Dieppe plant also assembles racing cars (as the Clio Rally4, a rallying car based on the fifth-generation Renault Clio), co-develops racing cars, produces and sells parts for racing cars, and tunes engines.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: From the late 1970s, Alpine's Dieppe plant produced Renault Sport models and, after the discontinuation of the Alpine brand in 1995, it became its main focus. Renault Sport models produced over time by Alpine include: Renault 5 Turbo, Renault Sport Spider, Clio Renault Sport, Mégane Renault Sport. The last Renault Sport model produced by Dieppe aimed at the mainstream market was the fourth-generation Clio Renault Sport, which was put out of production at the site in 2018. Between 2015 and 2016, the plant also assembled the Bolloré Bluecar.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Alpine Racing is the Alpine's motorsport division. It is made up of the Alpine subsidiaries Alpine Racing Limited (an Enstone-based operation) and Alpine Racing SAS (Viry-Châtillon) mainly for running the company Formula One programme and a partnership with Signatech for other programmes.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The Alpine competition department had various racing programmes from the early 1960s onwards. At the end of 1976, the department was merged with Gordini to form Renault Sport. Some Alpine racing activities continued after that, including a 1978 Le Mans 24 overall victory with the Renault Alpine A442, partnering its parent Renault.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In 2013, as part of the promotional activities for the launching of Alpine roadcars, Alpine partnered with Signatech to enter a Nissan-powered, Oreca-built prototype into the European Le Mans Series championship's LMP2 class, re-establishing Alpine-badged racing activities. Signatech-Alpine won the team championship. They returned for the 2014 season. In 2015, the Signatech-Alpine combination entered into the World Endurance Championship (WEC)'s LMP2 class, achieving the 2016 and 2019-2020 championships and winning three Le Mans 24 races. Through its partnership with Signatech, Alpine also launched GT4's touring car and rallying programmes for its A110.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In September 2020, Groupe Renault announced it would rename its existing Formula One team as Alpine F1 Team. In January 2021, the Alpine company said it would absorb all existing Renault Sport Racing activities besides Formula One.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: In March 2021, Alpine presented the Alpine Endurance Team, a WEC's top class team managed by Signatech and using a "grandfathered" Rebellion R13. In October 2021, Alpine said it would enter two WEC prototypes built on the LMDh rules from 2024 onwards, with the running side managed again by Signatech. Oreca was announced as the chassis main developer and builder (assisted by Alpine Racing's Enstone operation) and the engine development side would be carried out by Alpine Racing's Viry-Châtillon base.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: The Alpine 108 was produced in Brazil from 1962 to 1966, under license by Willys-Overland do Brasil, branded "Willys Interlagos". It was the first Brazilian sports car.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Bulgaria produced its own version of an Alpine, known as "Bulgaralpine" from 1967 to 1969. About 150 vehicles were produced.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: A few examples of the Alpine GTA were imported into the Canadian province of Quebec, with the expectation that AMC/Renault would be adding the model to their Canadian lineup. The GTA was designed by Renault to meet North American standards, however plans to import the GTA to North America were cancelled by Chrysler shortly after their takeover of AMC.


title: Automobiles Alpine

text: Mexico produced its own version of the Renault Alpine, known as "Dinalpin", from 1965 to 1974, assembled by DINA S.A., which also manufactured other Renault models under license. About 600 vehicles were produced.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: Open Season is a 2006 American computer-animated adventure comedy film, directed by Jill Culton and Roger Allers from a screenplay by Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman, and Nat Mauldin with a screen story by Culton and co-director Anthony Stacchi from an original story by Steve Moore and John B. Carls. The film stars the voices of Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Debra Messing, Billy Connolly, Jon Favreau, Georgia Engel, Jane Krakowski, Gordon Tootoosis, and Patrick Warburton. Its plot follows Boog, a domesticated grizzly bear who teams up with an amnesiac one-antlered mule deer named Elliot and other woodland animals to defeat human hunters.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: "Open Season" was produced by Sony Pictures Animation as its debut film, and was released to theaters by Columbia Pictures under Sony Pictures Releasing on September 29, 2006. It has also been released in the IMAX 3D format. A video game for the film was released on multiple platforms.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: Despite receiving mixed reviews from film critics, the film was positively welcomed from audiences and was a box office success, earning $200.8 million on an $85 million budget. The film was followed by three direct-to-video sequels: "Open Season 2" (2008), "Open Season 3" (2010), and "" (2015).


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: In the small town of Timberline, a 900-pound (400 kg) grizzly bear named Boog enjoys a captive but pampered existence and spends his days as the star attraction of the town's nature show, while at night lives in the garage of park ranger Beth, who has raised Boog since he was a cub. One day, the hunting fanatic Shaw drives into Timberline with a one-antlered deer named Elliot strapped to the hood of his truck. After Boog frees him, Elliot becomes convinced that they are friends. That night, Elliot finds Boog sleeping comfortably in the garage, tells him to be "free" from his garage captivity, and introduces him to sweet temptations he has never known.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: When Boog becomes sick from eating too many candy bars, events quickly spiral out of control as the two raid a convenience store. Elliot escapes, but Boog is caught by Beth's friend Gordy, the town's sheriff. The next morning, Elliot is being chased by Shaw, and goes to Boog for help at the nature show. Boog tries to get rid of him, and the audience mistakes him for attacking Elliot and goes into a panic. Beth shoots both animals with a tranquilizer gun just before Shaw fires his own gun; Shaw flees before Gordy can arrest him. Realizing Boog is too threatening in the town, Beth relocates him and Elliot into the Timberline National Forest two days before open season, but they are relocated above the waterfalls, where they will be legally safe from hunters.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: Lacking outdoor survival skills, Boog reluctantly takes Elliot as his guide to get him back home to reunite with Beth. They encounter unwelcoming forest animals, including skunks Maria and Rosie, ducks Serge and Deni, various panic-stricken rabbits, the Scottish-accented squirrel McSquizzy and his loyal gang of fellow acorn-throwing squirrels, beaver Reilly and his construction worker team, a porcupine named Buddy who is in search of a friend, and Elliot's herd that includes Ian, the leader, and Giselle, a doe that Elliot is in love with. It is revealed that Ian banished Elliot from the herd for being a loser. Eventually, Boog and Elliot start to bond after realizing they are both outcasts, and Boog considers letting Elliot stay with him when they get back.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: The next day, Elliot attempts to lead Boog out of the forest, but it becomes evident he has no clue where they are going. The two are confronted by Shaw and accidentally destroy Reilly's dam trying to get away, causing a flash flood which sends the animals and Shaw plummeting down the waterfall into the hunting grounds. At first, everyone blames Boog, who accuses Elliot of lying to him about knowing the way home. Elliot admits he thought that if Boog spent time with him, he would befriend him. Boog angrily storms off, but unwittingly ends up in Shaw's log cabin, where he is discovered by Shaw. Boog escapes to a nearby road and happens upon the glowing lights of Timberline. Instead of returning home, Boog rallies the animals to defend themselves using their natural skills. They scavenge supplies from an RV owned by a couple named Bob and Bobbie, who are looking for Bigfoot, while their pet dachshund Mr. Weenie joins the forest animals.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: The next day, Boog leads a revolution against the hunters, sending them running after McSquizzy blows up their trucks with a propane tank ignited by an emergency flare. Shaw returns for a final showdown and shoots Elliot, prompting Boog to furiously confront Shaw and tie him up with his own gun. Boog rushes to Elliot, who survived with a second broken antler. The forest animals thank Boog for his help and take out their vengeance on Shaw by smothering him with honey and pillow feathers, sending him fleeing into the woods. Beth later returns in a helicopter to take Boog back home, but Boog, realizing how much the experience has changed him and all the friends he has now, decides to stay in the forest with Beth's blessing.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: The ideas for "Open Season" came from cartoonist Steve Moore, who is known for his comic strip "In the Bleachers". Moore and producer John Carls submitted the story to Sony in June 2002, and the film immediately went into development. On February 29, 2004, Sony Pictures Animation announced the beginning of the production on "Open Season", its first CGI animated film.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: The film location was inspired by the towns of Sun Valley, Idaho and McCall, Idaho, and the Sawtooth National Forest. References to the Lawn Lake, Colorado, Dam flood, Longs Peak, and other points of interest in the area are depicted in the film.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: The Sony animation team developed a digital tool called shapers that allowed the animators to reshape the character models into stronger poses and silhouettes and subtle distortions such as squash, stretch, and smears, typical of traditional, hand drawn animation.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: To choose the voice cast, Culton blindly listened to audition tapes, unknowingly picking Lawrence and Kutcher for the lead roles. Their ability to improvise significantly contributed to the creative process. "They really became meshed with the characters", said Culton. Until the film's premiere, Lawrence and Kutcher never met during production.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 48% based on 101 reviews with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site's consensus reads: ""Open Season" is a clichéd palette of tired jokes and CGI animal shenanigans that have been seen multiple times this cinematic year." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: Kevin Smith gave the film a thumbs up during an appearance as a guest critic on "Ebert and Roeper", saying: "If your kids like poop jokes as much as I do, "Open Season" will put a big smile on their faces". However, Richard Roeper gave the film a thumbs down, saying, "It's just okay, the animation is uninspired".


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: "Open Season" opened number one with $23 million on its opening weekend. It grossed $88.6 million in the United States and $112.2 million in foreign countries, making $200.8 million worldwide. The film was released in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2006, and opened at number three, behind "The Departed" and "The Devil Wears Prada".


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: The film was nominated for six Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature (lost to "Cars"), Best Animated Effects, Best Character Design in a Feature Production, Best Production Design in a Feature Production, and Best Storyboarding in a Feature Production.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: "Open Season" was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and UMD Video on January 30, 2007. It includes an animated short called "Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run". The film was later released to 3D Blu-ray on November 16, 2010.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: A video game based on the film was released on September 18, 2006, for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, and Microsoft Windows. For Wii, it was released on November 19, 2006, together with the console's launch.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: The soundtrack includes an original film score by Ramin Djawadi and several original songs by Paul Westerberg, formerly of The Replacements. "Rolling Stone" gave the film's soundtrack three stars out of five, as did Allmusic.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: "Open Season—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (10″ LP)" includes three songs that did not appear on the soundtrack CD: an alternative version of "I Belong", Paul Westerberg's own version of "Wild as I Wanna Be", and Reyli's "Tú eres el amor", which played during the credits in the Latin American Spanish version of the film. In the dubbing of the same language, Reyli also performed the voice of Boog.


title: Open Season (2006 film)

text: "Open Season" was followed by three direct-to-video sequels: "Open Season 2" (2008), "Open Season 3" (2010), and "" (2015). A majority of the characters' voices were recast, with Michelle Murdocca (Maria) being the only cast member to appear in all sequels.


title: PlayStation Network

text: PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartphones, tablets, Blu-ray players and high-definition televisions. This service is the account for PlayStation consoles, accounts can store games and other content.


title: PlayStation Network

text: As of April 2016, over 110 million users have been documented, with 106 million of them active monthly as of the end of March 2022.


title: PlayStation Network

text: PlayStation Network's services are dedicated to an online marketplace (PlayStation Store), a premium subscription service for enhanced gaming and social features (PlayStation Plus), music streaming (PlayStation Music, based on Spotify) and formerly a cloud gaming service (PlayStation Now; folded into PlayStation Plus Premium in June 2022). The service is available in 73 territories.


title: PlayStation Network

text: Launched in the year 2000, Sony's second home console, the PlayStation 2, had rudimentary online features in select games via its online network. It required a network adaptor, which was available as an add-on for original models and integrated into the hardware on slimline models. However, Sony provided no unified service for the system, so support for network features was specific to each game and third-party server, and there was no interoperability of cross-game presence. Five years later during the development stage for its third home console, the PlayStation 3, Sony expressed their intent to build upon the functionality of its predecessor by creating a new interconnected service that keeps users constantly in touch with a "PlayStation World" network. In March 2006, Sony officially introduced its unified online service, tentatively named "PlayStation Network Platform". A list of supporting features was announced at the Tokyo Game Show later the same year.


title: PlayStation Network

text: Sony launched an optional premium subscription service on top of the free PSN service in June 2010. Known as PlayStation Plus, the system provides access to exclusive content, complementary games, regular store discounts, and early access to forthcoming games.


title: PlayStation Network

text: Following a security intrusion, the PlayStation Network had a temporary suspension of operation which began on April 20, 2011 and affected 77 million registered accounts. Lasting 23 days, this outage was the longest amount of time the PSN had been offline since its inception in 2006. Sony reported that user data had been obtained during the intrusion. In June 2011, Sony launched a "Welcome Back" program following the outage, allowing all PSN subscribers who joined prior to April 20 to download two free PlayStation 3 titles and two free PlayStation Portable games. Users also received 30 free days of PlayStation Plus, while users who were already subscribed before the outage got 60 free days. After the disruption, Sony changed the PlayStation Network's license agreement to legally bar users from filing lawsuits and joining class action lawsuits without first trying to resolve issues with an arbitrator.


title: PlayStation Network

text: In July 2012, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that they had acquired video game streaming service Gaikai for $380 million. The acquisition was later strengthened when Sony acquired the assets of Gaikai's market rival OnLive. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2014, Sony announced that Gaikai's technology would be used to power PlayStation Now; a new cloud-based gaming service that allows people to play PlayStation games on a variety of devices. During 2014, Sony rolled out the service in North America on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in beta form as a means for users to test performance and pricing structures.